First day of grad school eve

Just like with Christmas, there is bound to be some disaster. And so there was. I backed into someone's car just as I was about to pick my husband up from work. I left a note. Apparently, this is not common behavior, as I learned afterward when everyone, including the woman whose car I hit, said over and over, "I can't believe you left a note. Most people wouldn't." We met up at the police station. She was very nice to me. If you ever have to back into someone's car, let it be hers. Or one owned by someone like her. Anyway, my first ever at fault accident. Not one of my dreams come true.

I also got the schedule for the residency from Amber, who is really so nice and the most helpful person I have ever met. (Well... technically most helpful I will have ever met, since I haven't actually met her yet.)

I thought you might like to see some of the highlights.

Here's the first day:
7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Breakfast on your own

9:00 – 10:15 a.m. MFA Program Welcome

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Craft Talk--Marvin Bell: What I Do in the Dark

Noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch together
Note: Table reserved for new students

1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Panel Discussion
Marvin Bell, Claire Davis, Jack Driscoll, Pete
Fromm, Joseph Millar, Pattiann Rogers:
On Giving a Reading

2:30 – 2:45 p.m. Break

2:45 – 3:45 p.m. Meeting
Faculty

Alumni Reading
William Alton, Jeannine Hall Gailey, & Lisa
Galloway

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Meeting
New Student Orientation

Round Table
Julie Rember: Tips for Presentations &
Readings &
Cheryl Thiele: Designing Digital Presentations
with Ease

5:10 p.m. Walk Meet in Burlingham Lobby

6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Dinner on your own

7:30 p.m. Reading & Book Signing:
Claire Davis & Joe Millar
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Some Other Craft Talks of Interest:

John Rember: Enkidu Died, Gilgamesh Cried:
Love and Grief as the Writer’s Best Friends

Claire Davis: Sex. How Far Do We Go, and Will
You Still Respect Me After the Story

Christopher Howell: Publishers and Publishing:
What You Need to Know

Craig Lesley: Landing the First Punch: Writing a
Compelling Opening

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Workshops start the second day. There are also readings and thesis discussions by graduating students and readings every night by one or two of the faculty writers.

There are even a couple of student reading times, to be signed up for. I don't think I will be doing that my first time there, but maybe next semester. I'll try to plan ahead.

Of course, one big thing about the residency is finding out who you will be working with during the semester. I can't wait to find out. A few weeks ago, I sent in a preference form which I filled out based on having read through all the faculty writers, discovering who wrote fiction and then tracking down some of each one's writing and reading it, not critically, but just to see if it felt good. I picked the ones that seemed to fit best with what I like. I should say that I read only a few pages of each writer's work. Well, except one who hooked me and I bought his book. But I found the others' work equally interesting and I liked the voices. There was another book by another writer that I intend to read, but try not to invest in more books at once than I can read in a month. If you could see my bedside table...

Actually maybe I will close with that.

More tomorrow.