Bi-Annual Newsletter
Dear Friends of the Stonecoast MFA,
I'm happy to welcome you to our inaugural newsletter in a new format, a biannual collection of feature stories and in-depth profiles made to complement Stonecoast's increased online presence.
It seems fitting that this new public face corresponds with the momentous occasion of Stonecoast's tenth anniversary. We are celebrating this coming of age by being a major sponsor of the 2013 Associated Writing Programs (AWP) Conference in Boston, where we will be hosting a faculty reading panel, book signings at a large booth in the bookfair, a faculty-student-alumni reading event at the beautiful and historic Boston Public Library, and, in keeping with our Popular Fiction focus, a heroes-and-villains themed Masquerade party.
And Stonecoast is also celebrating our coming-of-age in more lasting ways, with a series of adjustments to our curriculum and our public presence. In July 2013, we will be inaugurating a long-awaited elective focus on Young Adult and Children's Writing. Our website is undergoing a redesign, with a new section of Alumni bio profiles, expanded news and feature coverage. Stonecoast alumni Ashley Johnson and Stacy Thompson have kicked off the highly successful Stonecoast Faculty Blog, featuring posts by faculty, one of which, Aaron Hamburger's moving meditation on the importance of rejection for a writer, has been Freshly Pressed on Wordpress.com. And we are in the process of organizing an exciting new international option for Stonecoast poetry students, an annual residency option at San Miguel Poetry Week in Mexico. More details will be announced soon.
At this exciting moment, I want to thank all in the Stonecoast community--alumni, faculty, students, visitors, and friends--for your inspiring and energetic presence, your creativity, and your goodwill and support of great writing. We are excited to be entering Stonecoast's second decade, with an eye to future achievements and also to what has gotten us here in the first place: high standards, respect and caring for other writers, and continued attention to literary craft, tradition, and imagination. Onward!
A Letter from the Alumni President & Vice President
The low-residency MFA experience is a unique one. Some people come into the Stonecoast program with a lifetime of professional writing experience, others as recent college graduates not even afforded a proper summer vacation before their first residency. Most of us come from someplace in between. But one thing is the same for all of us. We entered the program as writers, and will leave as writers. As important a milestone as it might be, obtaining a Master of Fine Arts degree is simply one more stage in our lives. Continue reading.
AWP 2013 Annual Conference-Boston
Stonecoast is a proud sponsor of the 2013 AWP Annual Conference taking place in Boston from March 6th-9th. The Stonecoast community has come together to offer several exciting events that will take place during the Conference. Continue reading.
Stonecoast in Ireland-The Student Experience
Andy Wales
“All moments in life are full.”
Theo Dorgan, one of Ireland’s finest working writers, said that to a cozy, sun-bathed room full of ten eager Stonecoast students. We lapped up his stories about the Pacific waters lapping the ship he helped sail across the world, ones he told in his acclaimed book Time on the Ocean. Dorgan’s quote answered a question about how he dealt with the “boring” moments on the boat. He had the time to draw on all his past conversations, past images, past experiences. When little happened outside himself, his mind was aflame. Continue reading.
Stonecoast in Ireland—Guest Faculty Bio, Theo Dorgan
One of the mainstays of the Stonecoast in Ireland residencies is the stellar cast of Irish writers who join us to give master classes and readings. Theo Dorgan received such rave reviews in Dingle this past summer that we are invited him back for January 2013. Continue reading.
One of the things that make the Stonecoast experience unique is the opportunity to explore the six concentrations (craft, creative collaboration, literary theory, publishing, social action/community service, teaching) during the third semester. The projects produced by our students continue to inspire and expand the sense of academic rigor that makes our program one of the top low residency programs in the country. Continue reading.
When Life Gives you Lemons: An Interview with Faculty Member Elizabeth Hand
The impression you get when you meet Liz Hand is that there is something edgy about her. You can see it in the way she walks and talks. When you read her work, you see the inner and intimate workings of an author at the height of their craft. Liz Hand's works include Radiant Days (May 2012) and the critically acclaimed Available Dark (February 2012). Most recently Hand was the Guest of Honor at the World Fantasy Convention held in Toronto, Canada. Continue reading.
In September, Stonecoast Alumna Cindy Williams Gutiérrez’s play A Dialogue of Flower & Song, was featured as part of the 2012 Group of Spanish and Latin American Women’s Studies Conference co-sponsored by the University of Portland and Portland State University. The play also served as the opening event of the 2012 La Luna Nueva festival celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at the Miracle/Milagro Theater in Portland, Oregon and was performed to a sold-out crowd. Continue reading.
Stonecoast Writing for Social Change Project
Stonecoast has added new focus to the core curriculum: Writing for Social Change.
The goal of the Writing for Social Change project is to create opportunities for the Stonecoast community to use their passion and skills in writing and reading to create social change...Contine reading.
USM Social Dashboard »
Check out our new Social Dashboard to see other ways to stay connected across the USM community.