While Emma McCoy (23) was in Katie Manning’s “Retelling the Bible” class in fall 2020, she wrote 10 poems about Old Testament prophets, captivated by the idea of what it means to “physically be able to hear God speak and understand God’s words,” McCoy says. This idea burrowed in her mind for another year, and then for her senior honors project.
“I decided that that book still had more gas in the tank,” she said. “I thought: How hard could it be turning 10 poems into 50? Turns out it’s hard, but I had a really good time doing it.”
That book of 50 poems, This Voice Has an Echo, was published in September by Solum Press, a small Christian literary publisher. The poems explore prophecy across time and in unlikely places: prophecy in a Whole Foods, prophecy through text messages, prophecy at a Miss Universe contest, prophecy in biblical valleys, prophecy while washing clothes. It’s been praised by Christian poet Luci Shaw, among others.
In one of the poems, “‘Israel’s Hands’ by Unknown,” McCoy imagines the prophet Ezekiel has a sister who is a visual artist. “She was almost done with an exhibit — her living room on the fifteenth floor covered with canvas and paint, the concrete floor splattered and everywhere, everywhere was God,” McCoy writes.
“I wanted to see what the play would be between [Ezekiel’s] prophecy and oral-based art and her visual art,” she said. “That was a really fun poem to write with multiple modes of artistic interpretation.”
Another poem in the book that’s meaningful to McCoy is “The plans for you.” “I take the prophet Jeremiah, who historically was a backwoods prophet,” she said. “He was homeless for most of his ministry. People beat him up, spat on him. Nobody liked what he had to say. I imagine that he’s in a low barrier drop-in center for those experiencing homelessness. Growing up, I worked closely with homeless ministries; my dad was very involved in that work. It was really interesting to engage with scripture that way.”
McCoy graduated with a B.A. in literature and English education in 2023 and is now in PLNU’s Master of Arts (M.A.) in Writing program. McCoy, a member of the first Writing M.A. cohort, is a second-year student with a concentration in fiction, though she considers herself a multi-genre writer.
Though she’s always loved to write, McCoy initially came to Point Loma so she could continue a career as a competitive sprint kayaker. A team in San Diego even offered her a scholarship.
“I wanted to keep doing that — that’s what brought me here,” McCoy said. “I also always knew that I wanted to go to a small, liberal arts Christian college.”
McCoy quit sprint kayaking when she developed injuries around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she decided to stay at Point Loma. “After COVID, when it came time to graduate, I realized I wasn’t quite done yet,” McCoy said. “I felt like I’d lost two years and wanted to get them back. When the M.A. program was starting up, I knew the professors and I knew a ton of people applying. It fit really well with my personal and professional career goals.”
During her time in undergrad, McCoy completed a novel, published one poetry book, and had more poetry and novel manuscripts in the works. She was ready to keep going in grad school. “I’ve always loved to write, and it was only after I set aside my athletic goals that I really found writing again,” she said. “I found the time and space to enjoy being creative.”
Writing about faith can be intimidating for some, McCoy says, but for her, writing, literature, and poetry are how she explores her relationship with God. “When I read the Bible, I see literature and poetry. The way that I respond to God in worship is through literature and poetry. I want to understand a story from as many different angles as I can because that helps me understand God better,” she said.
One of her target audiences for This Voice Has An Echo is “Christians who don’t necessarily read a lot of poetry, or who maybe aren’t familiar with this kind of scriptural retelling, and that they’d be able to read it and experience a Bible story in a new way,” she said. “Or that it brings them closer to God in scripture.”
PLNU’s M.A. in Writing program
McCoy says the master’s program has been incredibly supportive of her book coming out. As part of a cohort of 10 students, McCoy has had an opportunity to write, teach, and be part of a writing community with professors and other students.
“I think that the M.A. program is definitely something this school needed,” McCoy said. “The way that it prepares students to become teachers with the pedagogy track is set up very well. You really get that time with your peers to workshop and form writing friendships that can last a long time. I think that kind of community is key to a writer being healthy.”
“I think that the M.A. program is definitely something this school needed. The way that it prepares students to become teachers with the pedagogy track is set up very well.”
The Writing M.A. is a fully funded, two-year program. Students can have a concentration in fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. Being in the program “can really help people who want to have a career in academia or in teaching, or people who just want to spend more time writing.” Right now, McCoy is teaching a section of English 1010. “The teaching instruction [I’m getting] is phenomenal,” she said.
As she’s grown into her voice and confidence as a writer, McCoy says she’s learned to surround herself with people who encourage and lift her up, which has helped sustain her long-term health as a writer. “I’m so grateful to Point Loma for being this place where I’ve been able to experiment and grow and fail and try again as a writer, as a person and a Christian,” she said.
McCoy has also worked really hard — a necessary ingredient in getting published. “Another thing I’ve learned [in college] is that your writing career is not going to be handed to you,” she said. “You can write gorgeously. You can write like Cormac McCarthy, but unless you put yourself out there, take risks, try to get published and knock on doors and see which ones are open, you’re not going to get anywhere.”
New ideas for books and poetry are brimming inside of McCoy, and she’s excited for a future of writing, teaching, and possibly going into publishing. “It’s a little overwhelming trying to handle so many pans on the stove at once, but it’s a good problem to have,” she said. “I will never once complain about having too many ideas.”
