ALL POSTS IN ‘EDUCATION’

I’m going to take this minute to plug my MFA program (again). Only here in LA can you get the kind of open-minded, diverse, rigourous, and utterly creative masters’ degree a girl like me needs. And recently, Antioch University Los Angeles was named by The Atlantic one of the “five top low-residency MFA programs” in the country.

Why? See that guy up above? He’s the program Chair (hi Steve!) He’s dedicated his life to providing the kind of education and encouragement that fledgling writers need in school and beyond. I’ve never seen him in a suit and he’s never once uttered the phrase “competitive placement” in my presence. That’s not what this MFA is about.

Having been accepted at other school’s programs, I chose Antioch because of its faculty and its “MFA program specifically devoted to literature and the pursuit of social justice.” Now, a year and a bit later, I’m making my living writing (it’s true!) and find myself using many of the program’s practical goodies (setting a semi-annual plan, prepping and teaching a workshop, connecting to my writing community, etc.) Oh, and yeah, I’m a better writer. As Steve said when he welcomed us on our first night as MFA students, this program changed my life.

So, if you’re a writer or poet in need of the kind of support and mentorship that an MFA program can provide, why not apply?

Shameless Self-Promotion

Posted on June 25, 2007

I’m thrilled to announce classes I’m teaching this summer with mediabistro. Writers needing help shaping a piece they’re working on or in need of a rejuvenating story shot, join us for one or both of these full-day workshops (enrollment is limited so get your pieces submitted early).
Hope to see you there!

The Art of Story – July 28
Crafting a Page-Turner - September 30

Well, that’s just great.

Posted on June 25, 2007

Looks like money talks and deep-thinking education walks.

Antioch was:
• one of the first co-ed colleges
• first to name a woman as full professor
• one of the first to eliminate race as an admission requirement

Some well-known alumni of Antioch College

  • Lawrence Block: novelist
  • Olympia Brown: women’s suffragist
  • Leland C. Clark Jr.: chemist, built the first practical heart-lung machine
  • John C. Flansburgh: guitarist and songwriter for the musical group They Might Be Giants
  • Stephen Jay Gould: paleontologist and author
  • Robert M. Greenwald: director and producer of more than 49 television movies, miniseries and feature films
  • John P. Hammond: blues guitarist
  • Coretta Scott King: activist and wife of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Horace Mann: abolitionist and the first president of Antioch
  • Sylvia Nasar: journalist, economist and author of “A Beautiful Mind”
  • Victor Nunez: independent filmmaker whose credits include “Ulee’s Gold” and “Ruby in Paradise”
  • Leonard Nimoy: actor
  • Eleanor Holmes Norton: congresswoman
  • Cliff Robertson: actor
  • Louis Sachar: author of Newbery Medal-winning children’s novel “Holes”
  • Mark Strand: former U.S. poet laureate, Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry
  • Rod Serling: “Twilight Zone” creator


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