By Heather Leah Huddleston A writer’s retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii may sound like a far-off dream, but now, it is a reality. Pele’s Fire: Write to the Core, a writer’s retreat at Kalani, a 120-acre retreat space located near the village of Pahoa, is taking place in April 2016. “…for me, the… Continue reading Pele’s Fire, Write to the Core: A Glimpse Inside
Tag: alumni
Poetry as a Tool for Educational Equity
By Simone John Who gets permission to be a poet? Which kids are told to aspire to be artists, and which kids are told to seek menial work? How can educators teach in a way that is liberatory? How can we interrupt thought processes born from the seeds of internalized oppression? I teach poetry out… Continue reading Poetry as a Tool for Educational Equity
And have you read…Leaf is All?
Drew Dillhunt is an alum of the Goddard College MFAW Program in Port Townsend, Washington. His poetry collection, Leaf is All, was selected as the winner of the 2014 Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize, and will be published by Bear Star Press. Leaf is All is the further revised and polished version of his Goddard thesis. The Writer… Continue reading And have you read…Leaf is All?
The MFAW Post-Graduate Semester
Deadline to apply for both campuses is December 1st Yes, you can come back! We have a new Post Graduate Semester (PGS) option for MFAW alums who want professional feedback in a community atmosphere as they revise, complete, and polish a writing project. Or begin a new project. After years of percolating the idea in response to… Continue reading The MFAW Post-Graduate Semester
On Deadlines: I am not Anne Bean, either
My wonderful former advisor from Goddard College, Susan Kim, wrote an article on the alumni blog about deadlines. Susan Kim is a New York City television writer, playwright, teacher, and more. She has a zillion fascinating and important irons in the fire at any given time. And she gave me considered, wonderful feedback on the… Continue reading On Deadlines: I am not Anne Bean, either
“Never Forget” by Emily Stern
As yet another anniversary of September 11th passes, and as we continue to face heartbreak and trauma as a nation from unfathomable acts of violence, we invite you to read this recent article, Never Forget, published on Entropy, by Goddard alumna Emily Stern. Emily says, “At the close of a creative writing course at an… Continue reading “Never Forget” by Emily Stern
Sustainable Scholarship
There is something rotten in Denmark: transforming life, scholarship, and writing toward a more sustainable paradigm —or —you’ve got the craft skills, now what are you going to do with it? By Karen Walasek Anyone alive who is paying attention knows that we are on a crash course toward climate destruction and that the burning… Continue reading Sustainable Scholarship
And have you read… The Cryptogram?
When The Writer was a student in the RUP Program at Goddard College, she got a part in Paul Zindel’s play, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. It was her favorite play: she’d seen Eve Arden in it in Chicago at the old Ivanho Theatre, on a day when her mother “forgot” to… Continue reading And have you read… The Cryptogram?
And have you read… Erebus?
Jane Summer is pictured here on the left. Q: How did you get the idea for your book? A: I actually didn’t get the idea. The idea got me—in a leg-hold trap. I grew tired of writing poems about how sad I was. After futzing around writing poems about the civil rights era and the… Continue reading And have you read… Erebus?
On Writing About Trauma
On writing about trauma: being split, being divided… “I am torn in two but I will conquer myself. I will dig up the pride. I will take scissors and cut out the beggar.” Anne Sexton Turning back to face trauma in our own history and writing about it can be an emotionally tiring task. I… Continue reading On Writing About Trauma
And have you read… The State of Kansas?
In simple, rhythmic, nail-sharp prose, the cast of unnamed characters in The State of Kansas survive a flood, brush their teeth, drink, attend a sinister dinner party, try to love others, think a lot about death (animal and human), and weigh the confusion of trying to and a place—decent or otherwise—in a big, beautiful, and often… Continue reading And have you read… The State of Kansas?
On Collaboration
Collaboration: Two writers in the ‘Bad Art Room’ “We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its own treasures, with its own sources of anguish, and with some measure of triumph.” – Elie Wiesel Introduction Collaboration among writers is important… Continue reading On Collaboration
And have you read… Slab?
Slab is Goddard alumna Selah Saterstrom’s new book out from Coffeehouse Press, a place you can rely on for fascinating, timely and inventive work. “On a slab that’s all Katrina left of her Mississippi home, Tiger tells a story full of wickedness and incantation…” Excerpt from the book: “SCENE IN A HOUSE: The filthy kitchenette,… Continue reading And have you read… Slab?
White Tablecloths and Trinkets
By Julie Greene When I was approaching the age of thirteen, I was required to attend services at my synagogue every Friday night, not only to celebrate each Bat Mitzvah that came before mine, but to learn by example how to perform well when my turn came. After each Bat Mitzvah, in the back, our… Continue reading White Tablecloths and Trinkets
And have you read… Devil in a Blue Dress?
Goddard College alum Walter Mosley has written more than 4 dozen books in his incredible career. In particular, he invented the character of Easy Rawlins, an African-American detective living in Watts, solving crimes, and reflecting on life in an America few get to know. The Writer has cobbled together excerpts from interviews Walter has given… Continue reading And have you read… Devil in a Blue Dress?
Secret Writing and the Blank Page
by Isla McKetta I was working on a project. I really was. After publishing my thesis and a book on writing last year, I finally had time to dedicate to new work. And I was going to get to it in earnest just as soon as the post-publication blues passed. Whenever that was. We’ve all been… Continue reading Secret Writing and the Blank Page
In Some Darker Place
By Liz Latty “Only when you are lost can love find itself in you without losing its way.” -Hélène Cixous When I was a small girl, my mother taught me how to make a bed. She taught me how to stretch the fitted sheet that often didn’t quite fit the mattress by beginning at one… Continue reading In Some Darker Place
And have you read… Be Safe I Love You?
Goddard College alum Cara Hoffman’s latest book, Be Safe I Love You is a breathtaking thriller about a returning female veteran, set in upstate New York. The Sunday Telegraph (UK) called it: “One of the Five Best Modern War Novels.” When Lauren Clay arrives home from her tour of duty in Iraq, it is clear to many… Continue reading And have you read… Be Safe I Love You?
On Writing and Vincent Van Gogh
By Tyler Whidden 1.) Write every day. Every goddamn day. What many don’t remember (or even knew to begin with) is that Vincent Van Gogh produced most of his body of work – over 2,000 pieces of art – in the last ten years of his life, and most of those were done in… Continue reading On Writing and Vincent Van Gogh
Amelia Earhart Didn’t Crash!
…and other thoughts on Making IT On graduation morning in July of 2011, a Goddard College advisor asked me how I felt about my post-Goddard future. There wasn’t a feeling. Just an image. A few weeks prior to graduation I had seen the Amelia Earhart biopic, starring Hilary Swank, and the final scene aptly depicted… Continue reading Amelia Earhart Didn’t Crash!