Vol. 9 No. 2
February 2006
Looking for Volunteers: Student Panel
Life of a Writer
Previous Newsletters
Innovations
for May 2006 Residency Workshops
At the request of faculty, the May 2006 workshops in most genres are to
be smaller and taught by only one faculty member. The residency schedule
also includes two cross-genre workshops.
At the spring residency, workshops are generally to have no more than
six students. Each day usually begins with a discussion of a reading provided
in the Workshop Booklet by the faculty member. Writing exercises may also
be introduced. Each student continues to receive the same amount of feedback
time for worksheets (one hour) during Workshop. It is not necessary to
contact the MFA Office in order to be placed in a small workshop.
As part of the MFA’s emphasis on cross-genre exploration, the MFA
faculty has also expressed interest in offering cross-genre workshops
from time to time. These workshops benefit students through cross-pollination
of ideas and literary terms and provide wonderful opportunities for students
to further their knowledge and technique. In May 2006, the MFA Program
offers two such workshops: Students may sign up to take
A) a Poetry and Fiction Workshop (co-led by a fiction faculty member and a poetry faculty member) or
B) a Poetry and Creative Nonfiction Workshop (co-led by a creative nonfiction faculty member and a poetry faculty member).
It is not necessary in either workshop for students to have expertise
in both areas. Students submit Worksheets in their major area of concentration.
Students interested in participating in a cross-genre workshop should
email Karen Mann at kmann@spalding.edu by March 1. Please indicate the
preferred workshop: A or B. (Remember that a student must have been accepted
in fiction or poetry to participate in Workshop A and poetry or creative
nonfiction to participate in Workshop B.) Space is limited, so not all
eligible students may be assigned to a cross-genre workshop.
If MFA students or faculty have questions about the May 2006 workshop
format, please call or email Kathleen Driskell (800 896-8941 ext. 2231
or kdriskell@spalding.edu)
(top)
May 2006 Residency
Special Guests and Events
Following are some of the May 2006 residency special guests and events:
• Our guests for the May 2006 residency include Joy Harris of the
Joy Harris Literary Agency, based in New York City, and Marjorie Braman,
an executive editor at HarperCollins. Joy and Marjorie are to share a
session, open to all students and faculty, during which they discuss the
roles of agent and editor in publishing and field questions from the audience.
• Students and faculty attend a performance of music from Ahab’s
Wife: The Musical on Sunday, May 21, at the First Unitarian Church.
The musical, a work in progress, is a collaboration between Sena Jeter
Naslund and musician/composer Frank Richmond. Frank has provided the piano
accompaniment at our most recent graduation ceremonies.
• As part of the program’s emphasis on the interrelatedness
of the arts, students attend a screening of Frida on Friday, May
26. The 2002 Miramax film, starring Salma Hayek, dramatizes the life of
20th-century Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Kahlo is perhaps most famous
for her self-portraits. After the screening, artist Dionisio Ceballos
gives a talk and answers students’ questions. Ceballos, a self-taught
artist from Mexico City, created the reproductions of Kahlo’s paintings
that were used in the film.
Options Night Includes
Gesture Drawing Class, Mic Practice
During the upcoming residency, the evening of Wednesday, May 24, is unscheduled.
Students are invited to sign up for a one-hour drawing class that evening
at 6 p.m., just after the end of the day’s scheduled activities.
Class participants learn the art of gesture drawing from an art instructor
in one of Spalding’s studios. Sixty slots are available, broken into
two simultaneous sessions, each with its own studio and instructor. Students
wishing to participate must reserve a slot via the Questionnaire and Housing
Form, which is distributed to all current and incoming students in March.
Wednesday evening’s unscheduled time also gives students the opportunity
to complete evaluations at their leisure. In addition, a Brown Hotel meeting
room is open until 11 p.m. for students who wish to practice reading with
a microphone. This session is not an open-mic reading session per se but
an opportunity for students to develop a greater comfort level using a
microphone. (top)
Call for Volunteers
for Student Interrelatedness-of-Arts Panel
Students are requested to participate in a group discussion about how
attending or participating in arts other than writing has enriched their
lives and work. Program Director Sena Jeter Naslund is to lead the discussion,
which takes place on Saturday, May 27. The discussion begins with a panel
of students speaking about their arts experiences. Students who wish to
serve on the panel should notify Katy Yocom at kyocom@spalding.edu with
a brief description of the topic they would like to discuss. A drawing
may be held for spots on the panel if more than enough students express
interest in participating.
Writing-related
Links Page on the MFA Website
The MFA Program wants to add a “Links” page to the program website.
Students and faculty may send their suggestions of their favorite professional,
informative writing-related websites. Please include the URL with the
suggestion and email to Karen Mann at kmann@spalding.edu
Life of a Writer
Students, faculty, and alumni: Please email writing news to mfanewsletter@spalding.edu
Deborah Begel invites Spalding writers to share their stories about Hurricanes Katrina and Rita for a new radio series. Twenty, four-minute “modules” are to be distributed to public radio stations in the U.S. for broadcast on the first anniversary of Katrina. All participants are to receive a free CD. Please send a story, poem, essay, or song to CallingKatrina@ aol.com by March 15. No attachments please. Cut and paste text only. For a flyer with more info, write to CallingKatrina@AOL.com. (top)
Therese (Gwen) Broderick’s poem “Death in Yellowstone” has been accepted for publication by The Spoon River Poetry Review and is to appear later in 2006.
Mark Russell Brown has been invited to present his extended critical essay “Rilke’s The Book of Hours: Love Poems to God: Instructions for ‘God-Making’” at the American Comparative Literature Association’s 2006 Annual Conference, “The Human and Its Others,” which is held on March 23-26 at Princeton University. He is to appear at the 37th Annual College English Association’s Conference, “Reading the Regions/Writing the Regions/Teaching the Regions,” on April 6-8, in San Antonio.
Diana Cohn’s ¡Si, Se Puede!/Yes, We Can!: Janitor
Strike in L.A. (Cinco Puntos 2002), an award-winning picture book,
is highlighted in an article, “Inclusive Aesthetics and Social Justice:
The Vanguard of Small, Multicultural Presses,” in the current issue
of Children’s Literature Association Quarterly. Diana’s book
about Malaysian Honey Hunters, The Bee Tree (Cinco Puntos Press),
is coming out in 2007 and is co-authored with Steve Buchmann and illustrated
by Paul Mirocha. Diana currently lectures at Dominican University in San
Rafael, Calif., about writing for children and uses her picture book Dream
Carver as the basis for the talks. (top)
Teneice Delgado is to present her extended critical essay “Unlacing
the Corset: Re-defining the Woman in Irish Poetry” on February 23-26
at the Irish Studies Conference at the University of South Carolina.
Joan Donaldson is dancing in her kitchen with her copy of The Secret of the Red Shoes, a picture book to be released by Ideals Publishing in February. In November, Joan was a guest lecturer at Hope College for the PATH class composed of gifted and talented middle school students. She spoke about the personal essays she writes for The Christian Science Monitor.
David Harrity is currently working as a librarian and freelance writer. He has poems forthcoming in Poetry Harbor and Limestone.
Chris Helvey’s article on the executive director of the Frankfort, Kentucky, public library was published in the Winter 2006 edition of “The Friends of the Paul Sawyier Public Library Newsletter.” (top)
Lisa Izzi’s poem “Let’s Be Honest,” from her working young-adult novel in verse, Athlete. Girl., is published in the new online literary journal Blood Lotus. Lisa is thrilled to be featured in the Spalding Corner section of the website for the Feb/Mar inaugural issue. Visit http://www.bloodlotus.org.
Kilean Kennedy’s story “Into the Great Behind” won first place for the short story category in the Literary LEO 2006 competition. The story appears in the February 8 issue of Literary LEO. Kilean was also invited to read at the third annual Lit LEO celebration held on Wednesday, February 15, at the Jazz Factory.
Mick Kennedy is an associate professor of English at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College, where he teaches composition and creative writing. He is editor of The Heartland Review, writes a weekly column for The Odyssey News Magazine, and has a poem forthcoming in Timber Creek Review. (top)
Joe Peacock’s short story “Barn Cats” was selected for honorable mention in the 2006 Literary LEO Contest.
Molly Power’s story “The Laundress” was published in the October 2005 edition of the online magazine Facets: A Literary Magazine.
Julia Schuster’s short story, “Ants Gotta Bite, Sun Gotta Burn,” was accepted for publication by BelleBooks for inclusion in their upcoming anthology, Sweeter Tea. The tentative release date is July 2006.
Colleen Wells’s essay “When I’m Eighty-four” was selected as a runner up in Georgetown Review’s annual writing contest and is forthcoming in the spring 2006 issue. As a new volunteer for Trinity Lutheran Home, an assisted and independent living facility for seniors in Aiken, S.C., Colleen wrote and produced the newsletter, “The Trinity Chronicle,” and is teaching a creative nonfiction writing workshop each Friday for the residents. Her self-published children’s book The Pet Store Party was released by AuthorHouse in February.
Rane Arroyo has published new poems in Divide, Cream City Review, Massachusetts Review, Bend Don’t Shatter (anthology about gay youth) from Soft Skull Press, and Everything I Have Is Blue (working class/gay anthology of short stories) by Suspect Thoughts Press. He has had readings at Oberlin College, Kentucky Community College, and Bowling Green State University. Rane’s stories and poems are being used as textbooks at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Michigan and University of Denver, among others. Robert Miltner (Kent State University) presented “Masks, Mirrors, and Memories: Rane Arroyo’s Hungry Ghost: The Ponce de Leon Poems” at the CEA-CC conference held at University of Puerto Rico, October 2005. (top)
Susan Campbell Bartoletti has received two major book awards, including a Newbery Honor, for her latest work, Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow. The book was also named a 2006 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book.
Ellie Bryant has an essay titled “Rock Towers” forthcoming in the winter issue of the literary magazine Sacred Fire. A short story titled “Blue Moon” is forthcoming in the Southeast Louisiana Writing Project anthology published by Southeast Louisiana University.
In January and February, Roy Hoffman led community writing workshops in Fairhope, Ala., as part of the series, “Writing Mobile Bay: The Hurricane Project,” administered by the Alabama Writers Forum under Jeanie Thompson. On January 12, Roy spoke about his novel, Chicken Dreaming Corn, to a gathering of Michigan, Illinois, and other snowbirds at the Orange Beach, Ala., library. Two of Roy’s recent feature stories in the Mobile Register were carried nationally on the Newhouse News wire: “I Walk the Line: The Story of Madison Jones of Auburn,” about the last living Vanderbilt agrarian writer who had an early novel turned into a movie with Johnny Cash music; and “Amazing Grace,” a portrait of Marion, Ala., on the day that town’s most famous native daughter, Coretta Scott King, passed away.
Sena Jeter Naslund’s new novel, Abundance, A Novel of Marie Antoinette, is scheduled for release from Morrow-HarperCollins on October 3. In February, Sena’s commissioned play (with co-author Elaine Hughes) based on her novel Four Spirits received a staged reading at Alabama Shakespeare Festival Theatre, in Montgomery. Sena recently served as Visiting Writer at Centre College, Danville, Ky. (top)
Mary Yukari Waters was interviewed in the Winter 2006 issue of Glimmer Train.
Katy Yocom traveled to India in January to visit tiger preserves
as research for her new novel. The trip was funded by grants from the
Elizabeth George Foundation and the Kentucky Foundation for Women. Her
short story “Sea of Tranquility” is forthcoming in the March/April
issue of New Southerner (http://www.newsoutherner.com).
Jennifer Anthony’s (May 2005) story about Costa Rica, titled “The Turtle Hatch,” can be found in the January 2006 issue of Pology, a travel webzine (http://www.pology.com/).
Miranda Barnes (October 2005) did a reading for the Poetry Factory, sponsored by the Berien Artist’s Guild, at the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph, Michigan, on January 15th with Larry Janowski, Al DeGenova, and Parneshia Jones. Her poem “Wrung Hands” is forthcoming in the first issue of Blood Lotus online literary journal (http://www.bloodlotus.org). Miranda also is to attend the AWP Conference in Austin, Texas, in March.
David Carren (October 2005) optioned his comic screenplay, My Monster, to Quixote Entertainment, a production company based in Austin, Texas. Scott Rice is set to direct, and David is to produce with Wade Rowland. The script was refined in workshop, and its opening scenes were read at a student reading during the May 2004 residency at Spalding. (top)
Thea Gavin (May 2005) attended a workshop by poet Paul Zarzyski at the Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival in Monterey, Calif., in early December. Her poem “Shredding Ecstasy” has been accepted for publication by The Evansville Review.
John P. Grant (May 2005) is the Managing Director of the Rogue Ales Film Festival, a festival of short films that will be held Saturday, March 4, in San Francisco. The festival is a competition and showcase for Bay Area filmmakers. More information about the festival can be read at http://www.rogue.com John’s film blog can be accessed at http://www.barbarycoastfilms.com/blog
Lucrecia Guerrero (October 2005) was awarded a Christopher Isherwood Foundation grant based on an excerpt from her recently completed novel Tree of Sighs.
Edie Hemingway’s (May 2004) co-authored historical novel for children, Broken Drum, has been licensed by Scholastic Book Fairs and Book Clubs. They are to publish a new edition, with new title and cover art, to be marketed on their Fall 2006 list to elementary schools nationwide.
Erin Keane’s (May 2004) chapbook has been accepted for publication by Snark Publishing.
Cyn Kitchen’s (May 2005) short story, “Savior,” was published on http://sfwp.org, the literary journal of the Santa Fe Writers Project. Cyn also has started a blog, "The Cynical Kitchen," which is a regularly updated collection of essays. It can be viewed at http://www.cynkitchen.blogs.com Cyn’s poem, “Phone Marrow,” appears in the February 2006 issue of Literary Mama magazine. (top)
Richard Newman (October 2004) had a poem selected by Billy Collins for Best American Poetry 2006.
Diana M. Raab (October 2003) writes a monthly column called “Your Muse” for Inkbyte.com. Her poem “The Way I Live,” is to appear in an upcoming issue of The Writer's Journal.
Michele Ruby (May 2005) has a poem, “Old Coat,” coming out in the Spring 2006 edition of Dogwood: A Journal of Prose and Poetry.
Dawn Shamp (May 2005) read from her novel, On Account of Conspicuous Women, on January 31 at the Vermont Studio Center.
Pam Steele (Spring 2004) recently hosted a birthday observance for the poet William Stafford at the Hermiston, Oregon, Public Library. Each year, The Friends of William Stafford organization sponsors these events all over the country during the month of January. Pam has poems forthcoming in two publications: “Blackberries” in Limestone and “The Swimmers” in The Ronde House Anthology. Ice River Press is to publish Pam’s chapbook in the fall.
Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen (May 2003) wrote a book review for the December issue of “Peace Corps Writers” (http://www.peacecorpswriters.org), a site that promotes writing by former Peace Corps volunteers. She also was included in the latest edition of Something About the Author, a library reference work that highlights contemporary authors and illustrators in children’s literature. Stephanie spent a week at the Taipei American School in Taiwan as a guest author. In addition to large group assemblies for Grades K-5, she conducted two-day writing workshops for grades 4 and 5. (top)
Jonathan Weinert’s (October 2005) poem “Le Village de Sauve” has been accepted for publication in 32 Poems. His review of Frank Bidart’s Star Dust is slated to appear in the upcoming issue of Harvard Review.
Deidre Woollard’s (October 2003) story “Date-Stamped” appears in issue four of The Big Ugly Review (http://www.biguglyreview.com). She gave a reading at the launch party for the issue on January 15 at Club Deluxe in San Francisco.
Laverne Zabielski’s (May 2004) book release party for her memoir The Garden Girls’ Letters and Journal was on February 9 at the Limestone Club, in Lexington, Ky. She featured her “Truly Wearable Art” from “The Garden Girls’ Collection” and did a performance art reading, which was accompanied by guitarist Larry Vogt. Also in February, she read at the Carnegie Center. Laverne is scheduled to be part of the InKy Reading Series at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 10, at The Rudyard Kipling in Louisville. If one purchases a book at this event or orders directly from Laverne@Zabielski.com, he or she receives a complimentary CD “Wrapt in Wax Paper,” prose, poetry, and music by Laverne and Larry. Her memoir is also available at http://www.WindPub.com or http://www.amazon.com
Aimee M. Zaring (May 2005) read from her novel for the InKY Reading Series at the Rudyard Kipling in December. She also received a grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women to revise and complete her novel in 2006.
Jessica Hume’s new address is 1805 Richmond Dr., Louisville, Ky., 40205.
Diana Cohn’s new email address is dreamcarver@mac.com
Faculty Advisory
Committee (FAC)
FAC members are announced by the MFA Office at the beginning of each semester.
The Program Director consults with the FAC about recommendations for admissions
and about programmatic and administrative development and changes. Both
faculty and students are invited to make suggestions to the FAC for exploration
by the Program Director and larger faculty. However, students and faculty
should directly and immediately consult the Associate Program Director
about any issues concerning specific individuals’ performance in
the program.
• K. L. Cook, Fiction
• Rane Arroyo, Poetry
• Cathleen Medwick, Creative Nonfiction
• Ellie Bryant, Writing for Children
• Eric Schmiedl, Playwriting/Screenwriting
Books in Common
for Spring ’06
Students read the Book in Common, Life Studies by Susan Vreeland,
and the Faculty/Guest Book in Common in the area of concentration that
they are to study in the spring semester in preparation for a discussion
with the author at the spring 2006 residency.
• Fiction: Blackberries, Blackberries by Crystal Wilkinson
• Poetry: Laughing Sickness by Kathleen Driskell. To
order, send check for $10 made out to Fleur-de-Lis Press to Liz Nethery,
Spalding University, 851 S. Fourth St., Louisville, KY 40203, or order
from amazon.com
• Nonfiction: The Eye Is Not Enough by Dianne Aprile.
To order, email mlhess@mlhess.win.net
• Writing for Children: The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell
Bartoletti
• Playwriting: Character Assassins by Charles Schulman
(The script is mailed to students.)
• Screenwriting: Obscenity by Claudia Johnson and Matt
Stevens (The script is mailed to students.) (top)
Faculty
Advisory Committee (FAC) Members
FAC members
are announced by the MFA Office at the beginning of each semester. The
Program Director consults with the FAC about recommendations for admissions
and about programmatic and administrative development and changes. Both
faculty and students are invited to make suggestions to the FAC for exploration
by the Program Director and larger faculty. However, students and faculty
should directly and immediately consult the Associate Program Director
about any issues concerning specific individuals’ performance in
the program.
for October 2005 Semester
Both students and faculty are invited to make suggestions to the FAC for exploration by the Associate Program Director and larger faculty. However, students and faculty should directly and immediately consult the Program Director about any issues concerning specific individuals' performance in the program. (top)
Financial Aid: The The MFA Program offers scholarships to students
entering their first semester in the program. Returning students who
desire financial assistance should apply for graduate assistantships.
Applications for scholarships and assistantships should be directed
to the MFA Office. Check the Tuition and Fees page on the MFA website
(http://www.spalding.edu/mfaforms)
for deadlines.
Federal student loans, which are handled through Spalding's financial
aid office and not through the MFA program, are available to all eligible
graduate students.
Students need to re-file the FAFSA for each new school year (the school
year is fall/spring). Students who received finanical aid for the May
2005 semester need to re-file for the October semester. (top)
For help with financial aid questions, call Vicki Montgomery at 800-896-8941 ext. 2731 or 502-585-9911, ext. 2731 or email vmontgomery@spalding.edu Students may enter or update their FAFSA information online at www.fafsa.ed.gov (top)
Deferment Form. For students who receive notice their loans have gone into repayment while still enrolled in school. Fill out deferment form (click here) and fax to Jennifer Gohmann at 502-992-2424. Include the address and/or fax number of where the deferment form should go to in Section 7 (on the 2nd page). For multiple loans, fill out one deferment form per loan company. On the fax cover sheet, state that you are an MFA student. If you have questions, Jennifer's email is jgohmann@spalding.edu
MFA Scholarship Fund: Donations to the MFA in Writing Scholarship
Fund may be made “in honor of” or “in memory of”
a friend or loved one or organization. To make a donation, contact Cindy
Schnell, Donor Relations Coordinator in the office of Development and
Alumni Relations. Email: cschnell@spalding.edu
Phone: (800) 896-8941, ext. 2505 or (502) 585-9911, ext. 2505.
MFA Students/Faculty/Alums Discussion Board. The MFA Discussion Board is off to an energetic start. Currently, the most active topic is Publishing Opportunities, which lists contests and calls for submission, for example, a call for submissions from Alligator Juniper, the national literary journal at Prescott College, where Kenny Cook is fiction and creative nonfiction editor. Students and faculty are welcome to post information in this area and others. See the MFA Discussion Board at:
http://eres.spalding.edu/bboard.asp?cid=246&cname=ENG001MFAFor easy access to the Discussion Board, students and faculty are encouraged
to bookmark the site. (top)
Online information: MFA in Writing forms, deadlines, and other student and faculty information are available online at http://www.spalding.edu/mfaforms Newsletters are at http://www.spalding.edu/mfanewsletter For convenience, bookmark these two pages. Both web addresses are case sensitive. The MFA Office is happy to mail program forms or the newsletter, if requested. Email kyocom@spalding.edu. (top)
Life of a Writer is an important newsletter column that reports
on experiences around the writing life of our students, faculty, and
alums.
Email submissions to mfanewsletter@spalding.edu
Life of a Writer pieces should be written as a paragraph in third person. It is helpful for alums to include their graduation semester, such as Jake Doe (October 2003). Spell out month and state names. Include publishers, date of publication, and Website addresses, when appropriate. (top)
Below is a list of some of the kinds of activities that might be included in the Life of a Writer column.
On Extended Wings archives: To see previous issues of the newsletter, click here.
Sena Jeter Naslund, Program Director
Karen Mann, Administrative
Director
Kathleen Driskell,
Associate Program Director
Katy Yocom, Program
Associate
Email Life of a Writer information to Jamey Temple at mfanewsletter@spalding.edu