When We Were King’s (an MFA res recap)

I may pride myself on my hermit-writer status most days, but after spending 65% of January on the road I feel like I conquered all kinds of writerly stereotypes. I mean, I left the house a lot, folks. I mingled. I held business hours. And… um… I showered in a timely fashion.

After an amazing time at the Wilkes University low-residency MFA program where I help people navigate and connect with social media, after a series of fun sessions at the Arcadia University low-residency MFA program, and after a few unexpected stops in North Carolina, I had but a few days before heading to Toronto. I’m one of the mentors in the University of King’s College (Halifax) creative nonfiction MFA program and, while August residencies take place at the gorgeous historic campus, January residencies alternate between the publishing hotspots of Toronto and New York City.

The opening mixer saw students mingling with MFA Advisory Board members like Shelley Ambrose, co-publisher of The Walrus, and Anne Collins, publisher at Knopf Random House Canada. This event, like most activities throughout the week, took place at One King West, in the heart of downtown, where we also crashed after jam-packed days. Opening night was also my chance to reconnect with my CNF mentees! Here we are, seen L-R in the photo: Deirdre, Pauline, yours truly, Britt, Star, and Gina.

Under the guidance of our fearless leaders Don Sedgwick (Executive Director) and Stephen Kimber (Interim Director), students met with more than half a dozen literary agents, pitched projects to folks like the senior editor of Knopf Random House Publishing Group, and heard all kinds of insight from industry pros. Phyllis

Don Sedgwick & Phyllis Bruce

Bruce, of Phyllis Bruce Books and Simon & Schuster Canada, offered tips on working with editors; Jack David, publisher of ECW Press, discussed the evolution of publishing and the rise of e-books; Matt Williams, vice-president of House of Anansi, spoke about contracts; and, from Penguin Random House Canada, Scott Richardson discussed book design, while Adria Iwasutiak covered author publicity and promotion.

Editors at HarperCollins

Not everything took place in the hotel conference rooms, though. Toronto is the Canadian publishing capital, after all, and that meant field trips were on the agenda! On the business side of things, students visited the Kobo and Access Copyright offices. One of the highlights for students and faculty alike was the visit to the HarperCollins Canada offices where publisher Iris Tupholme and the entire crew of nonfiction editors offered wine, cheese, and great conversation.

Photo: David Hayes

It sounds like everything was all business all the time, but that’s not entirely the case. My colleague David Hayes hosted a casual gathering for the mentors and directors of the MFA program and what a treat that was. David is as talented a chef as he is a writer. It was a great night to catch up with my aforementioned colleagues, including Lorri Neilsen Glenn and David Swick. Thanks for opening your home to us, David!

Overall, the residency was a huge success and it was great to see students get such a boost from the camaraderie and community in and outside of residency activities. It takes a lot of guts to share your project pitch with others, but nerves are so much easier to handle in a supportive environment like this. So, kudos to all the students for making it through unscathed. It only goes up from here.

In my own little world, I also used the Toronto visit as an opportunity to connect with old-time friends, revisit the World’s Biggest Bookstore (which is sadly closing in early March), and meet up with writer pals like Molly Peacock. Oh, and thanks for the lunch, Tightrope Books!

It was also my pleasure to hang out with the Toronto Wordsmiths writing group at the Parkdale branch of the Toronto Public Library. As their guest, I shared stories about my early days as a writer living in Toronto, how I organize my time now and get the words down on paper, and of course I opened up the floor to all kinds of questions. After a brief reading from my new poetry book, Square Feet, I listened to these amazing young writers discuss their own ambitions and was happy to share resources for their various pursuits. 

My nine days in Toronto flew by. I barely unpacked before it was time to pack up again. As I waited on my flight home from Pearson International, and caught up on some Canadian magazines, I couldn’t help but think how fortunate I am to jetset all over North America, connect with inspiring writers both emerging and established, and call this writing thing a living. I don’t know exactly how this all came to be, apart from patience, persistence, and perseverance, but I sure am grateful for it all. And to my young writer friends of Toronto Wordsmiths, I say: keep at it. It’s your story to write.

on the road, again

January is a busy month! I’ve been on the road most of the month and continue to be until that very last week. I’m living in and out of suitcases.

Part of my earlier travels included visiting the students of Arcadia University’s low-residency MFA program. I chatted about social media and websites, the art of book reviewing, and the ever-important business chat about contracts, agents, and taxes. apart from a few travel-related glitches, it was a great time and I’m honored to have met some truly engaged and eager students pursuing their dreams.

Me at the Maslow Reading Series

The bulk of January, thus far, was spent at the Wilkes University low-residency MFA program. Here, I worked with faculty and students on their social media and website development and presented a plenary session on using social media as part of one’s overall platform development. I was also honored to be included in the Maslow Reading Series. I read poems from my new book, Square Feet, including this little poem about baggage, which I thought was fitting, considering my month of travels: 

I’m now enjoying some time in Toronto, Ontario, as part of the University of King’s College (Halifax) creative nonfiction MFA program. I’m one of the CNF mentors in the program and this winter we’re spending quality time in Toronto meeting with nonfiction editors from Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, touring the Kobo offices, and much more in this publishing epicenter.

Later this week, I’ll also be a guest for the Toronto Wordsmiths writing group. I look forward to meeting a great group of young and emerging writers and sharing their enthusiasm for this creative life.

So, packing and unpacking. On the road and off. It’s a busy month and I’m so excited to be a part of all this literary action, across the country and beyond borders. Stay tuned for more news, travels, and reports from the road.

Write on.

new low-res MFA at U King’s Halifax

I’m thrilled to be one of the mentoring faculty members in the new Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction program at University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is a two-year low-residency program that includes two summer residencies in Halifax and two winter residencies alternating between Toronto and New York. Summer residencies take place in August, while winter residencies take place in January.

Visit the program website to learn more.

View the MFA program brochure on issuu.com.

This promo video on YouTube was done by Natascia Lypny, who graduated this spring with a Bachelor of Journalism degree at King’s and is now a summer intern at the Ottawa Citizen. The video was produced by Nance Ackerman, an MJ grad and photojournalist.

King’s also offers Bachelor of Journalism and Master of Journalism programs.

Program director Stephen Kimber was interviewed in The Low-Residency MFA Handbook. Preview the book on Amazon.com.  

Halifax, Nova Scotia

New Low-Res: Institute of American Indian Arts

When The Low-Residency MFA Handbook was released in 2011, a few programs were mentioned that hadn’t quite gotten off the ground, but were in the works and worthy of a mention. One such program included in the book was the Institute of American Indian Arts. The Handbook includes an interview with program director Jon Davis who has since touched base with me to let me know the program has officially launched and is now accepting applications.

As for what makes this program different, the IAIA website makes it clear: 

There are approximately fifty Low Residency MFA Programs in the U.S. The Institute of American Indian Arts’ program is modeled on the most successful of these, with one important difference: IAIA’s mission “to empower creativity and leadership in Native arts and cultures through higher education, lifelong learning, and outreach” means that the program and the literature we read carry a distinct Native American and First Nations emphasis. Over 75% of our faculty mentors are established Native American or First Nations authors. Our program is open to everyone, but the focus will remain aligned with our unique mission.

Prospective students may find out more information about the IAIA program on their website and via their Facebook page.

My interview with Jon Davis, in The Low-Residency MFA Handbook, is on pages 87-89. For a free preview of the book, visit Amazon’s“Look Inside” feature.