Alumni Conference Scholarship Announcement

Two generous alums who want to see you at the conference this summer have provided additional scholarship funds. In addition to the plentiful scholarships we began with, we have an additional unrestricted scholarship of $500, and an additional $250 for the recent graduate scholarship, a total of $700.

We have SIX SEVEN scholarships available this year for people attending the full-stay option:

  • Linda Dyer Memorial Scholarship (available only to poetry grads) – $500
  • 2 Distance Scholarships (available to people traveling 1,500+ miles) – $500; $750
  • 1 Recent Graduate Scholarships (available to grads after Winter 2009) – $500
  • 2  3 Alumni Scholarships (Unrestricted; open to all) – $500

To be eligible, you must attend the full-stay conference (July 28-August 3).

Please don’t hesitate if you require financial assistance to get to the conference!  Names will be drawn from a hat.  Applications for the Linda Dyer Scholarship will be drawn first, followed by the Recent Graduate Scholarships and Distance Scholarships.  Remaining scholarships will be drawn from all remaining scholarship requests.

If you have received a scholarship in the last three years, please give someone else the chance to benefit.

APPLICATION DEADLINE APRIL 30, 2013 

How to apply: Email your interest to: pegalford.pursell at gmail dot com

Please send the following information:

  • Name
  • Whether you graduated in poetry or fiction and what year
  • Your address (if you live 1,500 miles or more from St. Mary’s)

Include “Post MFA Conference Scholarship” in the title of your e-mail.

For more information about the conference, please visit the website at http://www.wwcmfa.org/alumni/conference-information/

Special request: please share the info with others since not everyone is on the listserv, Facebook, or checks the FOW blog. Also, the email list contains email addresses that are no longer functional for some alums, so you might urge others you know to send their current address to Robert Thomas at rthomas at kvn dot com, who kindly sends out email blasts, and to Amy Grimm in the MFA office, agrimm at warren-wilson dot edu.

Thank you, everyone.  We’re getting excited as the registrations are beginning to come in. Remember your deadline for that is April 30.

Peg Alford Pursell

Co-coordinator of 2013 Conference

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IT’S TIME TO RESERVE YOUR TICKET!

Meryl Streep, Bill Irwin & Friends, along with W.W. Norton, Four Way Books, Graywolf Press, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, MFA faculty, alumni, and friends will gather Monday, May 6 to support the CHS Scholarship Fund and celebrate Ellen Bryant Voigt’s 70th birthday.

The Friends of Writers First Annual Spring Gala in New York City

Manhattan Penthouse, 17th Floor
80 Fifth Avenue
New York City

Cocktails at 6:30 p.m.
Dinner at 7:30 p.m.
Dessert & Dancing from 9 to 11:00 p.m.

 Festive Dress  ~ Live and Silent Auctions  ~ Music

 Individual Tickets: $250  ~ Tables from $2000
Seating is limited

 Please Click Here to Purchase or Donate

ALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE CHS SCHOLARSHIP FUND

For more information on the Gala, please go to http://www.wwcmfa.org/fundraising-events/

or email [email protected]

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TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

The Friends of Writers FIRST ANNUAL SPRING GALA

Monday,  May 6,  in New York City

Join Meryl Streep, Bill Irwin & Friends, Debra Allbery, Peter Turchi, Ellen Bryant Voigt, and guests from our community and beyond to benefit the Carol Houck Smith Scholarship Fund for MFA students.  The CHS Scholarship Fund was established with $125,000 bequeathed to Friends of Writers by Ms. Smith as an expression of her admiration for The MFA Program.  When it is fully endowed, the CHS scholarship fund will be awarded to promising students with financial need.

Manhattan Penthouse, 17th Floor
80 Fifth Avenue
New York City

Cocktails at 6:30 p.m.
Dinner at 7:30 p.m.
Dessert, Dancing, Conversation from 9 to 11:00 p.m.

Festive Dress  ~ Live and Silent Auctions  ~  Music
Individual Tickets: $250  ~ Tables from $2000

Please Click Here to Purchase or Donate

For more information on the Gala, please go to http://www.wwcmfa.org/fundraising-events/

or email [email protected]

NOTE:  Seating is limited

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Warren Wilson MFA at AWP

Schedule of Events

Saturday, March 9

9:00-10:15
S113.  The Poetics of Play
Alumna Catherine Barnett with D. Nurkse, Deborah Landau, Saskia Hamilton, and James Hall
Room 111, Plaza level

 

10:30-11:45
S138.  The Lake Effect: A Celebration of Fifty Years of Creative Writing at Syracuse
Faculty member Brooks Haxton with Sarah Harwell, George Saunders, Arthur Flowers, and Christopher Kennedy
Room 200, level 2

S140.  Against Veils: A Tribute to Alan Dugan
Previous Director John Skoyles with Michael Morse, Marie Howe, Suzanne Wise, and Adrienne Su
Room 202, level 2

S141.  From a Survivor:  Looking at the Work of Adrienne Rich
Faculty member Gabrielle Calvocoressi with Beatrix Gates and Alicia Ostriker
Room 203, level 2

 

Noon-1:15
S162.  Courting the Love Poem: Challenges of Sincerity and Sentimentality
Alumnus Nate Pritts with Aliyse Knorr, Timothy Liu, Joe Hall, and Beth Ann Fennelly
Room 110, Plaza level

S167.  Small Presses Win Big: Publishers Sound Off on their National Book Award Winners and Finalists
Faculty member and alumna Martha Rhodes with Parneshia Jones, Fiona McCrae, Bruce McPherson, and Emily Louise Smith
Room 203, level 2

S171. Writing to Change the World: Social Justince and Youth Writing Programs
Alumna Glenis Redmond with Janet Hurley, Tamiko Ambrose Murray, Christina Shea, and Terry Blackhawk
Room 208, level 2

S174.  Write Where You Know:  When Setting Serves as a Main Character in a Novel
Faculty member Richard Russo with John Roche, Jennifer Haigh, and Thomas Kelly
Room 302/304, level 3

 

1:30-2:45
S191.  Message in a Bottle: Poetry of the Sacred and Profane
Faculty member Tony Hoagland and alumnus Jamaal May with Michael Broek, Nicole Cooley, and Timothy Liu
Room 200, level 2

 

3:00- 4:15
S212.  Moore for Writers:  Frontier, Form, and the Case of Marianne Moore
Faculty member David Baker with Linda Gregerson, Stanley Plumly, and Ann Townsend
Room 104, plaza level

S213.  Teaching Novel Writing Across Student Populations
Faculty member Christopher Castellani with Lisa Borders, John Vanderslice, Mako Yoshikawa, and RJ Taylor
Room 105, Plaza level

S214.  Troubling Ideas: The Renewal of Argumentative Fiction
Faculty member Caitlin Horrocks with Jess Row, Marlon James, Amitava Kumar, and Helen Benedict
Room 107, Plaza level

BF39.  Kundiman: 10-Year Celebration of Lovesongs, Verses, and Books
Alumnus Matthew Olzmann with Joseph O. Legaspi, Cathy Linh Che, Brynn Saito, and Sharon Suzuke-Martinez
Alice Hoffman Bookfair Stage, Exhibit Hall D, Level 2

 

4:30-5:45
S244. Levity and Gravity
Alumna Hannah Fries with Afaa M. Weaver, Alberto Rios, Katrina Vandenberg, and Alison Hawthorne Deming
Room 110, Plaza level

S257. Love Thy Neighbors: How Secondary Characters Can Save Your Work
Faculty member Steven Schwartz and alumni Robin Black and Edward Porter  with Cynthia Reeves
Room 303, Level 3

 

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Warren Wilson MFA at AWP

Schedule of Events

Friday, March 8

 

9:00-10:15
F124. New England Review Celebrates Vermont Writers
Faculty member Robert Cohen and alumna Kellam Ayres, with Castle Freeman, Jr., Sydney Lea, and Cleopatra Mathis
Room 303, level 3

F129. Knowing Nothing: What Novelists Figure Out Before Page One
Faculty member Alix Ohlin with Tom Perrotta, Lauren Groff, and Michael Lowenthal
Room 310, level 3

 

10:30-11:45
F142.  Essaying the Essay
Faculty member David Shields with Phillip Lopate, Lia Purpura, Reda Bensmaia
Room 200, level 2

F145.  Massachusetts Book Award in Poetry, Past Winners Reading
Faculty member Daniel Tobin with January Gill O’Neil, Henri Cole, and James R. Whitley
Room 203, level 2

F152.  Why There are Words Literary Reading Series Showcases Boston Writers
Faculty members Christopher Castellani and Pablo Medina, and alumnae Peg Alford Pursell and Tracy Winn, with Joan Wickersham
Rooms 302/304, level 3

 

Noon-1:15
F170.  1963: 50 Years Later
Faculty member Thomas Lux with Jeffrey McDaniel, Rachel Zucker, and Amy Gerstler
Room 111, Plaza level

F179.  Bay City Rollers: A Reading by Bay Area MFA Faculty
Faculty member Peter Orner with Andrew Altschul, Cornelia Nixon , Tom Barbash, Lysley Tenorio
Room 209, Plaza level

F184.  Willow Books Showcase
Alumnus Gary Lilley with Antoinette Brim, Arisa White, Reginald Flood, Quraysh Ali Lansana
Room 306, level 3

 

1:30-2:45
F213. 40 Years of Poetry from Alice James Books: A Poetry Reading
Alumnus Reginald Dwayne Betts with Carey Salerno, Brian Turner, Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno, and Shara McCallum
Room 306, level 3

 

3:00-4:15
F223.  Writing Past the End
Faculty member Gregory Orr and alumna Nan Cuba with Kim Stafford and Jill Bialosky
Room 103, Plaza level

F241.  From Poems Online to Poets in Person: a Reading by Four Cortland Review Poets
Alumna Ginger Murchison with Stephen Dunn, Dorianne Laux, Aracdelis Girmay, and David Kirby
Room 302/304, level 3

 

4:30-5:45
F252.  Bringing Home the Best: A Celebration of the Georgia Poetry Circuit
Faculty member Marianne Boruch with Sandra Meek, Allison Joseph, Alice Friman, and Scott Cairns
Room 209, level 2

F260.  Engaging with Science: Poetry & Fiction
Faculty member C. Dale Young with Pireeni Sundaralingam, Alan Lightman,a dn Sandra Alcosser
Room 111, Plaza level

F261.  Against the Hawking of Books:  Reflections on Lewis Hyde’s The Gift
Faculty member Michael Martone with Amy Hassinger, Fred Arroyo, Gale Walden, and Lee Ann Roripaugh
Room 200, level 2

F271.  Copper Canyon Press 40th Anniversary Reading
Faculty member Dean Young with Michael Wiegers, CD Wright, Jean Valentine, and Bob Hicok
Rooms 302/304, level 3

 

8:30-10
F284.  Amy Bloom & Richard Russo: A Reading and Conversation
Faculty member Richard Russo in a conversation moderated by Leah Hager Cohen
Veterans Memorial Auditorium, level 2

 

9-midnight

Warren Wilson MFA Reception!

Sweetwater Tavern      3 Boylston Place

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Warren Wilson MFA at AWP

Schedule of Events

Thursday, March 7

9-10:15 a.m.
R115.  A Capella Zoo: A Reading of Magical Realism and Slipstream
Alumna Erin Stalcup with Laura Miller, Amelia Gray, Mary Lou Buschi, and Jack Kaulfus
Room 203, level 2

10:30-11:45
R135. Keeping Track of Your Book
Faculty member Lan Samantha Chang with Mary Kay Zuravleff, Hannah Tinti, Bich Minh Nguyen, and Porter Shreve
Room 109, Plaza level

R148.  Being a Good Literary Citizen
Alumnus Matthew Specktor with Rob Spillman, Alan Heathcock, Emma Straub, and Julie Barer
Room 302/304, level 3

BF11. Grub Street Presents:  The Icon, the Immigrant, the Bookie and the Superhero
Faculty member Christopher Castellani  with Steve Almond, Andrew Goldstein, Rosie Sulton, Sarah Gerkensmeyer
Patricia Olson Bookfair Stage, Exhibit Hall A, Plaza Level

Noon-1:15
R161.  Across the Pond: Fulbright and the Seamus Heaney Poetry Center
Faculty member Connie Voisine and Jeffrey Thomson, Ciaran Carson, Sinead Morrissey
Room 105, Plaza level

R 165. Getting That First University Teaching Job
Faculty member  Liam Callanan with Kathy Flann, Jane DeluryLizzie Skurnick, Jeanne Dubrow
Room 110, Plaza Level

R176.  Graywolf Press Reading
Faculty member Mary Szybist and alumna Catherine Barnett with Sven Birkerts,  Mary Jo Bang, and J. Robert Lennon
Room 210

R177.  I Essay to Be
Faculty member David Shields with Phillip Lopate, Maggie Nelson, and Amy Fusselman
Room 302/304, Level 3

1:30-2:45
R186.  Writing and Publishing Global Fiction in a US and British-Dominated Marketplace: Struggles and Strategies
Faculty member Dominic Smith with Mary Helen Specht, Amanda Eyre Ward, Andrew Eames, and Nelly Rosario

R189.  Nothing But the Truth:  Perspectives on Creative Nonfiction in the Classroom and Beyond
Faculty member Michael Martone with Catherine Cortese, Diane Roberts, Robin Hemley, Debra Monroe
Room 104, Plaza level

R195. From Exiled Memories to Cubop City Blues:  A Tribute to Pablo Medina
This tribute to faculty member Pablo Medina will also include Fred Arroyo and Rigoberto Gonzalez
Room 111, Plaza level

R196. From Parts to a Whole: Turning a Bunch of Essays into a Unified Book
Faculty member Susan Neville with David Giffels, Sean Manning, and Meghan Daum.
Room 200, level 2

R199.  “Lady Lazarus” and Beyond:  The Craft of Sylvia Plath
Faculty member C. Dale Young and alumna Meghan O’Rourke with Sandra Beasley, Tara Betts, and Shara Lessley
Room 203, level 2

R205.  Defining Contemporary Poetry:  How Do We Know How Much is Too Much, Not Enough, or Too Little
Faculty member Alan Shapiro, with David Caplan, Adam Kirsch, and Charles Bernstein
Room 210, level 2

R206. Copper Canyon Press: The Next 40 Years
Faculty member Laura Kasischke with Matthew Zapruder, Fady Joudah, Brenda Shaunessy, and Valzhyna Mort
Room 302/304, level 3

3:00-4:15
R221.  From Here, From Away: Maine’s Young Poets
Alumna Adrian Blevins with Christian Barter, Gibson Fay-LeBlanc, and Jeffrey Thomson
Room 107, Plaza level

R229.  A Reading with Margot Livesey, Gail Mazur, and Maria Flook
Faculty member Margot Livesey will read with her Emerson College colleagues.
Room 203, level 2

R236.  Camouflage and Capitalism: The Intellectual Appropriation of American Poetry
Faculty member Tony Hoagland and alumnus Reginald Dwayne Betts with Laura McCullough, Kathleen Graber, and Peter Campion
Room 302/304, level 3

4:30-5:45
R244. Alice Hoffman and Tom Perrotta: A Reading and Conversation
Faculty member Christopher Castellani moderates.
Hynes Ballroom, level 3

R259.  Beyond Ekphrasis: The Pedagogy and Practice of Other Art Forms in the Creative Writing Classroom
Faculty member Caitlin Horrocks with Rachel Marston, Shena McAuliffe, Nicole Sheets and Robert Glick
Room 204, level 2

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Warren Wilson at AWP

The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College will be well- represented at the 2013 AWP Conference in Boston, March 7-9.  Here’s a guide to panel: Full conference schedule

Many WWC MFA faculty and alumni will also be holding signings at Bookfair booths and participating in offsite readings.  Schedules for these can be found here:

Author Signings

Offsite Events

And here’s a list of all events including Warren Wilson faculty and alumni (right click to download):

Warren Wilson MFA at AWP

We’ll look forward to seeing you all at the Warren Wilson MFA reception at Sweetwater Tavern, 3 Boylston Place, on Friday, March 8th from 9 till midnight.  We’ll post reminders for all of these events during the conference, so be sure to check back often!

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“Getting Out of Your Own Way”

A clip from Eleanor Wilner’s lecture at the winter 2013 residency, “Getting Out of Your Own Way.”

Eleanor is the author of the poetry collection Tourist in Hell (2010, U of Chicago Press).  Visit the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers website to purchase past lectures on compact disc or by instant download.

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2013 ALUMNI CONFERENCE

We’re pleased to announce that the 2013 Alumni Conference will be held at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA from Sunday July 28, to Saturday, August 3. St. Mary’s boasts one of the most beautiful campuses in the country,  surrounded by 400 acres of hills, pines, hidden gardens, and hiking trails galore. http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/node/3243

Those of you who have never attended a conference before have probably already heard it: Come! You’ll be welcomed! It’s true, because you already belong here. Lots of recent grads have come in the last few years; reach out to someone you know who attended to check it out. Maybe recruit a buddy or two to share a ride (or teach a course or sit on a panel). Come create the residency you want!

For more information, visit the conference website at www.wwcmfa.org/alumni/conference-information/

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Alumni Bibliography Updates

It’s that time of year again: we’ll be adding updates to the Alumni Bibliography, so please email me about any recent book publications.
Include, in this order please:

 

(1) your full name
(2) the name of your book
(3) the name of your publisher
(4) year of publication, and
(5) specify poems, novel, short fiction, nonfiction, etc. (You may also include books such as anthologies that you have edited.)
(6) the year and genre in which you graduated.

 

Please send updates to me at [email protected], and put ALUMNI BIBLIOGRAPHY in the subject line. If you know of publications by alumni who are not on the list, please encourage them to get in touch with me, or send me what information you have.

 

The alumni bibliography (currently updated twice a year) is accessible from a link on the WWC MFA website:

 

 

If you are unsure whether your new publication is included in the bibliography, please check it before sending me the information.

 

Thanking you in advance,

 

Patrick Donnelly
Poetry ‘03
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