Once I defended my thesis, the graduation process was far from over. I was elated to be done with the oral defense of my thesis. It was a wonderful experience, and one that prepared me for future job interviews. But the saga of the thesis copies had yet to begin. As a graduate student, your […]
Category Archives: UAF
My First Novel: Stepping Stones in the Mire
I recently applied for a fellowship that had me rummaging through my files for a screenplay I wrote during graduate school. I began the screenplay during an Introduction to Screenwriting course and expanded it during an Advanced Screenwriting independent study. When I opened the file with the name of the screenplay I had worked on […]
MFA Flashback: Visiting Writers
J.T. Dutton and Me, 2010, Photo by UAF staff photographer One of the best experiences during my time as an MFA student was the visiting writer series that my department sponsored. Even though we were in Alaska, my program brought amazingly talented and accomplished writers up to visit. The visiting writer would give a lecture […]
A New Job Begins and a Piece of Paper Arrives
Last week I started a temporary job as a full-time administrative assistant. It’s a wonderful position – great co-workers, a quiet but productive office, and it’s on a university campus. In my mind this type of job has one really wonderful feature – I can leave it behind at 5PM and spend the rest of […]
MFA Flashback: Why Alaska?
The dry cabin I lived in my last year in Alaska I get asked about Alaska pretty often, usually at least once a week. I still have my Alaska driver’s license, so the tellers at the bank are always curious why I would move from Alaska to Alabama. And at interviews, Alaska features prominently on […]
MFA Flashback: Comprehensive Exam
In addition to coursework, students in the MFA program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks must complete two tasks: compose a thesis and pass a comprehensive exam. What is this exam? The exam is in February, and MFA students are expected to take it in their second year. It is a pass/ fail exam. If […]
MFA Flashback: Office Space
I entered the MFA program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks with a Teaching Assistantship. In return for teaching one section of a beginning composition course each semester, my tuition was waived and I received a small stipend. Magazines about MFA programs urged me to consider TAships carefully. “Do you really want to spend your […]
The Story of the Story
I defended my thesis on Friday, and it went swimmingly. I now have an MFA from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (woot!), and just need to submit some paperwork in order to make it official. The whole affair lasted about an hour: 45 minutes of questions, a few minutes for the committee to deliberate behind […]
Resistance Manifesto
As I prepare for my thesis defense, I’m going back through my materials from the classes I took at UAF. In particular, I’m reading through my binder from Forms of Fiction, taught by the amazing David Crouse. David assigned a writing project during this course that I particularly loved. We each had to write a […]
Studying for the Thesis Defense
Every true work of art – and thus every attempt at art (since things meant to be similar must submit to one standard) – must be judged primarily, though not exclusively, by its own laws. If it has no laws, or if its laws are incoherent, it fails – usually – on that basis. ~ […]
