Fall Convergence on Poetics: Creative Practice and Creative Process

Published: September 25, 2013

UW Bothell will host the second annual “Fall Convergence on Poetics” October 3-5. Featuring readings from the master of fine arts (MFA) in creative writing and poetics faculty alongside other distinguished authors, the conference will focus on questions of creative practice and process.

“The idea beyond the annual convergence is to keep the MFA program from becoming a solely academic program,” says Professor Jeanne Heuving, who serves as the director of the MFA program. “We emphasize the importance of connections between writers and communities, and see the work of the MFA program and students as a way of keeping the writing community engaged and lively.”

Among the visiting authors are American Academy Discovery Award winner Kathleen Fraser, New Narrative theorist Robert Glück, and other innovative writers from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The conference will also mark the first time that all MFA faculty will be on the UW Bothell campus. Some of the program’s thesis advisors, officially titled “senior-artist-in-residence”, are located in different areas of the country, including California and Michigan.

The Convergence will also provide an opportunity to get a glimpse into the inner workings of the MFA program, and its relationship to the writing community at large.

“The overall effect of spending a significant amount of time in the society of people who care about poetics is what excites me the most,” explains second- year MFA student John Boucher. “I see myself as a part of a creative society, rather than apart from it. I entered the MFA hoping that it would help me to shatter whatever barriers I may have had so I could reach even greater levels of creativity. The program has taught me to be even more mindful and respectful of how I do what I do. The Convergence compresses this experience into a couple of days, and I'm sure I'll leave each day buzzing with new ideas.”

The Fall Convergence is free and open to the public. It will take place in North Creek Events Center, on the University of Washington Bothell campus. Check out the Fall Convergence web page for more information.