Connie Hales is at the epicenter of the ever vital, ever growing Fresno poetry scene. She is first an exceptional poet who has published four collections of poetry: Separate Escapes, winner of the Richard Snyder Poetry Prize (Ashland Poetry Press, 2002), Out of This Place (March Street Press, 2001), January Fire (Devil’s Millhopper Press), and Underground (Ahsahta Press). Her poems have appeared in Hudson Review, Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Prairie Schooner, Southern Review, and many other journals. She has been awarded two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and won first place in the River Styx Poetry Prize competition for 2000.
Hales is also an outstanding and beloved teacher who has encouraged many student poets to follow their writing dreams. As a teacher of poetry writing she strikes that difficult balance between nurturing students and setting the highest standards of craftsmanship. In her position as Coordinator of the MFA Program in Creative Writing she has led the program into the digital age creating a dynamic on-line community of current MFA students, alumni, faculty, and community writers. She has encouraged high school writers by hosting the yearly Young Writers Conference, and she has worked with other faculty to bring noted writers and poets to CSU Fresno for readings. Currently she is serving as co-director of The Fresno Poets’ Association with CSUF Dean of Library Services Peter McDonald.
