Craig Santos Perez has drawn up a flier (below) for our upcoming emerging writers panel at SFPL. I blogged about this a while back (read original post, which is really part of an ongoing series regarding the MFA Industrial Complex), that information and guidance about writing programs should be free and accessible to emerging writers of color, and that there are many of us in our communities with experiential knowledge to share and be a resource.
In yesterday’s blog post I wrote that the point of our literature and arts movements and orgs, from where I am standing, is not to replicate existing institutions but to build formidable institutions based upon alternative visions. I believe hardcore in literatures of resistance, communities of resistance, and cultures of resistance, and I have to believe all of my individual and collaborative work contributes to these.
Here is the 12/06/09 event information:
PAWA (Philippine American Writers and Artists) & Achiote Press Presents:
Community & Academic Writing Programs:
A Panel for Emerging Writers
When: 12/06/2009, 2 pm
Where: San Francisco Public Library, Latino Room B (lower level), 100 Larkin at Grove
Free and Open to the public, refreshments will be provided
The California Bay Area houses a diverse array of writing programs, both community-based and academic. For this event, an exciting panel of writers will provide information to emerging writers of color who are thinking of applying to various writing programs and need some guidance. We believe it’s so valuable for writers of color who have gone through community based writing programs and MFA (Masters of Fine Arts) programs to share their knowledge and experiences with others. A question and answer session will follow.
Some questions that will be discussed: Why did you decide to attend a community based writing workshop and/or an MFA program? How did you decide on where to apply? Why did you attend the program you attended? What was the structure of your program? What were the positive and negative aspects of your program?
Panelists include:
Rashaan Alexis Meneses (St Mary’s, Fiction MFA)
Claire Light (San Francisco State University, Fiction MFA)
Vickie Vertiz (VONA, KSW IWL)
Craig Santos Perez (University of San Francisco, Poetry MFA)
Oscar Bermeo (VONA, KSW IWL, louderArts)
Vanessa Huang (VONA, KSW, Kundiman)
