MFAW-WA faculty member Beatrix Gates will be the guest poet at Opera House Arts Voice2Voice Poetry Declamation Contest which is partnering with schools in Blue Hill, Sedgwick, Brooklin and Deer Isle/ Stonington on April 12th for the purpose of exposing middle school students to the spoken word of poetry as a means of developing their voices and expressing themselves.
Author: MFA Writing
these words can’t wait for spell check
Sassafras Lowrey: these words can’t wait for spell check
(Word Count: 478)
Alumnus Charles Fairchild Short Story Published!
MFAW-WA alumnus Charles Fairchild’s short story “Bedeviled” has been published by The Santa Clara Review. Congratulations, Charles!
Dear Books,
Dear Books,
From the moment my father gave me Go Tell It on the Mountain and told me,
“Read this and you’ll know more about who I am,”
I knew one thing was inescapable:
I would need to read that book, get back to him about it, and keep on reading and reading—
Kenny Fries’s “In The Province of the Gods” is a LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST!!
“Kenny Fries embarks on a journey of profound self-discovery as a disabled foreigner in Japan, a society historically hostile to difference. As he visits gardens, experiences Noh and butoh, and meets artists and scholars, he also discovers disabled gods, one-eyed samurai, blind chanting priests, and A-bomb survivors. When he is diagnosed as HIV positive, all… Continue reading Kenny Fries’s “In The Province of the Gods” is a LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST!!
I Don’t Know Why You Write
I don’t know why you write, he said (in a text). You don’t believe in anything. But is that true?
Recap from Lighthouse Writers’ Conference & Retreat!
Couldn’t join us this year? You were missed! The third annual Lighthouse Writers’ Conference & Retreat took place February 16th-19th, 2018 in Port Townsend, Washington. In lively and inspired workshop sessions, we studied puzzle logic and storytelling with Gestalt and fragmentary writing; sculpted with clay while exploring the poetry and inspiration of Rainer Maria Rilke;… Continue reading Recap from Lighthouse Writers’ Conference & Retreat!
Queering the MFA
“Are you thinking about applying to an MFA program? Concerned about queer writing being taken seriously? My biggest advice is to figure out what is most important to you in your graduate studies.”…
The Pursuit of Mastery
I am a would-be artist, for now content in the sadistic pursuit of mastery.
Congratulations to the Newest MFA Alumni!
On behalf of the Clockhouse Writers’ Conference Board of Stewards and the alumni community of the Goddard College MFAW program, I want to extend my congratulations and warmest welcome to those who graduate during the current Port Townsend residency: Jessica Cagle-Faber Beth C. Carbone Jonathan A. Clark Charles Fairchild Alana G. Jamison Dana E. Montanari… Continue reading Congratulations to the Newest MFA Alumni!
Lust & Fun
Goddard College MFAW alum John Schmidtke:
“Okay,” I said. “But just in case, what’s the residency’s theme?”
“Lust and fun,” Elena said.
My foot came off the gas a bit.
“Lust and fun?” I asked.
“Yes,” Elena said.
Let me pause right here to confess that while I attended Goddard, lust took over my life.
I cheated on my wife Mary almost every night for two years.
CWC&R Registration is Open!
Registration for the 2018 Clockhouse Writers’ Conference and Retreat is open through May 15th–register today to reserve your place! Registration information and materials are available at the CWC website.
Ten in Ten: MFA reading at Elliott Bay
What is Ten in Ten? This year, TEN members of the MFA in Creative Writing faculty are bringing books, plays, and productions into the world. You can catch three of them at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, Washington, along with moderator and Goddard MFA graduate Isla McKetta. From the Elliot Bay website: Two of… Continue reading Ten in Ten: MFA reading at Elliott Bay
My Smarter Wiser Super-Sexy Personal Echo
Though the newest version of the Echo is decent, you can get a better response to life if you use your own voice—i.e. the Personal Echo. The Personal Echo is in high demand because it offers the gift of someone else controlling your life, but doing it in a way that feels as if you are talking to yourself. And truly, what writer wouldn’t want that?
A Horse Named Kansas
I was welcome to stay at her house as long as I wanted, but had to come with her out to the ranch to meet and feed her horse, Kansas.
To Blog or Not To Blog
To blog or not to blog–that is the question, writers. Whether it is nobler to essay than to blog is a serious matter, and not everyone can do it or do it well.Because to do it well, one must face the truth of blogging and accept it: it’s a genre. It has rules. It requires… attention to craft.
Toiling in the Labyrinth: On Reading Literature Critically
My purpose for reading literature critically rests on two sloping planes. On the first plane is pleasure—experiencing the epiphany of understanding, a resolution to my inquiring mind. In other words, the Aha! moment. It’s the immediate gratification of critical thinking, which may be a purpose in of itself. However, beneath that first pleasurable plane, for me, is the second, more self-reflective plane.
On Language, On Sophisticated Style
I am an unabashed Language Freak. Word Freak. Sentence Freak. Grammar and Punctuation Freak. I am deeply in love with what William Golding called “that massive instrument” the English language. For me putting words down on paper is like playing a finely tuned piano. No wrong notes, please! My instrument is too precious to misuse.
Two Questions
A writer’s most valuable tools are not the pen or keyboard but rather her ability to listen, to pay attention to things, and to know the right questions to ask.
Embracing the Personal
“It all just feels so… personal.”
N is a new student of mine, one who has worked in the theater industry for years, but never written a play before. He called me before our first week of class, and I could tell he was feeling intimidated by the process of playwriting. We discussed some exercises he could do and some of his favorite plays and playwrights, and I think I assuaged the majority of his concerns. His one lingering reservation:
“It’s just so personal.”