D.K. McCutchen is Senior Lecturer ll at UMass Amherst in the College of Natural Sciences. Previously Provost’s Designee and one time Chair of the University Writing Committee , she is currently Co-Associate Director of Junior-Year Writing for the UMass Writing Program (collaborating with Dr. Haivan Hoang, author of Writing Against Racial Injury, in setting up Mutual Mentoring support for JYW Faculty using multi-modal curriculum). She has an MFA in creative writing (UMass) and a graduate Diploma in Science, DipSci (Otago University, New Zealand).

Her writing, as separate from her teaching, includes two upcoming books with three small presses. JELLYFISH DREAMING (gender-bender speculative fiction) will be published in 2023 by small presses in the US and UK. (Announcement pending). She is currently editing its prologue, ICE (when she has time!). JELLYFISH DREAMING was the subject of a Mossy Skull interview when the short story version was published pre-pandemic.

Her first book, THE WHALE ROAD, will be also be republished in the USA with JackLeg Press in 2023/24. WR is a creative nonfiction tale about sailing with whale researchers in the South Pacific  (Random House, NZ, 2004; Blake, UK, 2007). It received a Pushcart Nomination and was listed as a Notable Book for the 2005 Kiriyama Prize.

DKM has other publications with (among others) Fourth Genre, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Isotope, Identity Theory, several Fish Publishing literary competition anthologies (Cork University Press), The Café Review, Route 9 and Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet No. 33 out of Small Beer Press.  In a literary attempt to save the world, she’s currently writing gender-bender post-apocalyptic speculative fiction — and focusing her writing classes on a theme born out of the pandemic to help engage students in remote learning: Witnessing History.

PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS

WHALE ROAD (WR) will be republished with JackLeg Press 2023/24

WR won a session with a Publishing Sherpa through the 2020 Write Angles Conferences. Love those guys. Wish the pandemic had let the conference continue. The Publishing Sherpa did just what she promised, however, and led the book to a publisher!

SFWP published a chapter of the book long before it was published by Random NZ (see “FRESH BONES” below) . So delighted to have WR published in this country at long last! 

I worked with Editor Michael J. Deluca (The Mossy SKull , Reckoning Press: Creative Writing on Environmental Justice & Author of Night Roll),on finishing the prose version of JELLYFISH DREAMING (JFD). The graphic version was illustrated by Mike Bukowick. My wonderful Sherpa also suggested I submit JFD to the Leapfrog Global Fiction prize, to good effect!

• THE WHALE ROAD, (2004). [Creative Nonfiction], Random House, NZ. Pushcart Nominee & a Kiriyama Prize Notable Book, 2005.
• THE WHALE ROAD, (April, 2006 ). 2nd Printing: John Blake Publishers UK.

• JELLYFISH DREAMING [JFD, forthcoming with LeapFrog Press and Can of Worms Press, 2023] recipient of the Leapfrog Global Fiction prize 2022, an MCC finalist grant, runner up for a Speculative Literature Foundation grant, “Short List for Finalists” for the Novel category in the 2014 William Faulkner-William Wisdom awards, and Semi Finalist for Novel-In-Progress.  It also made top five in Fish Publishing’s Young-Adult Novel Prize: Final Short-list 2016 (Cork University Press).
• JFD, the short story version, is published in LCRW #33 2015, out of Small Beer Press (see below) and is listed in the “Recommended Reading” section of the anthology: The Year’s Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2016 Edition, by Rich Horton
• ICE [novel in progress] recipient of a Speculative Literature Foundation grant 2015, and Finalist for Novel-In-Progress for the William Faulkner-William Wisdom, Pirate Alley Faulkner Awards 2017.

SHORT STORIES & POEMS  IN LITERARY JOURNALS

• ICE (2018). [Short Story version, 5000 words], illustrated by Mike Bukowick. Requested by Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) Grant Recipients for a fundraiser Donor Package (limited private distribution).
• JELLYFISH DREAMING, (July 2015). [Short story version, 5000 words] Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet (LCRW #33), Small Beer Press, Northampton, MA.
• THE GREENING, in Route 9, (2014) Alumni Omnibus anniversary edition. Nonfiction. http://route9litmag.com/post/80854621904/the-greening
• “THE HALF-INCH GIANT,” (June 2011). Festschrift to Agha Shahid Ali, The Cafe Review, Greater Portland, Maine. http://www.thecafereview.com/?m=201106
• BREATHING AIR, (Winter 2009). Potash Hill, Marlboro College, Vt. http://www.marlboro.edu/news/publications/potash_hill/
• SUN CHASERS, (2004). Isotope: A Journal of Literary Nature & Science Writing,Utah State University, Issue 2.1  http://isotope.usu.edu/pages/issues/issue_2.1/mccutchen.html
• SEA CHANGE, (Winter 2003). Potash Hill, 2.1, Marlboro, College, Vt. http://www.marlboro.edu/news/publications/potash_hill/
• SEA CHANGE, (2001). William Faulkner Award for Short Story, compiled. Tallahatchie River Festival, New Albany, MS.
• FRESH BONES, (2003). SFWP Literary Journal, Santa Fe Writers Project. http://www.sfwp.com/fresh-bones-by-dk-mccutchen/
• PREACHING GEESE & THE WALLABY MARTYR, (April 2002), CRATE, UMass, Amherst.
• HUNGER FISH, (July 2002), Hayden’s Ferry Review, Issue #30.
• HUNGER FISH, second rights, (2002), Rosebud, Cambridge, WI, Issue #25.

ANTHOLOGY CONTRIBUTIONS

• THE ZEN OF KAKAPO POO- REDUX, (2014). In the 2014 FISH ANTHOLOGY, Ireland: Cork University Press.
• APRIL FOOL & THE FEMINISTAS, (2009). In: TEN PINT TED & OTHER STORIES AND POEMS, [Fish literary competition anthology]. Ireland: Cork University Press. http://www.corkuniversitypress.com/Fish-Anthology-2009-p/9780956272102.htm
• THE GLASS BITCH, (2006). In: GRANDMOTHER, GIRL, WOLF AND OTHER STORIES. [Fish literary competition anthology]. Ireland: Cork University Press.
• THE PEARL CHAIN, (2003). ANTHOLOGY OF NEW ENGLAND GHOST STORIES. Rock Village Publishing, MA.

COMMENTS on FORM & ONLINE INTERVIEWS

• THE ART OF LYING—Or Risking the Wrath of Oprah, in Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction 10.1 (2008): 147-151. [Comments on the Form – Creative Nonfiction]. Archived in Project MUSE. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. Purchased 2018 by Pearson Education, for use in online custom course packs for instructors: Pearson Collections.
• AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT on the top 10 finalists of the 2017 SANTA FE WRITER’S PROJECT Literary Award. “EDITING IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN & OTHER WISDOM FROM A WORKING WRITER,” by Monica Prince.
• STAR STUFF & WORM MEAT (Sept. 2015), in THE MOSSY SKULL: The LCRW 33 Interviews by Michael J. Deluca.
• CHALLENGES in CATEGORIZING CREATIVE WORK (Sept. 4th, 2014), in ARTSAKE: Blog of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
• A.I.R. REFLECTIONS: Deb McCutchen (June 27th, 2013), on The Byrdcliffe Artists in Residence Program, Woodstock, New York.
• WOW! Women on Writing (2012), INTERVIEW on Flash Fiction: “GLARE” in Before It’s News & The Muffin.

NONFICTION ARTICLES / FLASH MEMOIR / RESEARCH

• WE STORY (Oct 2020), Journal of the Write Angles Conference 2020
• WHY I’M A SUPERHERO (Nov. 2018), Journal of the Write Angles Conference 2018
• TREASURED ITEM (May, 2018), Journal of the Write Angles Conference 2018
• TO MARCH: Tramp, Trudge, Protest, Picket, Advance, Progress, Step-Out, Strut, Swagger (Nov. 2017), Journal of the Write Angles Conference 2017.
• FALLING (2016), Journal of the Write Angles Conference 2016.
• HIDDEN DANGERS IN OUR WATER (Monday, June 20th, 2016) The Recorder: http://www.recorder.com/my-turn-radon-2895264
• WHALE FORCE WINDS, (April 2007). Identity Theory.com [nonfiction]. http://www.identitytheory.com/nonfiction/mccutchen_whales.php
• WHALE WINDS, (1996). The Right Whale Research Newsletter, vol. 5. 2. p.2. Edgerton Research Lab, New England Aquarium, Boston, MA.
• INVITING POLLUTION WITHIN, (Oct., 1993). [Feature], New Zealand Science Monthly. Archived (2007): http://nzsm.webcentre.co.nz/article1188.htm
• TEACHER/TUTOR INTERACTION, (2007). [A Balfour Grant manual] BayPath College, MA.

Wildlife Management Reports on file with: Otago University Science Library, The Department of Conservation, & The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, New Zealand (1993):

• A National Policy for Marine Reserves in New Zealand, #42; Wildlife Management Report: 49
• Censusing Seals on Otago Peninsula, #58, Wildlife Management Report: #34 ;
• A Survey Design Estimating Absolute Abundance and Detecting Population Trends in Hector’s Dolphin within the Otago Conservancy.
• Toxin Levels Found in Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori), Original Thesis supervised by Dr. E. Slooten, for a Diploma of Science in Wildlife Management, 1993. Wildlife Management Report: # 43

Newspaper Articles:

Freelance feature articles on the Arts and Sciences since 1987: Hampshire Gazette, Heath Herald, Greenfield Recorder & The Boston Tab. Otago Daily Times, New Zealand, 1993, West County News [Shelburne correspondent] 2004-2005, & The Independent,(for an example scroll to pg. 5 “A Ten Year Plan: What will we do locally about global warming?”) 2006-2007.