Jason Sebastian Russo Selected as Residential Teaching Fellow at Bennington Writing Seminars
Jason Sebastian Russo, an MFA student in fiction and poetry, has been selected to be the twelfth Residential Teaching Fellow at Bennington Writing Seminars.
Jason Sebastian Russo MFA '25, a dual-genre MFA student in fiction and poetry, has been selected to be the twelfth Residential Teaching Fellow at Bennington Writing Seminars. The fellowship is the first of its kind in the country to offer full-time undergraduate teaching experience in a low-residency MFA format. Benefits include full tuition remission for one term, housing and board, and enrollment in an on-campus class. Russo will begin in February.
“This competitive fellowship is a unique opportunity for our MFA students and affords them intensive teaching experience under the guidance of an established faculty member,” said Megan Culhane Galbraith, Director of the Bennington Writing Seminars. “We are delighted to have Jason as this term’s teaching fellow, and I am thrilled this program continues to thrive.”
Russo will be working with visiting literature faculty member Sandra Simmonds in the class “Fundamentals of Creative Writing.” Russo’s duties include grading, advising, assisting in the development of course materials, guest lecturing, and research, among other responsibilities, along with continuing his regular MFA coursework.
“The fellowship feels emblematic of our program, and it's an honor to be selected,” said Russo. “I'm excited to get to know our undergraduate population, and I'm thrilled to work and learn alongside Professor Simonds.”
Jason Sebastian Russo was born in Yonkers, New York and started writing on Twitter. His work appears in The Southwest Review, Hobart, Forever Magazine, and beyond. As a musician, he has toured and recorded with Mercury Rev, Hopewell, and Pete International Airport, among others, as well as composed for film, commercials, and even a nature documentary for the University of Alaska’s Planetarium.
The competitive teaching fellowship is open to enrolled Bennington MFA students rising into their second, third, or fourth term. Students are mentored 1:1 with the faculty member with whom they are working and continue to work on their MFA coursework and manuscript.
For more information about the Bennington Writing Seminars or to apply to the MFA program, please visit the website. The application deadlines are September 1 (for entry to the Winter term) and March 1 (for entry to the Summer term).