Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing | Spalding University Catalog

Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing

Chair
Kathleen Driskell, MFA

Administrative Director
Karen Mann, M.A.

Associate Programs Director
Lynnell Edwards, PhD

Associate Director of Communications and Alumni Relations
Katy Yocom, MFA

Programs Manager
Ellyn Lichvar, MFA

 

Mission Statement
The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University is a welcoming community of writers dedicated to improving their craft through intensive writing and reading, critical and creative thinking, and diverse opportunities to study closely with intellectual, literary, and professional leaders who are also expert teachers. The school provides a compassionate, flexible, and noncompetitive graduate learning environment that establishes lifelong writing habits and fosters a commitment to the global literary community and to excellence in writing.

Affiliations and Accreditations
Spalding University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Writing, Post-master’s Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing, the Master of Arts in Writing, Post-master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment, and the Master of Fine Arts in Writing. The School of Writing is a member of AWP (Association of Writers & Writing Programs), and students and faculty receive the Writer’s Chronicle, free registration to the AWP annual conference, and access to information for writers. The School of Writing is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Kentucky Poetry Society, and the Playwrights’ Center. 

Overview

The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing offers a number of quality writing degrees and certificates including our flagship program, the nationally distinguished MFA in Writing, an MA in Writing, various graduate certificates as well as the BFA in Creative Writing and BA in Professional Writing degrees.

Overview of our undergraduate programs.

The School of Writing offers high quality undergraduate programs such as the BFA in Creative Writing and a BA in Professional Writing with Editing and Technical Writing or Business Writing tracks, providing enriching opportunities for students to develop writing, editing, and publishing skills highly prized by employers.

BFA in Creative Writing and BA in Professional Writing students attend courses on campus or online during our eight-week sessions and have many opportunities to attend readings, lectures, and presentations by leading creative writers, editors, and agents, as well as sessions with professionals established in writing-related careers in the business and nonprofit sectors which happen during our MFA residencies and virtual learning sessions. Thus, Spalding undergraduates pursuing the BFA or BAPW have unique and exceptional opportunities to take advantage of enriching sessions offered through our world-class graduate programs. Undergraduate students also have the option to take graduate courses alongside MFA students, earning graduate credit while still in their undergraduate programs.

Overview of our graduate programs.

School of Writing students choose to study fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, writing for children and young adults, and writing for TV, screen, and stage (screenwriting or playwriting). A hallmark of the School of Writing is that students explore cross-genre study in all of the areas in which we provide instruction.

Students may enter a program in spring, summer, or fall; students may attend residency on campus or virtually. Students may customize the location, season, and pace of their studies.

The emphasis of the program is on the student’s own writing. Each semester begins with a 7-day intensive residency, after which students study in an independent study from home with a faculty mentor, though the exchange of five packets of writing. The mentor responds to the packet within a week with margin notes and a 3–5-page written commentary.

The School offers on-campus week-long residencies in May and November and a week-long virtual residency in June. The virtual residency curriculum is offered through a synchronous delivery: students attend throughout each day via Zoom. Whether attending residency on-campus or virtually, each residency is intensive, and students should plan to be able to attend required lectures, workshops, readings, panel discussions, and other special events scheduled throughout each day from morning to, usually, early evening.

The student prepares, in consultation with their mentor, an individualized Independent Study Plan. The plan is created around the students’ own writing goals. For example, prose writers may be working on a novel or memoir; TV writers may be developing a TV series, or poetry writers may be working on a collection of poetry.

The faculty is carefully chosen from candidates nationwide who are appropriately credentialed and are publishing writers and excellent teachers. Students work with a variety of faculty mentors, a practice that fosters a wide range of dialogues regarding issues in the craft of writing, criticism, and aesthetics. Through workshops, lectures, conferences, annotation, and correspondence, faculty members provide an intellectually stimulating and emotionally supportive educational experience for their students.

For many, the low-residency format offers an educational opportunity not otherwise available. The residency provides an exciting and intense group experience. During the independent study, more important than the convenience of staying at home is the quality of instruction provided.

The student-faculty ratio (averaging three-to-one) is much lower than most traditional programs. This structure offers more personal attention for the student. And, while writing habits are being established, the student works within a natural home setting instead of an isolated, solely academic environment. The low-residency model is ideal preparation for the life of a writer.

Low-residency Programs in the School of Writing
The School of Writing offers three low-residency programs:

 

Undergraduate Programs in the School of Writing

The School of Writing offers two undergraduate programs which meet on campus or online during the eight-week sessions:

  • BA in Professional Writing (BAPW) – 120 credit hours
        (1) Editing and Technical Writing track
        (2) Business Writing track


* spalding.edu/gainful-employment/creative-writing/