meghan esther giles cv*
(*links underlined and in pink)
current work
april 2026-present volunteer, east lubbock art house (remote)
may 2026-present founder, flower house (remote)
upcoming and new releases
(*be sure to sign up for the newsletter for updates!)
books
early poems and b(e)sides vol. 1, flower house, 2026 (poetry)— on the way very soon ( in post production)
~*fairytale rumors*~, flower house, 2026 (fiction novelette)— on the way very soon (in post production )
hold rainbows, flower house, 2026 (poetry / hybrid)— expected fall / winter 2026!
oil jetty [working title, another iteration, companion to the music / tv / film], (nonfiction, oral history), with the hightimers + three suns collective (in post production)
poetry
“when i was echo ( a cento ),” GARLAND issue 6 : uncommon mythologies, guest edited by sadee bee, fifth wheel press (forthcoming fall /winter 2026)
music / tv / film
oil jetty [working title, another iteration], with the hightimers + three suns collective (in post production)
events + activities, etc.
march 2026 juried group art show, “identity,” east lubbock art house, lubbock, tx
2024 - 2025 member, texas association of creative writers
october 2024 presenter, lyric essay, "land arts of the american west : field notes," texas association of creative writers conference, lubbock, tx
february 2022 oil jetty (ram) film and time capsule exhibit, as member of three suns collective, museum at texas tech university, lubbock, tx
august - december 2021 participant, land arts of the american west fieldwork program, huckabee college of architecture, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
october 2019 panelist, “investigating wild : internal landscapes and their inhabitants,” sowell collection conference, southwest collections library, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
february 2019 q&a session invited speaker, graduate recruitment weekend, department of english, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
july 2015 contributor, sewanee writers’ conference, the university of the south, sewanee, tn
publications, etc.
books
early poems and b(e)sides vol. 1, flower house, 2026 (poetry)— coming soon, in post production, be sure to sign up for the newsletter for updates!
~*fairytale rumors*~, flower house, 2026 (fiction novelette)— coming soon, in post production, be sure to sign up for the newsletter for updates!
hold rainbows, flower house, fall 2026 (poetry / hybrid)— coming soon, in post production, be sure to sign up for the newsletter for updates!
earthworks
“fuck ur mfa,” earthwork, my rent house backyard, 2026, polaroid image on view as part of dispatches from sky city series at flower house gallery
“fuck ur phd,” earthwork, my rent house backyard, 2026, polaroid image on view as part of dispatches from sky city series at flower house gallery
interviews-as-interviewer
cassandra cleghorn, iron horse literary review, national poetry month issue, volume 23.2, april 2021 (pdf of interview)
clemonce heard, iron horse literary review, national poetry month issue, volume. 22.2, april 2020 (pdf of interview)
g.c. waldrep, the mcneese review, vol.53, 2015 - 2016 (pdf of interview)
peter keltz and kendra mccartney, “plant blindness,” podcast episode
jodee stanley, “what jodee stanley knows,” inside higher ed, december 2015 (group interview)
mixed media
"oil jetty (ram)," great salt lake anthology, 2024, great salt lake collaborative, as a member of three suns collective
dispatches from sky city series (in progress) , flower house gallery, 2026-present
modeling + features
model, advertising campaign, the exchange, 2013
“a tartan tale,” mac cosmetics, estée lauder, advertising campaign paid feature model for in-store events, 2011 (cover image of handout and close up image of me in full look)
model, advertising campaign and runway, chrome studios, 2009, 2010 (promotional mailer eg.)
photoshoot subject, lise sarfati (photographer), 2009 (one of the photographs)
"what i love about me : the beauties of austin, tx, prove that everyone's stellar in the lone star state," marie claire, july 2009, interviews by lizzie dunlap, photographed by melanie grizzel
non fiction
“land arts of the american west : field notes,” writing texas, vol. 11, the texas association of creative writers, 2024-2025, essay-in-verse
“object memory : a practice in metaphorical meaning-making,” vanguard: exercises for the creative writing classroom, 2020, creative writing exercise
“in the saddle : becky mandelbaum,” iron horse literary review, volume 21.4, 2019, column (click here to go to becky’s website)
poetry
“when i was echo ( a cento ),” GARLAND issue 6 : uncommon mythologies, guest edited by sadee bee, fifth wheel press (forthcoming fall 2026)
“mostly now, i can’t even kill what tries to hurt me,” prairie schooner, vol. 6, no. 2, summer 2022
“reception,” reprinted in waves : a confluence of women’s voices anthology, a room of her own foundation, 2019
“prairie dogs,” cimarron review, triple issue 206, 207, 208; winter, spring, summer 2019
“reasons to date the lead singer,” measure : a review of formal poetry, volume 7, issue 2, 2017
“cadillac ranch,” south dakota review, vol. 52, nos. 3&4
“eden’s station and eve,” south dakota review, vol. 52, nos. 3&4
“mirage,” south dakota review, vol. 52, nos. 3&4
“reception,” hayden’s ferry review, november 2015
“to too tired you,” harbinger, 2012
“grandfather,” harbinger, 2011
“mr. fear,” celebrate! young poets speak out, texas fall 2002, creative communication inc. ( high merit poems, grade 8 )
scholarships, fellowships, competitions, tournaments of note, + awards
fall 2021 - spring 2022 dissertation completion fellowship, graduate school, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
fall 2021 land arts of the american west scholarship, huckabee college of architecture, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
fall 2017 - 2021 graduate teaching assistantship, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
spring 2018 poetry fellowship, round top poetry festival, round top, tx
spring 2016 joy scantlebury poetry award, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
spring 2016 lynne and richard reid poetry scholarship, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
fall 2013 - spring 2016 graduate teaching assistantship, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
fall 2013 - spring 2016 william j. doré fellowship, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
spring 2014 first year pedagogical promise award, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
2010 - 2011 arts and sciences quest for excellence scholarship, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
2010 huffman memorial poetry award, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
early 2000s played on a team in the usa national junior olympics volleyball tournament, 71st place (ish or something idk how to look this up?) one year
education
terminal degrees
may 2022 english + creative writing, doctor of philosophy (phd)
creative dissertation titles(s): nowhere now / depositions
qualifying exam subjects : american poetry, contemporary writing of the us southwest, ecopoetry and environmental prose (essays i wrote for the exams: day one; day two; day three)
texas tech university, lubbock, tx
may 2016 creative writing, masters of fine arts (mfa)
thesis title : draw the arrows
research subjects : the great plains, the craft of poetry and prose writing
mcneese state university, lake charles, la
undergraduate degrees
december 2011 english, bachelor of arts (ba)
french, bachelor of arts (ba)
texas tech university, lubbock, tx
certifications
september 2025 the fundamentals of journalism
nbcu academy
remote
volunteer work (unpaid)
february 2023 - july 2024 fiction co-editor, orison books, remote
september 2022 - may 2024 associate editor, iron horse literary review, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
august 2017 - may 2021 senior managing editor, iron horse literary review, texas tech university, lubbock, tx. *positions held: senior managing editor (2 years); managing editor (1 year); associate editor (1 year); chapbook contest preliminary judge (4 years) (unpaid volunteer position as associate editor, course reduction as other roles)
october 2021 museum guard for dan flavin untitled with live musical accompaniment orchestrated by david dove, chinati weekend open house, the chinati foundation/la fundación chinati, marfa, tx
february 2020 featured reader, graduate recruitment weekend, department of english, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
november 2019 featured reader, louise hopkins underwood center for the arts, lubbock, tx
april 2018 featured reader, poetry fellow reading, round top poetry festival, round top, tx
april 2018 fellowship assistant for forrest gander's translation workshop, round top poetry festival, round top, tx
october 2017 featured reader, first friday art trail, stitched and unstitched reading series, casp studios, lubbock, tx
october 2017 volunteer, lubbock book festival, louise hopkins underwood center for the arts, lubbock, tx
2016 -2017 reader, crux : the georgia series in literary nonfiction, university of georgia press, remote
october 2016 - june 2017 reader, the master’s review, remote
january 2014 - 2016 bi-annual reader, dr. gray’s free range reading series, stellar beans coffeehouse, lake charles, la
august 2014 - 2015 graduate council member, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
august 2013 - june 2016 managing editor, the mcneese review, mcneese state university, lake charles, la. *positions held: managing editor ( 1 year); online editor (1 year); reader (1 year) (unapid volunteer position for 2yrs, course reduction for 1 yr)
previous work experience (from 2006 onward tho i’ve had other jobs before that)
may 2026 stage, the nicolett, lubbock, tx
july 2024 - september 2025 executive administrative assistant, the humanities center @ texas tech, office of the provost, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
june 2020 - july 2024 freelance editor; edited various website materials, scholarly and various other articles, such as many projects regarding architecture and housing in são paulo, brazil, remote
august 2017 - 2021 graduate instructor, department of english, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
august 2017 - may 2021 senior managing editor, iron horse literary review, texas tech university, lubbock, tx. *positions held: senior managing editor (2 years); managing editor (1 year); associate editor (1 year); chapbook contest preliminary judge (4 years) (unpaid volunteer position as associate editor, course reduction otherwise)
summer 2016, 2017 caretaker and ranch hand for pam houston, creede, co
october 2016 - april 2017 ski lift operator, wolf creek ski area, wolf creek pass, co
august 2013 - june 2016 managing editor, the mcneese review, mcneese state university, lake charles, la. *positions held: managing editor ( 1 year); online editor (1 year); reader (1 year) (unapid volunteer position for 2yrs)
august 2013 - may 2016 graduate teaching assistant, department of english, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
august 2015 - may 2016 clep test essay grader, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
august 2014 - may 2015 literature lab facilitator, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
august 2013 - may 2014 writing tutor, write to excellence center, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
august 2013 - may 2015 lab instructor, developmental english, department of english, mcneese state university, lake charles, la
2012-2013 bartista and resturant worker, overton hotel and conference center, lubbock tx
2012 resturant and candy shop worker, the arrogant texan, lubbock, tx (now closed)
2012 overall plant nursery worker, tg trees nursery and greenhouse, lubbock, tx (now closed)
2007-2011 shift manager and barista at starbucks on glenna goodacre, lubbock, tx (now closed)
2009 teaching assistant, introduction to philosophy, department of philosophy, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
2009 archival assistant, southwest collections library, texas tech university, lubbock, tx
2006-2007 barista at daybreak coffee companyin kingsgate shopping center, lubbock, tx (now closed)
university courses taught as instructor-of-record (a pdf of my most recent student evals):
sophmore and junior-level creative writing genres
fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and short story
* special topics : "write where you live : poetry of the us southwest"
sophomore-level literature genres
fiction, non-fiction, and poetry
*special topics : contemporary southwest fiction (fieldwork course); contemporary environmental poetry
composition
developmental english, freshman composition one, freshman composition two
*special topics: image of climate change; image in louisiana; image in nature