School Days

by nance In CreativeLife, Writing Leave a comment

Last Thursday I started something brand new.  Well, new and old, I guess.  I went back to school.   I started a graduate program in Creative Writing.  Creative Non Fiction, to be precise.  I had to choose between Poetry, Fiction and Creative Non Fiction and it was a tough choice for me.  Well, I didn’t seriously consider poetry.  Not really.   But I do enjoy writing Fiction so I went back and forth for a while before settling on Creative Non Fiction.   It’s a low residency program so I will complete nearly all of my work from home under the guidance of an advisor.  And twice a year we will all meet together for ten days of intensive classes, craft lessons, workshopping and more.

Technically I started a few weeks ago because I had to complete some reading and workshop material before the residency started.  The graduate program is sponsored by Seattle Pacific University and we are hosted for our residencies at a conference center owned by the school on Whidbey Island.  Not a bad place to spend ten days and when I arrived last Thursday I looked around at all my fellow students and teachers, marveling at all these poets and writers in one place, and felt right at home.

Leaving the ferry terminal in Mukilteo — onward to Whidbey.
The conference center is right on Puget Sound. This is a partial view looking back at the grounds from the waterfront.
My digs for the week. It’s pretty austere, truth be told, but my bedspread is cheerful and I can hear the water from my open window (which I haven’t closed since I arrived)
View from the Deception Pass bridge at the top of the island.  Today was a free day so I made my way up to the state park.
I’m having a wonderful week but I’m sure missing these three fellas. I MIGHT spend a few minutes every night looking at our shared Google Photos to see what I’m missing — like this, my boys’ first backpacking adventure.

I’m at the half way point in the residency and while I’m really enjoying being back in a learning environment again (it’s been a minute), I’m also realizing that I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.  Yikes.  Wish me luck!