I wonder if they'd take me?

[aithne]

A master's program for budding writers blossoms on Whidbey

If it weren't for the cost and the fact that, honestly, I don't have room in my life to start taking classes (and the fact that while a master's in writing would be fun, it wouldn't exactly be useful), I'd *so* be all over it. It sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe not this fall, but maybe the fall after that...

(Also a problem? Reccommendations. As in, it's been eight years since I darkened the door of a school, and it's unlikely that any of my professors would remember me.)

Comments

[arielblue.livejournal.com]

I've done a ton of research on similar programs, and honestly, I'd give them a couple years to settle in before doing it. And if you're interested in that kind of low-residency program, there are a couple dozen of them scattered around the country -- granted, 10 days on Whidbey Island twice a year would be nice in and of itself, especially if you could extend your stay by a couple of days to enjoy the surroundings (residencies at low-res programs are usually VERY intensive; plan on being in class or in conference or at readings alllll day and into the evening) -- but if the program itself is what interests you, take a look at some of the others! Goddard, Warren Wilson, Bennington are some of the biggies; Antioch L.A. and Stonecoast (which is on the coast of Maine) are some other nifty-looking ones.

Generally they expect you to put in about 25 hours/week of work during the between-residency periods. This is original writing and revision, of course, but also critical work, reading, and some programs require a teaching component.

Very exciting to see yet another low-res program available -- thanks for sharing this information!

[silenceleigh.livejournal.com]

The reason Whidbey is so attractive is that it's only about an hour away from my house, two if you have to wait for a ferry, so the "travel" portion wouldn't be a problem, i'd just have to take two weeks off of work twice a year. (which would mean that i literally would have *no* other vacation, but for a couple of years i could handle it. And there's a likelihood that I may be able to work something out with work about it, as well.)

And i added up the time i spend writing per week, and it's between 20 and 30 hours, most weeks. (I literally spend pretty much every moment that I'm not at work, asleep, or hanging out with my loves writing.) It would be a challenging program, but i think i could do it.

But, yeah, a couple of years from now, I'll see where I am.

[arielblue.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the writing part wouldn't be too hard for you. It might be tough for you to give up some of that pure writing time in order to write critical papers and stuff. At least that's part of what I worry about in thinking about a low-res program. Some of them require more critical work than others, though, and I can't tell where Whidbey falls on that spectrum.

Do check into a few of the other programs though, seriously -- if you're already spending $12K a year, another couple hundred bucks worth of plane fare isn't that much more, and a half-day or a day of travel time on either end. It might be worth it, if you think this is something that'd be good for your writing! I'm looking at Spalding U. in Louisville for similar reasons, but sheer proximity isn't worth it if it's not *the* right program for me, and they only have one faculty member I'd be excited about working with.

[arielblue.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, and re: recommendations, if you've got someone who is a fellow writer and can say something about your commitment, work habits, etc. that might be even better than a professor who knew you years ago. The manuscript is usually 90% of what they look at anyway.

[planxi-mihi.livejournal.com]

re: recommendations--it's likely that they would accept letters of recommendation from your direct supervisors, or other people who know you in a professional setting. My mom went back to university at 42, and UW accepted letters from her current boss and two previous supervisors. Worth a shot!

p.s. happy belated birthday!

[meinoel.livejournal.com]

i say DARE TO DREAM.

[zaratyst.livejournal.com]

If this isn't feasible, you could look in to a writer's retreat kind of thing that is just a week or two, say on Maui like jenk sometimes attends.

[arielblue.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there are tons and tons of terrific workshops, conferences, and retreats you can go to. Plus, do one of these, and you can then hit up the teacher for a recommendation to the master's program. :)

[silenceleigh.livejournal.com]

Hm. so how does one find writer's conferences?

[arielblue.livejournal.com]

there's a bajillion of them. :) One good starting place is the list Poets & Writers keeps:
http://www.pw.org/links_pages/Conferences_and_Residencies/

AWP (the Association of Writers & Writing Programs) has a decent list as well:
http://www.awpwriter.org/wcc/index.htm

Most conferences & workshops advertise in Poets & Writers, as well; since most of them take place in the summer, you'll see the most ads from, say, November through March.

I can personally recommend the Iowa Summer Writing Festival in IC, the Split Rock Arts Program in Duluth, and the Indiana U. Writers' Conference here in Bloomington. Next summer I'm going to do a workshop at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown (fawc.org) -- this one looks especially tasty and has a fabulous reputation. Plus it's in P-town!

Other conferences I've heard good things about: Squaw Valley, Napa, and Antioch. Oh, and there's the one at Arizona State in March that I posted about in Pen> on eschwa a while back. That one looks nifty.

The thing to figure out is what you want from a conference (hobnobbing with other writers? socializing? networking with agents & publishers? workshop-style critique? lectures? writing time?) and find a conference that offers that. The IU conference, for example, is lots of fun but does not give you much writing time at all unless you skip out on some of the classes and talks. Split Rock instructors, on the other hand, tend to give you writing assignments to bring in to class the next day.

I really love summer workshops. Intense and energizing.

[skyflame.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing the lovely silenceleigh has had enough of Iowa City, though. ;)

The ASU one might be interesting for me, as my folks live in Phoenix now. I've proven to myself that I can get some work done on demand, as I wrote 11 or 12 poems in April as part of National Poetry Month, so I might start taking a closer look at conferences now.

[arielblue.livejournal.com]

The ASU one doesn't look like it will offer a lot of time to sit around and write. You can take part in "Small Group Instruction" workshop sessions -- it costs $50 extra, I think -- and the rest looks to be all lecture/discussion sessions and readings. But they have some really cool faculty, and (unlike almost any other conference) it's a combination of literary and SFF-type writers.

http://www.asu.edu/pipercwcenter/conference/2005/

[silenceleigh.livejournal.com]

I don't know, it might be nice to go back ofr a visit. :)

[skyflame.livejournal.com]

Every once in a while I get an idea to go back for a MA in creative writing, but then I realize my company won't help pay for it because it's not business-related. And I don't feel like paying ten years of student loans again. :P