MFA Student Spotlight: Luke Smith
by Emily Collins
Welcome back to CutBank’s weekly student spotlight where we interview current MFA students at the University of Montana. This week’s spotlight is Luke Smith, a first year fiction student with a BA in creative writing from the University of Montana at work on an adult fantasy novel and eclectic work of short fiction. I recently sat with Luke and got to hear his thoughts on Ray Bradbury, the UM writing community, and other gems.
Emily Collins: What drew you to the MFA in fiction program at the University of Montana?
Luke Smith: I earned my BA in creative writing at UM, so sticking around for an MFA just seemed to make sense. I'd gotten to know a lot of the faculty, and I wanted to keep studying under them. But also I just love Montana. Every summer my family would make the trip up from Denver to stay with my grandparents for a month or two in Columbia Falls. The place is pretty formative for me, so I'm ecstatic I've been able to loiter around and study writing in some of the same spots I frequented as a kid. It's a cool feeling.
EC: Who are your favorite fiction writers, memoirists, poets, etc.?
LS: Bradbury was the one who first really made me want to write. There's something so earnest in his stories, something so infectiously honest and sincere even in his pulpiest and/or darkest works. I think I wanted to write like that--and still do.
I really tend to get stuck on the writers who raised me, writers like Ursula K. Le Guin, Richard Adams, Kenneth Grahame, Diana Wynne Jones. Every time I read them I find something new, but of course always familiar. It's corny as hell, but it's like catching up with an old friend. Mostly though I'm just impressed (and relieved) at how well each holds up.
Some contemporary writers I'm big on these days are Akwaeke Emezi, Lydia Millet, Anna Burns.
EC: What are you working on writing-wise and what do you hope to gain during your time at UM?
LS: A mycologist love story, then one about a mailman who witnesses a murder, and another about girls stealing biplanes. Each the questionable product of a half-baked, 2-a.m. idea, but I'm happy to have a cohort who I think will tolerate those sorts of ideas, and that's really what I'm her for, that trusty group of generous readers.
Otherwise, I'm glancing at a young adult fantasy road trip novel. Only from the corner of my eye, though. Trying not to scare it away.
EC: When you're not writing, what are some of your favorite hobbies, interests, etc.?
LS: A good quarter of my waking hours are spent just walking my dog, and I like to listen to audiobooks while we meander. Otherwise, I watch a weird amount of animated movies and reality TV.
EC: When you look back on your journey as a writer so far, what excites you the most?
LS: I look at the first thing I ever published and am a little mortified, but I love that I can be that, and I hope someday I'll look at the things I'm writing now and feel the same. I think that means I'm growing.
EC: Bonus Question: If you could quarantine with any writer throughout history, who would they be and why?
LS: I think I'd probably just Zoom with Le Guin occasionally. I'm sure Le Guin would have plenty to say about the state of things, and I want to hear it, but also worry that if I quarantined with anyone, one or both of us would be out a window before long.
Luke Smith is an MFA candidate at the University of Montana, where he also earned his BA in creative writing. His heart belongs in equal parts to Carly Rae Jepsen and his Saint Bernard, Chester. His work has appeared in Popshot, Firewords, Barren Magazine, and others. When not meddling with CutBank, he helps out with the publications Unstamatic and Visual Verse.
Emily Collins is the Interviews Editor for CutBank and a MFA in fiction candidate at the University of Montana. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in New Orleans Review, The Florida Review, The Atticus Review, The South Carolina Review, and others. She’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and other anthologies. When she’s not interviewing incredible writers, she enjoys hiking and volunteering.