Hey Everyone!
I was talking about a week ago about all the preparation I was doing for my MFA residency, and how I was looking forward to all the inspiration and creativity.
Well, travel was uneventful, thankfully, and I arrived without incident a couple of days ago and yesterday was the first day of actual workshop. I signed up for a session on flash fiction.
Before the residency we had all sent each other a piece of flash fiction and then yesterday we discussed flash fiction in general then workshopped each others pieces. It was a great experience. Everyone has such wide ranging stories and backgrounds, and most of the stories were well done. I got some valuable insight into my piece which allowed me to come back to my hotel room and revise it last night.
Yesterday afternoon we attended a panel where several graduates of the program spoke about their experience in the program and how it has propelled them in their careers...basically what they're doing now and how what they did in the program helped them to get there. It was very insightful.
We met with our mentors for the courses we'll be taking this semester so we could get down the nitty gritty of actual academic work.
Then in the evening we attended readings by a recent graduate from her memoir (it was very powerful stuff) and by one of the instructors (who is an awesome writer) from his recently published bestseller and from a novel he's currently working on.
It was a busy day, but that's what residency is all about. Packing an insane amount of academia, creativity, and inspiration into one week...enough to send you through the entire semester.
What's today (Monday) got in store? A fiction workshop, peer workshop, more readings, and a flash fiction slam contest tonight (I'm gonna read my newly revised flash fiction piece....wish me luck!!!)
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5 comments:
I'm jealous. Really, really, green-in-your-face jealous.
I've always wanted to do something like that (or even just take a course in creative writing), but never got around to it.
Now I live in Austria (in the countryside) so the options is pretty much permanently removed from the menu...unless I want to go to Vienna for a course (which would be in German - not a problem in and of itself, but I prefer writing in English).
Ah well, I'm glad that you have such a wonderful opportunity and I hope you have fun (and don't you dare forget between scheduled thingies that it's supposed to be FUN)!
Tessa.xx
Also, I've tagged you on my blog (and FINALLY revealed my handbag contents...sorry 'bout the wait).
That's awesome, I wish I can do that too.
I'm an aspiring writer myself with my very own blog.
So far, I've read your two latest entries. Good stuff. I'm glad to see you are having some positive takeaways from the residency.
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