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The newsletter of the Spalding MFA in Writing Alumni Association

October 2023 Issue

Y'all are generous!

Giving Day 2023 was a glorious success! An anonymous donor kicked things off with a matching gift of $1,500. All told, you donated $8,378.25! Some gifts went to scholarships or other funds, but most — $5,996 — went to the MFA Alumni Association Fund. And we get to spend it to keep alums connected to their art, to the program, and to each other.

For starters, the Alumni Association is . . .

WHAT: Alumni Gathering

WHERE: Noble Funk Brewing Co.,

922 S. Second St., Louisville

WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16

Pizza, beer, wine, kombucha, and a special class reunion open-mic reading hosted by Frank X Walker (poetry '03)!

Alums are on campus for SpaldingCon, Writing at the Brown, 2003 and 2013 class reunions, and more. Join us!

. . . and supporting alumni gatherings you create and host

If you have an idea for an alumni gathering, fill out this form to let the Alumni Association know how we can help. Thanks to your generous donations, financial support is available! (Scroll down for an example dreamed up by Florida alums.)

Virtual residency . . . and a slew

of new Post-master's Certificate options

Missed the news about our new virtual residency option? Catch up here! June 22-29, 2024.

New! You can take the Post-master's Certificate with a virtual residency. And virtual or in-person, we have lots of new Post-master's Certificate options!

Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Writing Fiction

Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Writing Poetry

Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Writing Creative Nonfiction

Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Writing for Children/YA

Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment in TV Writing

Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Playwriting

Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment in Screenwriting

Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment: Special Topics

Post-master's Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing

Financial aid may be available. Feb. 1 is the deadline to register to begin with spring or virtual summer residency. Contact Karen with questions.

And if you know a writer who'd benefit from a virtual residency, please pass this news along.

Virtual faculty reading on Nov. 8

Join us for a virtual faculty reading Nov. 8, featuring Kenny Cook, Ellen Hagan, Gabriel Jason Dean, Lamar Giles, and Silas House. 6:30 ET / 3:30 PT. Here's the Zoom link! Or go to Zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID: 861 4941 7893.

#AWP24 registration waivers

A few registration waivers are left for the #AWP24 conference in Kansas City, Feb. 7-10. Email Katy to request a waiver in exchange for helping staff the Spalding booth.

Submit a Business of Writing Seminars proposal

Have you started a small press or theater company, created a reading series, organized a writing retreat or some such? We're taking proposals about literary activism and community building. Proposals are due Dec. 15. The Seminars happen virtually March 9, 2024. $200 honorarium.

Also! We're reenvisioning Homecoming next year with more focus on gathering, less on presenting. If you're interested in presenting, consider doing so for the Business of Writing Seminars. There will be another opportunity in September.

Portugal registration opens in January

Lisbon. Photo: Deensel.

We're traveling to Portugal in September 2024. Alums and guests welcome! Registration runs January 16 - February 16. Watch your email.

Happening now: Alum meetups online

Weekly

Sunday, 6-9 p.m. ET, Write with Me! hosted by Chella Courington

Monday, 6-7:15 p.m. ET, Prompt with Me! hosted by Kimm Stammen. Each Monday we will try a prompt and see where it takes us. All genres welcome!

Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET (30-60 minutes), Write with Me! hosted by Diana McQuady

Friday, 10 a.m. ET (around 75 minutes), Write with Me! hosted by Terry Price.

----------

"There is no pressure within the group,

just the pleasure of sharing

a quiet time writing,

each writer busy with their own project."

Rosanna Staffa (F '13)

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Monthly

Third Sundays, 2 p.m. ET, hosted by Mervyn Seivwright and Cris Trapani-Scott

Spalding Water Cooler: a safe space to discuss the writing journey.

First Mondays, 7:30 p.m. ET, hosted by Noelle Sciulli

First Monday: Submit Your Work! An alumni group dedicated to sending out your work.

A spooky alumni gathering next summer

Intrigued? Email retreat planner Michele Zakis (W4CYA '18). Slots are filling quickly!

Alumni news

The latest issue of Life of a Writer is here. Deadlines are the same every year—mark your calendar and send us your news!

February 15

April 15

June 15

August 15

October 15

Check the Spalding MFA in Writing Alumni Association Facebook group to connect with other alums. Not a member? Ask to join. 

Latest blog posts and a new issue of Good River

"It's important for a book to do well," Tayari Jones told Lesléa Newman, "but it's more important for a book to do good." Lesléa's new book is Always Matt: A Tribute to Matthew Shepard.

"To write a profile is to discover—and recount—another person’s life," Roy Hoffman observes. Read his nine guidelines for profile writing.

Greg Pape has some craft book recommendations for you, including Katerina Stoykova's forthcoming The Poet's Guide to Publishing.

Issue Six of Good River Review is live!

Share the word about Spalding

Going to a writing event? Email Karen and she’ll send you a batch of brochures to set out.

Gifts

We are grateful to all who have supported the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing and the Spalding MFA Alumni Association in the past year:

Anonymous

Adeleke Adeyemi (W4CYA ’22)

Donna Anderson (PW ’18)

Dianne Aprile, faculty

Susan Berla (F ’22)

Charla Booth (PW '23)

Cindy Brady (F ’13)

Katherine Bustillos (W4CYA ’21)

Karen Chronister (F ’14)

Cindy Corpier (F ’13)

ALA Covington (F '13)

Kimberly Crum (CNF '03)

Andrea Custer (W4CYA '23)

Liz Dallmann (CNF ’06)

Mary M. Dalton (F/SW '23)

Mary Davis (W4C ’21)

Sarah Disney

Kathleen Driskell, Chair

Gina Marie Dropp (PW ’21)

Barry Drudge (F’ 18) and Drema Drudge (F ’13)

Lynnell Edwards, Associate Programs Director, and Wes Edwards

Vanessa Elie (W4CYA ’23)

Janelle Fila (W4CYA ’17)

Jeffrey Fischer-Smith (PW ’17) and Michael Fischer-Smith

Marjetta Geerling (W4CYA ’11)

Karen George (F ’09)

Nathan Gower (F '08)

Melissa Hamilton (W4CYA ’18)

Brian Hampton (PW ’06)

Lenora Hay (P ’19)

Edith M. Hemingway (W4CYA ’03), faculty

Lora Hilty (F ’12)

Madalyn Hoffman (W4CYA/SW ’15)

Patricia Hudson (F/CNF ’19)

Angela Jackson-Brown, faculty (F ’09)

John M. Jennings (CNF)

Bonnie Omer Johnson (F ’04)

Michelle Tyrene Johnson (PW ’22)

Kaylene Johnson-Sullivan (CNF ’03)

Laura Johnsrude (PrWr ’21)

Kathryn Jones (CNF ’19)

Joseph Kasl (PW ’22)

Erin Keane, faculty (P '04)

Jessica Kim (W4CYA ’16)

Sam Krauss (SW ’22)

Hilary Kretchmer (F/SW)

Lynette Lamp (P ’22)

Nana Lampton (P ’04)

Lauren Lee (CNF), in memory of Kenneth Lee

Jenny Luper (F ’11)

John Maclay (PW ’22)

Mark Madigan (P ’17)

Michael Malone (CNF ’10)

Karen Mann, Administrative Director

Roger McClendon

Tori Murden McClure (CNF ’05), University President

Kevin McIntyre (SW ’14)

Precious McKenzie (W4CYA ’20)

Quincy Gray McMichael (CNF/PrWr ’22)

Diana McQuady (F ’14)

Laura Morton (SW '13)

R.L. Mullins Jr., PhD, MFA (F ’21) and Sharon M. Mullins, PMP

Sandra Brunell Neace (PW), in memory of Deborah Collins Kurtyka

Julie Nichols (SW ’15)

Gregory L Pape, faculty

Portia Pennington (SW ’17)

Terry Price (F ’06)

Angela Ray (P ’22)

H. L. Ritchey, in memory of Kay Gill

Suzanne Robertson (F/CNF ’22)

Marilyn Rockefeller (CNF ’09)

William Schlichter (F ’23)

George Schricker (W4CYA '10)

Mervyn Seivwright (P '19)

Lori Siekmann (PW ’18)

Gene Smith ('72) and Robert Atcheson

Leo Smith (PW ’22)

Snowy Owl Foundation Inc.

Kimberly Stammen (F '19)

John Styron (F ’22)

Diane Sweeney (F ’07)

Jeanie Thompson, faculty

Kathleen Thompson (F/P ’03)

Paige Waters (CNF ’19)

Cynthia Watkins (W4CYA ’14)

Elizabeth Wilks (W4CYA ’21)

Libba Winston (P ’15)

Betty Jean Wolfe (CNF ’13)

Kylie Yockey (F/P ’22)

Katy Yocom (F ’03), Associate Director

Aimee Zaring (P ’05)

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