YOUR GUIDE TO THE MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION

We’ve got Your Book We’ve got your book… Well, not exactly. But if you have an idea for a nonfiction book, or you want to take your writing to the next creative level, we’ll have your back.

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction degree is a two-year program offered jointly by Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College. The program allows you to combine short, intense, on-campus sessions with ongoing one-to-one mentoring by professional nonfiction writers and teach- ers.

At the end of two years you’ll have a degree, a polished book proposal, and a substantial portion of your finished manuscript.

The program begins with a two-week on-campus session in August on our beautiful campus at the University of King’s College in scenic Halifax. You’ll fill your days (and many of your nights) with lectures, seminars, panels, work- shops, and readings designed to deepen your understanding of the art and craft of creative nonfiction.

During the fall semester you’ll continue to learn about the genre while craft- ing your proposal, and researching your book, under the guidance of your mentor.

In January, you’ll take part in a one-week session in one of the publishing capitals of North America. The location will alternate each year between New York and . You’ll get the chance to learn about the latest trends in the rapidly changing publishing industry, as well as meet with, and pitch to, editors, agents, and publishers.

Then it’s back to work on your project. The second semester follows the same pattern of one-to-one mentoring as you polish your proposal and continue to improve your manuscript.

And the second year follows the first.

You’ve got your book.

Don Sedgwick Stephen Kimber David Swick BFA (Hons) (York), MBA (SMU) MFA (Goucher) BA (Skidmore) MFA (Goucher) Join a community of writers to build your writing career with the help of these award-winning faculty:

Don Sedgwick BFA (Hons) (York), MBA (SMU) is the executive director of the MFA program at King’s. He has previously taught in publishing programs at Simon Fraser University, Humber College, Centennial College, Ryerson University, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. During his thirty years in the book industry he has held senior positions with several multinational publishers, including Doubleday Canada. He was also the president of the Transatlantic Literary Agency, where his authors won the Scotiabank and numerous other awards and honours.

Stephen Kimber MFA (Goucher) is an award-winning writer, editor, and broadcaster, whose work has appeared in most major Canadian magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of nine books—one novel and eight works of creative nonfiction. His latest book—What Lies Across The Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five—was published by Fernwood in 2013. It won the Evelyn Richardson Award for Nonfiction at the 2014 East Coast Literary Awards, and was longlisted for a Libris Award as Canadian Nonfiction Book of the Year. Kimber, who has served as Director of the School of Journalism three times, has taught at King’s for more than thirty years.

David Swick BA (Skidmore), MFA (Goucher) was a journalist for more than twenty years before moving into teaching. His work includes CBC Radio documentaries, Ideas shows, and foreign correspondence; scripts for TV documentaries; nearly 2,000 newspaper columns; and one nonfiction book. He is also the co-editor of two international anthologies of journalism. David has won two major fellowships, and has judged the National Magazine Awards, the Atlantic Journalism Awards, the Junos, and the CBC Literary Awards.

MFA WRITING MENTORS:

Tim Falconer is the author of Bad Singer: Lorri Neilsen Glenn is the author The Surprising Science of Tone Deafness and of eight collections of creative nonfic- How We Hear Music and three other creative tion and poetry, and contributing editor nonfiction books. He has been teaching of five. An award-winning writer, teacher, magazine journalism at Ryerson University and researcher, she teaches at Mount Saint since 1995. Vincent University.

David Hayes is the author of four works Kim Pittaway is an award-winning jour- of creative nonfiction and the winner of nalist and editor. She is the former editor- numerous national magazine awards. He in-chief of Chatelaine magazine. She holds has also ghost-written nonfiction books with an MFA from Goucher College in Baltimore, several famous Canadians. Hayes has taught and is working on a memoir about forgive- at Ryerson University for nearly thirty years. ness.

Lori A. May is a freelance editor and guest Jane Silcott’s debut collection of essays, speaker, and the recent author of The Write Everything Rustles, published by Anvil Press, Crowd, published by Bloomsbury Academic. was shortlisted for the 2014 Hubert Evans Her journalism work has appeared in The Nonfiction award in the BC Book Prizes. Atlantic and Writer’s Digest. Jane teaches for the UBC Writing Centre and SFU’s Southbank Writing Program. Ken McGoogan recently published Celtic Lightning, his seventh work of creative Harry Thurston is the author of nonfiction. He has won the Pierre Berton more than twenty-five books and has won Award, the UBC Medal, and an American numerous national and regional awards Christopher Award for artistic excellence. for his creative nonfiction. He has taught Ken teaches creative nonfiction at the at four universities in Atlantic Canada and University of Toronto. contributed to more than thirty magazines. “ THE MFA IN CREATIVE NONFICTION AT KING’S GAVE ME NOT JUST A GRADUATE DEGREE, BUT A LIFELONG WRITING FAMILY.”

GENEVIEVE COLE WRITER AND BLOGGER (WINTHROP, WASHINGTON) MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION

School of Journalism, 3rd Floor Telephone: (902) 422-1271 Ext 159 King’s Arts & Administration Building Fax: (902) 423-3357 6350 Coburg Road Email: [email protected] Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 2A1 ukings.ca/mfa

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS COURSES OFFERED:

Applicants normally will have an JOUR 6100.03 Writing Craft I undergraduate degree—usually an JOUR 6101.06 Mentorship I honours degree—in any discipline, with JOUR 6102.03 Publishing I JOUR 6103.06 Mentorship II an average grade of B or better, and JOUR 6200.03 Writing Craft II must submit a portfolio of nonfiction JOUR 6201.06 Mentorship III writing with their application. While JOUR 6202.03 Publishing II it is not a requirement for admission, JOUR 6203.06 Mentorship IV prospective students are encouraged to include with their submission a description of the idea or ideas they want to pursue as their major creative nonfiction project. Potential applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree, or whose marks don’t meet the minimum requirements, may be eligible for admission on the basis of Prior Learning Assessment. Applicants for whom English is a second language must provide proof of English-language competency.

MFA WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE AND EDITOR-IN-RESIDENCE

During the two-week Summer Residency in the MFA program, King’s is pleased to host a prominent Canadian book editor and an award-winning writer. The editorial guest is sponsored by Penguin Random House Canada, the writing guest by HarperCollins Canada. MFA students have a chance to work in groups and individually with these industry professionals while they are in Halifax. King’s also hosts a reading with the author, followed by an autographing session and reception. Both events are open to the public.

Taras Grescoe (summer 2015 Author-in-Residence). Author of six books, and winner of the prestigious Writer’s Trust Prize for Nonfiction (and three times nominated), has also been published in , Salon, The Independent, National Geographic Traveler, New York Times Magazine, Wired, Chicago Tribune Magazine, The Times, and Condé Nast Traveler. He is also a winner of the for Creative Nonfiction and a winner of two nonfiction awards from the Writers’ Federation.

Pamela Murray (summer 2014 Editor-in-Residence). Pamela Murray has been Senior Editor at Knopf Random House Canada Publishing Group since July 2009.

Andrew Westoll (summer 2014 Author-in-Residence). Andrew Westoll has won Book-of-the-Year honours from The Globe and Mail, Amazon.ca, Quill & Quire, and CTV’s Canada AM. He is a University of Toronto creative writing instructor, as well as a contributor to The Walrus, Explore, Outpost, and The Globe and Mail. “ THE KING’S MFA IS A COMBINATION MBA FOR WRITERS AND CREATIVE WRITING BOOT CAMP.”

HAVARD GOULD NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, CBC TELEVISION (TORONTO) PROGRAM OVERVIEW

YEAR 1 (FALL SEMESTER) YEAR 2 (FALL SEMESTER)

JOUR 6100.03: WRITING CRAFT I JOUR 6200.03: WRITING CRAFT II (includes on-campus summer session) (includes on-campus summer session) Students attend lectures, panels, and Students attend lectures, panels, and seminars, meet in small groups, and seminars, and have the option of giving work one-to-one with their first mentors a public reading. They also meet daily to finalize the subject of their book in small groups with their Mentorship proposal and draw up a contract of III mentors to further discuss craft deliverables. During the fall semester, (voice, plot, etc.) and ethical issues students read and report on assigned (truth, memory, reconstruction, etc.), creative nonfiction readings and par- finalize plans for their manuscript ticipate in online group discussions. writing project, and draw up a con- tract of deliverables for Mentorship III. JOUR 6101.06: MENTORSHIP I Prerequisite: JOUR6100.03 Students work one-to-one with their mentors to research and develop their JOUR 6201.06: MENTORSHIP III individual book proposals as well as Students work one-to-one with their begin researching and writing their mentors to research, write, and edit manuscript projects. their individual manuscript projects. Prerequisite: JOUR6100.03 Prerequisite: JOUR6103.06

YEAR 1 (WINTER SEMESTER) YEAR 2 (WINTER SEMESTER)

JOUR 6102.03: PUBLISHING I JOUR 6202.03 PUBLISHING II During this one-week session—alter- During this one-week session—alter- nating yearly between New York and nating yearly between New York and Toronto—students attend lectures Toronto—students attend lectures and and seminars with publishers, editors, seminars to review important trends in agents, and established authors. They creative nonfiction publishing. They discuss their book proposals-in-progress discuss their manuscript-in-progress with agents and editors. with editors and agents. Prerequisite: JOUR6100, JOUR6101.06 Prerequisite: JOUR6102.03 JOUR 6203.06: MENTORSHIP IV JOUR 6103.06: MENTORSHIP II Working with their mentors, students Working with their mentors, students complete and edit their final man- finalize and polish their book pro- uscripts. posals and continue work on their Prerequisite: JOUR6201.06 manuscripts. Prerequisite: JOUR6101.06

FIND OUT MORE AT UKINGS.CA/MFA 8 “ EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED TO GARNER THE STRUCTURE AND SUPPORT FOR A DIFFICULT PROJECT… A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GET THE FEEDBACK YOU NEED TO PRODUCE YOUR BEST WORK.”

STACEY MAY FOWLES AUTHOR, JOURNALIST AND BLOGGER (TORONTO) KING’S MFA ADVISORY BOARD

The King’s MFA program is supported by a national advisory board. It includes editors at major international book publishers, as well as authors and journalists who have won top literary prizes and national magazine awards. The board is chaired by award-winning author and book publisher Anne Collins.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS:

Shelley Ambrose, publisher of The Walrus and Linden MacIntyre, former host of the CBC’s executive director of the Walrus Foundation. The Fifth Estate and author of numerous books, including the award-winning memoir Causeway and the Stephen Brunt, award-winning sports journalist Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning novel The Bishop’s Man. for Rogers Media and the author of numerous books, including Searching For Bobby Orr. Kim Pittaway, former editor of Chatelaine, a six-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a researcher Anne Collins, publisher of the Knopf Random and lecturer on writing and publishing. Canada Publishing Group and winner of the Governor General’s Award for Nonfiction forIn the Sleep Room. Craig Silverman, print and online journalist, author of Regret the Error and co-author of Terry Gould, winner of more than 50 awards for Mafiaboy, winner of the Arthur Ellis True Crime Award. investigative and social issues reporting, including the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression 2009 Marq de Villiers, former editor of Toronto Life mag- Press Freedom Award. azine, internationally published writer, and winner of the Governor General’s Award for Nonfiction forWater . David Hayes, author, journalist, magazine instructor at Ryerson University, and winner of numerous , editorial page editor of the National Magazine Awards. St. John’s Telegram and winner of the British Columbia National Award for Canadian Nonfiction for Burning Mary Janigan, award-winning author of Let the Down the House. Eastern Bastards Freeze in the Dark, and a journalist specializing in Canadian public policy, politics, and economics for the Toronto Star, Maclean’s, and The Globe and Mail.

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