The Artist's Road

AWP Nugget: Tips for Writers Looking for the Tenure-Track Teaching Job

March 8, 2013 by Patrick Ross 3 Comments

BOSTON — You love to write. You need to earn a living. Why not teach what you love? You’re not the first person to think of that. Every person with an MFA has entertained that fantasy, and many more writers beyond that. Here at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs 2013 conference, four writing […]

creative writing instruction, teaching after MFA, teaching creative writing, tenure-track writing instructor

MFA Nugget: An Entire Residency in One Tasty Bite

January 10, 2013 by Patrick Ross 2 Comments

You may have been following along with me as I blogged from my fourth MFA in Writing residency at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier. If you read every post–I’m looking at you, PJ Reece!–then feel free to move on. If you weren’t tuning in every day, here’s a recap: CRAFT AND OBSERVATION […]

MFA, Residency, Storytelling, Writing

Creative writing, creative writing instruction, Master of Fine Arts, MFA, Vermont College of Fine Arts

MFA Nugget: Writing to the Reader, and More

January 4, 2013 by Patrick Ross 19 Comments

MONTPELIER, VERMONT — “Who is your audience?” Ah, the age-old question. Vermont College of Fine Arts instructor Larry Sutin said in his lecture here at our MFA in Writing residency that he hears that question asked all the time, adding with his usual dry wit, “enough times that it must be a very important question.” […]

audience, Creative writing, creative writing instruction, MFA, Vermont College of Fine Arts

MFA Nugget: A Follow-Up on Teaching

January 2, 2013 by Patrick Ross 15 Comments

MONTPELIER, VERMONT — Allow me to take a moment to step out of the daily postings for a moment here with what I will generously call a bonus post, one that follows well with this morning’s post on teaching creative writing. As some readers know, I’ve been exploring the possibility of providing the course I […]

blogging, blogging instruction, creative writing instruction, The Loft

MFA Nugget: The Writing Teacher as Student

January 2, 2013 by Patrick Ross 12 Comments

MONTPELIER, VERMONT — It can be a bit trite when we hear instructors say they love to teach because they learn so much from their students. If you’re learning from us, we students can say, why are we paying you? But as someone who has also been an instructor, I know this can be true […]

MFA, Residency, Teaching

Creative writing, creative writing instruction, Master of Fine Arts, MFA, Teacher, Vermont College of Fine Arts

Are We Living a Golden Age of Creative Instruction?

November 26, 2012 by Patrick Ross 16 Comments

So the countdown begins. Having been admitted to her art college of choice, in a few months my daughter will be a 10-hour drive away, living artistic instruction day and night. It’s a dream for her, and I’m thrilled (my pocketbook is perhaps less so). I’m also a bit envious–at how clear her creative path […]