Fairfield MFA
For those that are interested, I am a student at Fairfield University in their (relatively) new Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. What this means is that I am studying fiction and writing with the intent of improving what I write sufficiently enough that I can get published and I am qualified to teach at the college level. At least, those are my plans.
As a student in writing, I thought it would be interesting to share with the world (at large) some of what the program is about. I can’t guarantee that the posts will be frequent, but I can tell you aspects of the program and share some of the work.
Low-Residency
For starters, the program is Low-Residency. What that means is that the majority of my learning is done on my own based on books that I come up with in relation to my assigned mentor. What it also means is that for ten days every semester (the beginning of the semester) I am at a residency on Ender’s Island. This is a Catholic retreat center where we meet and workshop each others works, listen to professional writers lecture and share their experience, and interact with others who also have similar career objectives.
Genre Focuses
There are three different genres a potential student can focus on. They are Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Poetry. I am a fiction student. When I started this I thought I would work through an idea that combined some personal experiences and family experiences. However, after a couple of months of working on that project realized that I wasn’t (personally) ready to work on that project and other things seemed more important. Unfortunately, I will not be sharing my fiction here (though you can follow this think to see older stuff – I have gotten better).
One of the benefits of the program is that a student can decide to spend a semester in a second genre. For me, if I chose that route, that would mean Non-Fiction or Poetry. Or you can add a fifth semester and spend it either working on finishing one of your thesis’s or on another genre. In case you are wondering, I will finish in four semesters, I have no interest in spending a semester in another genre, and I think it is interesting to watch others take that plunge.
About the Program
The program is the brainchild of Michael C. White. Michael PhD. He has taught at Fairfield University for quite a number of years and has also taught through University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast program. Michael brings this experience and drive to his own program and has recruited a number of exceptional professional writers to come and mentor students to improve. Last semester I worked with Da Chen. This semester I am working with Rachel Basch. Both excellent writers. I would like to work with Roya Hakakian (Roya is a Non-Fiction author and the program does not allow me to select an author that has not published within my genre). There are a lot of other authors who are impressive and knowledgeable and a little too long to list here.
Craft Papers
Craft papers are a large portion of the standard by which I am judged in this program. For me, craft papers are about improving my writing and as a result I have focused mostly on the craft of craft. For those who are interested in Fairfield and what (at least) one student has turned in as assignments, I am creating links so you can read and review my craft papers here. This will be delayed by a semester. So, come July, I will add ten more for the second Semester.
It is important to note that these papers are three to four pages long and double spaced. They are intentionally short since this is only a portion of the focus.
First Semester Craft Papers:
Craft Paper 1
Craft Paper 2
Craft Paper 3
Craft Paper 4
Craft Paper 5
Craft Paper 6
Craft Paper 7
Craft Paper 8
Craft Paper 9
Craft Paper 10