To whom it may concern at University of Arizona’s Master’s of Fine Arts program,

It is my great pleasure to be asked by Mr. Ian Jones to write him a letter of recommendation. I
have known Ian for the past eight years and when I first met Ian during my undergraduate studies at
Northern Arizona University, he was running his own crossfit gym called Ponderosa Crossfit. He was 21
years old at the time and my first impressions of Ian is that he is a pursuer of intense passion and focus.
Not only is Ian devoted to pushing his physical limits, but also of his own mental prowess. Since I've
known Ian he has had a great interest in reading and writing, and I've had the opportunity to see his
journey develop and unfurl from mere hobby, to absolute passion. I will attest to Ian’s gumption on the
matter on two accounts that I believe make him an excellent candidate for your program. First by
supporting his bibliomania and qualifications as a reader. And second by justifying his passion for
writing.

As a voracious reader Ian put together a book club during the pandemic via facebook where me,
him, and others worked through reading the great fictions such as Anna Karenina, Dracula, the Trail, and
much more. Ian led thought provoking discussions in order to understand what the author is trying to say.
His insights are educated and his thoughts well articulated. Ian is devoted to sharpen these skills in
literary comprehension and to become more than just great. Where being a voracious reader was not
enough to satiate his passion, he took up a creative writing course in college.

As our paths diverged in life we still maintained a healthy friendship over our own philosophical
and creative pursuits. I would read a lot of Ian’s writing assignments during his course time, helping with
edits and bouncing ideas off each other. Inspired by Tolstoy, Ian really tries to grasp the human condition
in the way he writes, and through every new writing and revision, he has only gotten better. One of his
more recent pieces, a poem titled, “To Lose A Brother” is brilliant in provoking the feeling of not only
losing someone, but also losing the memory of that person. Ian takes things a step further than most, and
in his passion for writing, he did so by creating his own creative writing module focusing on writing a
short story in contemporary fiction. I played guinea pig to this module as he taught his self made course to
me. For being a beginner in this sort of realm of teaching his format was thorough, rational, and
absolutely fun, tugging at one's own curiosity to self-reflect their psyche onto paper.

Whenever I have a deep thought, or want to push the metaphysical envelope, Ian is my go to
friend for such conversations. Ian is not someone who simply regurgitates a platitude to give an answer.
He is very much someone who takes the time to think hard on a matter and give his own authentic,
introspective response, a quality I have rarely found in others. And while my master’s degree in marine
biology may not be the best to attest to what it takes to be a writer outside the realm of science, I do
believe my insights and time traveling the world, living in several different countries, can back up my
word when I say this: whatever challenge you put in front of Ian he will pursue and tackle with utmost
passion, devouring, conquering, and transforming that challenge into his own, unique and authentic
solution. He is a motivator, a mentor, and a pursuer. I could think of no one better to have in the classroom
to discuss and write about the marvels of our own minds.

Sincerely,
- Max Klier