This week we’re talking about The Vermont College MFA In Writing for Children and Young Adults. We have several interviews and points of view for people who might be considering this MFA program.
Our first blog is with Amy Zinn, who just completed her first residency (ten-day stay) in January. Amy is a smart writer, and fast. I’ve read some amazing lines, crazy creative lines, in her manuscripts. If any of you have questions about the program, we’ll see if we can find the answers. Love, Carol.
Amy Zinn graduated from Brigham Young University in 2001. She now lives with her husband and three young sons in California. She is currently enrolled in the Vermont College MFA Writing for Children and Young Adults program.
When I decided to join the ranks at Vermont College, I wasn’t sure I’d
actually get on the plane. Leaving my three boys for the ten-day
residency was a near impossible thought. But, with some (a lot of)
prodding, I did it. Then, stepping into my dorm room for the first
time, seeing those cinderblock walls and the residual Blu-tack
adhesive, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.
I was a Freshman again. And I felt it every single day of that
residency. I was all at once both inspired and intimidated by the
faculty who, while extremely talented, are also friendly and
approachable. At meals, we’d eat and laugh over old family stories,
rallying each other through the stresses of being a writer.
From workshop to lecture, to the cafeteria and back again. Readings
from Lynne Rae Perkins and Kimberly Willis Holt, the untouchable
faculty, and VCFA’s own changed-forever graduates were inspiring. The
Saturday night party could not have come at a better time. Following a
week of sitting, and the inescapable information overload (which I’d
been warned about, but didn’t believe), we celebrated the graduates
wild west style. Flapjacks and fuzzy faux mustaches and all, we danced
to anything with a beat.
Before I started, I really didn’t have a clue what was in store, or
how much I’d learn. The feeling on campus was never, “You can’t do
this. You shouldn’t be here.” It was always, “You can and you will.”
It made the experience unforgettable. I haven’t stopped talking about
it. If I do it all again in July, it’ll be a miracle (number two for
the year), but at the same time I am eager to graduate with my new
group of friends. Class of 2012!
This is only the beginning.
Throwing Up Words 