Saturday, January 8, 2011

VCFA Winter Residency 2011

Here they are - ten crazy, glorious days at Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier, where I teach in the Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program. It's our winter residency and I cannot wait to see people. I'll try to post a few summaries about what I'm hearing and seeing (faculty and grad lectures, workshops, Katherine Paterson's opening speech, guest readings and lectures - David Macaulay, Grace Lin, anf Tobin Anderson, who is bravely offering up a mini-course in literary theory)  in addition to NECI food and the ghost in College Hall.  Coming on to campus tonight in the airport shuttle, Uma and Laura and I saw Christmas lights all over College Hall, including quite a display in one huge tree on the snow-covered grass not far from the fountain....

8 comments:

  1. Gorgeous! Will you be blogging the residency, off and on, Julie? Please give everyone my very best.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'll post snippets when I have time, Cyn! Wish you were here.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just heard Howard Dean speaking about the tragedy in Arizona. What a wonderful state yours must be to have given our country that man: the most honest man in politics today.

    ReplyDelete
  4. what about rumored poetry stretches during rez?

    (can you tell i'm going through withdrawl this winter?)

    ReplyDelete
  5. David - I'll definitely announce a few poetry stretches - butit's weird, having all our lectures over in the Chapel - the group is apparently too big to have any lectures in Noble (I'm not sure I believe it, but that's what the bosses say. ) The Chapel feels cavernous - and caverns intimidate poets. But I will try.

    If I send out each challenge via email - would that be kind of like a nicotine patch for your withdrawal symptoms?? (Actually, I think you're going to need a bigger fix than that!) Wish we were seeing your smiling face among the Grad. Assistants this time around.

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  6. julie, wherever you post poetry stretch, i will find them. a thread on the forum?

    i both can and cannot believe you guys are having winter lectures in the chapel. looks like we'll have to get the alum to pony up for a new, quasi sub-terrainian lecture hall on the lawn.

    as for the intimidation factor, just stand there like whitman and sing out like it's a song of yourself and i'm sure you'll melt the distance.

    perhaps they'll permit me to return in july...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, good idea- yes, I'll post on the Forum. Fingers crossed for you + July = VCFA.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Please try to blog about the rez whenever you can so I can live vicariously. I am have serious withdrawal symptoms too, David. It's killing me to hear about all the wonderful lectures (even if they are in the cavern), but I don't want to miss a thing! I hope to be there in July too.

    ReplyDelete