MFA Residency and Semester Student Handbook June 2019 1
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MFA Residency and Semester Student Handbook June 2019 1 Antioch University Los Angeles Creative Writing Department 400 Corporate Pointe, Culver City, CA, 90230 Phone: (310) 578-1080 x202 fax: (310) 822-4824 https://www.antioch.edu/los-angeles/degrees-programs/creative- writing-communication-studies/creative-writing-mfa/ RESIDENCY AND SEMESTER STUDENT HANDBOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS MFA Academic Calendar/Upcoming Semester Dates .................................................... inside cover Mission ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Instructions for Reading this Handbook ....................................................................................... 3-4 Program Options and Requirements ........................................................................................... 5-16 Residency Requirements by Cohort ............................................................................................... 17 Reading Material ............................................................................................................................ 18 Mentor Selection ............................................................................................................................ 18 MFA Program Documentation Timetable ................................................................................ 19-20 Post-MFA Program Documentation Timetable ........................................................................ 21-22 Residency Schedule .................................................................................................................. 22-27 Seminar and Presentation Descriptions ..................................................................................... 28-47 Faculty and Guest Artist Biographies ....................................................................................... 48-56 Residency Accommodations ..................................................................................................... 57-60 Local Transportation ...................................................................................................................... 60 Weather .......................................................................................................................................... 61 Emergency Numbers ...................................................................................................................... 61 Tuition and Fees ........................................................................................................................ 62-64 Financial Aid .................................................................................................................................. 65 Registrar Policies and Procedures ............................................................................................. 66-68 Academic Policies and Procedures ........................................................................................... 69-73 Hardware and Software Requirements ..................................................................................... 74-75 Blank Page for Notes ..................................................................................................................... 76 “How to Get to Antioch” Map…………………………………………………………...back cover 2 MFA Residency and Semester Student Handbook June 2019 ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY LOS ANGELES MFA IN CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM MISSION The MFA in Creative Writing program is designed to develop writers who work well in professional, academic, and/or community settings. Its two main goals are to train writers in the skills of their craft and to educate them about the role of the arts in society. The MFA program has a specific commitment to help develop awareness of and appreciation for culturally diverse writers and traditions. MFA graduates will demonstrate: Proficiency of creative writing skills of at least one of the following genres: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and writing for young people. Critical reading, writing, and thinking skills required of a literary artist. Knowledge of ethical dilemmas and social values of the literary arts. Commitment to a broad range of issues and activities associated with a literary writer engaged with the societies in which the writer lives and works. MFA Residency and Semester Student Handbook June 2019 3 INSTRUCTIONS FOR READING THIS HANDBOOK This handbook contains important information to help you prepare for the residency, which begins on Friday, June 14, 2019. This handbook should be read in conjunction with the AULA General Catalog, which may contain more detailed information on the topics covered here. Students may access the General Catalog at any time via this link on the website: aulacatalog.antioch.edu. In addition, entering MFA students are required to attend the New Student Orientation on Thursday, June 13 at 5:30 p.m. Continuing MFA and Post-MFA students should plan to arrive on campus on Friday morning, June 14, 2019. Please consult the residency schedule to determine the first activity for your color cohort. For scheduling purposes, each student is considered part of a color-designated cohort, based on your progress in the MFA program, which are as follows: Final Residency MFA students: Azure Cohort (blue) Fourth (4th) semester MFA students: Aubergine Cohort (purple) Third (3rd) semester MFA students: Cardinal Cohort (red) Second (2nd) semester MFA students: `Akohekohe Cohort (orange) First (1st) semester MFA students: Meadowlark (yellow) Post-MFA students: Post-MFA Cohort (Dual Concentration and/or Professional Development Semester students in their 5th or 6th semesters do not fall into a specific group.) Read carefully through the seminar descriptions in this handbook. In addition to helping you plan which learning activities to attend, the following information details the assignments to be done before you arrive on campus. MFA students are required to attend a minimum of seven learning activities and first-semester Post-MFA students are required to attend a minimum of six learning activities. A learning activity can be a seminar, panel, or Q & A taught by a faculty member or guest presenter, or a series of graduating student presentations. (Note: Graduating student presentations are grouped into series of two, three, or more presentations. Students are required to attend a full series of presentations in order for it to count as one learning activity.) Participation in your assigned MFA genre writing workshop or Post-MFA workshop— which meets four times—counts as one learning activity. Beyond the requirement, you are welcome and encouraged to attend as many seminars and lectures as you wish. In addition, students must attend two community activities (at least one “brown-bag” lunch-time student reading and one graduating student reading) every residency. Various orientation meetings and group discussions are also held throughout the residency, some of which may be required for students in your color cohort. A complete listing of events required for all cohorts appears on page 16. Note and complete any assignments that are required before attending seminars. These are identified in each seminar or presentation description under “Required Readings.” Though all students are welcome to attend any seminar, please do not participate in class discussion if you have not completed the reading, so that the discussion does not get off track. It is unlikely that you will have time during the residency to do much reading, so we strongly suggest you complete this reading before your arrival. During each residency, time is set aside in the schedule for MFA students to read their work to fellow students. These are noted as “Brown Bag Student Readings.” Students generally request a ten-minute slot by email and are selected through a lottery. Student volunteers or faculty members host these readings 4 MFA Residency and Semester Student Handbook June 2019 and keep time for each student. Continuing students, new students, and Post-MFA students are all encouraged to participate, as these student readings are an excellent way to practice presenting your work. For those interested in reading aloud, please come to the residency with an idea of the work you’d like to read. Antioch’s MFA program attempts to help new students feel welcome and comfortable by pairing each new student with one or more continuing student “buddies” as the transition is made to life as a graduate writing student. Buddies are asked to be available to entering students, by phone or by email, before students arrive on campus for the first residency, and then in the early days of the first residency. A “buddy lunch” is organized for the first Friday of the residency for entering students to have the opportunity to share a meal with their buddies and discuss their experiences in the program. MFA Residency and Semester Student Handbook June 2019 5 PROGRAM OPTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS The Basic Program The MFA in Creative Writing program is a two-year program. Students enroll for four semesters, entering in December or June. Each semester is comprised of a ten-day intensive residency on campus in Culver City, California, followed by a five-month project period, during which each student works on an individualized learning plan, called a Project Period Contract, under the mentorship of a faculty member. The schedule of the final semester (fourth semester for