Stonecoast

I'm starting to emerge from the international move chaos. Yay! It's good being back in New England, enjoying the fabulous weather. Right now, the wind is gently stirring trees outside.

I'm reminded as autumn approaches that my MFA program (STONECOAST) is in the process of admitting new students to begin in January. It's a great program that I LOVE teaching in. Very flexible for people leading busy lives. (And aren't we all?) With concentrations in fiction, popular fiction (as in all the various genres), nonfiction and poetry we've got a lot of bases covered. If you're thinking about graduate study in writing please check us out. And maybe get an application in!

Stonecoast in Ireland

Hiya. I've been quiet because post-holidays I went right into preparations for the Stonecoast in Ireland Residency. I've been over on the Emerald Isle having a grand time with small batch of students. Good company, good food, terrific writer guests, whiskey. No Guinness for me, but still... It's all good, and it's not over yet!

One of the highlights was reading one evening along with the amazing Ian McDonald! He was great. Wonderful reading. Good guy. Terrific to hang out with. Great crack, as they say.

How cool is Stonecoast?

Post Stonecoast

I'm back from a lovely Stonecoast residency in Southern Maine!

Ten days a fatigued joy. Lots of great people. Writing and talking and laughing and enough social interaction to hold me for the next six months. I've got a great roster of mentees to work with over the coming months. All good. I didn't even come down with the funky flu that slammed me at the end of the last winter residency!

I'm sure I've said it before, but any writers out there that are hankering for a supportive, hardworking gang of fellow scribes - and maybe wanting to pick up a higher degree in the process - should give the Stonecoast MFA a look. And if you're a genre fiction writer interested in earning an MFA look no further! Just go to the website and check out our faculty, our accommodations, our alum success stories, our residency structure, etc.

Honestly, I think very highly of the place and I'm glad they keep letting me come back. Since 2005 you know!

No Return

A few days ago I mentioned a story collection from a former student at Stonecoast.

Before that an anthology edited by two former students.

Today, I'm pleased to point you toward a novel by a former Stonecoast student, Zachary Jernigan!

His debut novel, No Return pubs today from Night Shade Books.

What's the book about? Lots of weird stuff. Click over and get the details. Here, I'll just point to what I myself had to say. I wrote:

"A visionary, violent, sexually charged, mystical novel -- No Return challenges classification. Clearly, Zachary Jernigan has no respect for genre confines. His tale of gods hanging in the sky and a “constructed man” with glowing blue coals for his eyes and a motley band of fighters navigating a harsh landscape peopled by savage creatures and religious zealots… Well, it’s pure genius. Here’s hoping it’s just the first of many such works from this guy."

Now, only the authors own credit for all this publishing success, but I will submit that there's something very good in the water of Coastal Maine. Aspiring writers of speculative fiction - check out the Stonecoast MFA Program!

In Search of and Others

Just a few days ago I mentioned a newly published anthology edited by some former Stonecoast students of mine (Futuredaze: An Anthology of YA Science Fiction). Well, today I get to mention another!

The marvelous Will Ludwigsen has just published a collection of short stories called In Search of and Others. I don't know if I've read any of these stories or not, but I loved the stuff I read of his when he was at Stonecoast. Quirky. Humorous. Gothic.

Here's the jacket copy:

A house inches eight hundred miles to confess its horrible crime. The last resident of a mental institution discovers he's not alone. A middle-schooler performs an experiment to determine how much time we fit in dreams. Boys looking for wonder find more than they're expecting in the Adirondacks with Charles Fort. A detective learns everything he's ever wanted to know...and some things he hasn't. In Will Ludwigsen's short stories of strangeness and mystery, the universe has a way of being weird in just the ways we need it to be. There are answers to many of our deepest questions...and they're usually far more personal than we expect. What are you in search of? And what is in search of you?

Hey, wait, I definitely did read that story about a house inching eight hundred miles to confess a horrible crime! It's terrific.

Publishers Weekly gave the collection a starred review, saying:

In this hauntingly beautiful collection of nine reprinted and six original stories, Ludwigsen issues an invitation to look past preconceived notions of self and ways of being, and to take a journey to the dark side of imagination. “The Speed of Dreams” begins as a lighthearted tale told from the perspective of a teen girl but takes an abrupt turn to a resonating and viscerally powerful conclusion. “We Were Wonder Scouts” echoes the irrepressible spirit of a Heinlein protagonist while twisting it ever so slightly. The variety of viewpoints and alternation between short and long stories allow the reader to catch a breath just before being pulled deep beneath the surface of chilling wonder. Each story’s concepts remain fully accessible while still challenging the reader, and exquisite craftsmanship makes this a timeless classic for those seeking asylum from formulaic prose.

Congrats, Will.

No Return

cI've taught a lot of aspiring novelists. MFA students. Undergrads. Various workshops. Literary fiction. Genre writers. Coast to coast and overseas.

I get around.

The crazy thing about it is that despite the hard work folks put in, the actual number of students that end up having an awesome book launch is relatively few. It's a hard game.

For most people.

At the moment, one student, Zachary Jernigan, is not most people. His debut novel, No Return, is heading for publication this spring, with terrific looking packaging and enthusiasm from Night Shade. Hardback, with this very impressive jacket design:

Click to enlarge and read all the goodness. Among it, is a blurb from myself. Just saying the truth, and that is:

“A visionary, violent, sexually charged, mystical novel – No Return challenges classification. Clearly, Zachary Jernigan has no respect for genre confines. His tale of gods hanging in the sky and a “constructed man” with glowing blue coals for his eyes and a motley band of fighters navigating a harsh landscape peopled by savage creatures and religious zealots… Well, it’s pure genius. Here’s hoping it’s just the first of many such works from this guy.” – David Anthony Durham

But, rest assured, more reputable people than me think similar things.

What's cool about this, for me, is that I read this material when it was shiny and new, fresh from Zach's brain. I can't claim any credit for him getting a publishing deal, of course. He did that on his own. In his own way. But still, it's with great satisfaction that I highlight this work. It's a couple months from publication, I think, but look out for it. If the description sounds of interest, please check it out.

This guy is the real deal. It's your job - should you choose to accept it - to make him write the sequel. And then more.

Oh, and... CLICK HERE TO ENTER TO WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK. Like, for free!

Update

Hiya. I've been quiet for a while. That's mostly because I've been intensely busy. Just got back from the Stonecoast MFA's summer residency. It was great fun, as always. Jeff VanderMeer was one of our visitors, which was very cool. Very pleased with the quality of the new round of students. And sad to see the graduating students go...

I think I'm recovered now, and counting down the days until August 1st - when we'll get back into our actual house! The red shack has been great, but there's no place like home.

I'm sitting on a couple of pieces of news, things I can't quite announce yet but hopefully will be able to soon. I'll post here as soon as I can.

Glimpse of the cover, by Todd Lockwood.

One thing I can mention is that Shawn Speakman has enthusiastically accepted my short story contribution to his anthology, Unfettered. It's a story called, "All the Girls Love Michael Stein". If you ever read it, you'll find it something of a departure for me. It's about a newly deceased cat that sets out to help the grieving girl he loves. Go figure. In addition to writing it for Shawn's anthology, I gave it to my daughter on her thirteenth birthday. So, it's very much for her as well.


That's it for now. More soon!

Remember Clarion!

As happy as I am about being part of the Stonecoast MFA Program, I'm also thrilled to be part of the Clarion Writing Program family too. I taught there last year and had a terrific time. Good young writers doing great work.

I want make sure you know that they're accepting applications between now and March 1st. If you're at all interested it's worth applying. Great program, that can do a lot to set you on the path toward being a publishing (or MORE publishing) career. The faculty is absolutely wonderful this year, by the way!

Find out more: HERE.

In Transit

I'm a tired guy. I just finished an intense 9 days teaching at the Stonecoast Low-Residcency MFA Program, and now I'm in the airport. Not going home, though. I'm going to San Diego to teach at Clarion. (And make a few trips over to Comic-Con.) I'm exhausted, but I'm happy to say I'm really looking forward to Clarion. Should be a great week!

On a related note.... I miss my dog. 9 days without Saba! It's rough...

Oh, and I miss my family, too. Really I do!

A Piece On MFA Programs

I noticed a little piece on popular fiction MFA's today. It's called here: "Everybody Wants Their Writing Program To Rival Iowa. Why?"

The author mentions Seton Hill and Western State College of Colorado, but he has some rather wonderful things to say about the program I work for. And I get a mention by name!

Here's the quote:

"The Stonecoast Program of the University of Southern Maine is getting rave reviews by the US News and World Reports, listing it in the top ten low-residency programs in the country. Among the programs that explicitly teach genre writing, this is the one that's most likely to open professional doors for you. Stonecoast is becoming a recognizable name among academic circles, and the faculty is probably the reason why. Living legends like Elizabeth Hand, Patricia Smith, David Mura, and James Patrick Kelly teach here. Rising stars in their genres, Scott Wolven and David Anthony Durham teach here. If I were looking for another MFA, this is probably the program I'd pursue. Again, in a low-residency model, faculty matters more than anything else. The faculty listing at Stonecoast's genre faculty sounds like the table of contents in Year's Best Anthologies."

Can't argue with that. The full article is HERE.

Stonecoast Concludes

Hiya. I've been a little quiet the last week or so. That's because I've been in the whirl of the Stonecoast MFA's winter residency. It was terrific fun. As ever, it was ten full-on days of readings and workshops and lectures, good meals and tons and tons of talking about all things writing and publishing.

I had the pleasure of leading a workshop on writing epic fantasy during the first half. Yes, folks, I was with seven aspiring writers, all of them serious about projects in imagined worlds. We looked at their material with the same critical eye any graduate level workshop employs, and to that we added an in-depth discussion of the traits and tropes and challenges of the genre. No apologies about it.

During the second half I co-taught a cross-genre workshop. In that one I got to work with some literary-fiction students I had never worked with before. Good stuff there, too. To my mind, it's a real strength of the program that we're not afraid to mix things up.

I came back tired but enthusiastic about the program, carrying a list of the five students I'll be working with over the next six months. Like last time, they offer a great mix of genres and styles. Should be a good semester!

Why I Think The Stonecoast MFA In Popular Fiction Is Awesome

So I've been teaching at the Stonecoast MFA (a low-residency program) for about five years now. When I began there, I came in partly to teach in the Popular Fiction (Genre Fiction) part of the program. I hadn't actually written much genre fiction at the time, but I guess Pride of Carthage being historical and fairly popular got me in. I'm so glad it did.

Back then, the Popfic students were a small part of the program, sometimes residing a bit uneasily with the other concentrations (Literary Fiction, Non-Fiction and Poetry). Well, that was then. In the years I've been involved the Popfic part of the program has thrived. We've had terrific students come through writing sff, crime, historical, horror, romance, YA and urban fantasy and more. While they worked within those genres, they still did the scholarly work to earn a Master of Fine Arts, and to leave the program with the credentials to seek teaching work. Moreover, though, they left as writers with a body of work behind them and - to my mind - a clearer understanding of the market process they have to navigate to find readership.

I've taught in a lot of programs, but I've never felt more at home than I do with the students I have the pleasure of working with these days. Take this semester. I have five students that I correspond with on a monthly basis, both on their fiction and on critical work. Their projects include: an epic fantasy based in a Norse world post-Ragnarok, a horror novel in the Stephen King mode about a "haunted highway" in Montana, a century-spanning historical novel featuring an immortal character who begins his tale in ancient Rome, a Bond-like space opera with strong overtones of Richard K Morgan and Alastair Reynolds, and a short-story writer working in that peculiar slipstream part of the literary/genre borderlands that Kelly Link and Aimee Bender occupy. Am I pleased? You bet. Very little navel gazing here, but lots of fun writing. Some of it serious. Some of it not. As it should be.

Look, teaching in any program is work. I read these pieces with all my critical faculties holstered and ready to shoot, but I couldn't be happier with the material, the enthusiasm of the writers and their potential to actually make a name for themselves as publishing writers in the years to come.

And they're not just working with me. The current popfic faculty includes:

Elizabeth Hand, Nancy Holder, James Patrick Kelly, Michael Kimball, Alicia Rasley, Elizabeth Searle, Scott Wolven. Kelly Link was once a part of the program (We miss her!), and I'm very pleased to learn that Catherynne Valente will be visiting with us this winter.

A while back the program asked me to revise the write up about the Popfic concentration. HERE's a link to what I came up with. And it's all true.

Just thought I'd mention it.

Been Busy, Very, Very Busy...

And I'm not entirely done with being so yet.

I've been lax about posting because my whirlwind (and wonderful) day at Readercon concluded with a long drive up to Maine. I began the next morning early, the start of ten action-packed days at the Stonecoast MFA Program's summer residency. The days start early and end late, with enough events each day that everyone walks around with a crumpled version of the schedule, checking and rechecking where and when they're supposed to be.

I've been on the faculty at Stonecoast for five years, but I'm enjoying it now more than ever. I've watched a relatively small component of the program - the "Popular Fiction" concentration - grow into a thriving ball of energy. I was thrilled by the quality of work the new students arrived with. These folks are serious about writing and are putting a lot into investing in an academic program. Thing is, their creative work features (in this new batch) post-apocalyptic SF, space opera, epic fantasy, horror, slipstream and even a thoroughly amusing chic-lit entry. I absolutely love engaging with these texts, both on their own terms and with an eye toward crafting them into polished, publishable works. It was a fun, exhausting ten days.

I can't wait to do it again this winter!

Now... must start packing for a three week trip to Scotland! That volcano isn't still causing trouble, is it?

Back From Maine

Hi. I've just returned from an intense Stonecoast residency in Maine. That's what's kept me from posting much here the last few days. Love it, though. Great program, good people. Enough social interaction to keep me going for the next six months! I got to be there to welcome Elizabeth Hand to the faculty. Very good news for us!

I'll try to get myself settled back down and normal again. May take a while, though. Brain feels like mush right now. (Hence the incomplete sentences.) Also, I'll be heading down to NYC Wednesday for my KGB reading with Lev Grossman. It'll be terrific, I know, but I'm looking forward to returning from it and, uh... sleeping a lot.

I noticed a couple of nice links to direct you toward, though. Joseph Mallozzi - of Stargate production fame - has said some wonderful things about The Other Lands (Acacia, Book 2). Thank you. Thank you.

I also wanted to direct folks to this post on the winners of the 2010 RUSA Awards. This is a division of the American Library Association that produces reading lists aimed at adults each year. Acacia: The War with the Mein got a mention - not as one of the winners, but as a recommended title in the Fantasy category. They've got other categories as well, and since I like many of the books they've picked I'm going to check out some of the recommended titles that I'm not familiar with.

Silent for a Week - Stonecoast

Hi. Yes, I've been silent for an entire week. That's not because anything unfortunate happened as I traveled back from Scotland. The traveling was rather tiring, though, a long assortment of planes, trains and automobiles. But that's not all. I didn't head straight back to Fresno, but detoured and spent a week in Maine, teaching a workshop at the Stonecoast MFA Program. It's a low-residency program, wherein the students and faculty all meet up for intensive residencies twice a year. The rest of the year the students work one on one with mentors. This provides a lot of flexibility for folks living working lives and raising families, etc.

It's a pretty cool program, not least because it's one of very few MFA programs that offers the degree with a focus on Popular Fiction. Yes, at Stonecoast you can get a graduate degree while writing crime, sci-fi, historical, fantasy, even romance fiction... Of course, you still have to do graduate-level academic work, a lengthy research paper, all sorts of presentations and panels, etc. But still, the program does acknowledge the value of genre literature. My approach is to teach/critique genre material with same attention to details I give to literary fiction. Easy. And not so easy...

Anyone out there interested in being a "Master of Fine Arts" with a focus on... well, the type of fiction that qualifies as "popular"? If so, check out Stonecoast. The faculty are first rate in general, but the Pop-fiction faculty are really cool, including Nancy Holder (who has sold approximately seven dozen book-length projects, many of them set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Smallville universes) James Patrick Kelly (Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Burn, Strange But Not A Stranger, Think Like A Dinosaur and Other Stories, among others), Mike Kimball (bestselling author of Firewater Pond, Green Girls, Mouth to Mouth, and Undone), and Kelly Link (super-cool author of Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners and Pretty Monsters).

(That photo up above is of the Stonehouse, by the way. That's where the workshops are held, along the Maine coast...)