Well I've finally made it- to Pacific University's Master of Fine Arts in Writing Summer Low Residency program.
Forest Grove is a gorgeous small town about an hour west of Portland. Situated at the base of the Oregon coastal range on the west side of the Tulatin Valley, the area is full of vineyards and farm land.
The days are long, but exciting. There are usually three craft talks (lectures) a day, a morning workshop looking at the nuts and bolts of student submitted work, then nightly readings by faculty in a gorgeous auditorium followed by readings by students in a local pub style atmosphere (without the beer).
My sponge was fully absorbed and spilling into the sink by the second day. I could describe the residency here as a semester in 10 days, but that's not entirely true, because I still have a semester's worth of work ahead of me with my advisor (still to be determined).
A few more thoughts:
I'm excited about having two years to focus on my craft of writing.
I'm excited about being pushed beyond my limits to create better prose.
I'm excited about working with other writers sharing similar aspirations.
I'm excited about being part of a community that wants to see each other succeed.
I'm scared my stuff won't be good enough and the story won't be there when I want it to be.
I'm scared I'll have two years of bliss, then once the scaffolding is removed waver through the rest of life as a writer.
The End. I mean, to be continued... I mean, may the force be with you.
