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First Creative Writing M.F.A. Class Graduates from Wilkes |

First Creative Writing M.F.A. Class Graduates from Wilkes

For Peter Kaszyk, being part of the first graduating M.F.A. class in the low-residency Graduate Creative Writing Program meant far more than standing on stage and getting a diploma.

Kaszyk, a resident of Largo, Fla., used his courses a way to cope with the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma he’s been battling for about sixteen years. Kaszyk graduated with five other students and said the community he became part of encouraged him to become a published author, despite his health problems.

“The program was essential to my cancer recovery because it gave my life an exciting purpose,” he said. “Most importantly, I made plans to become a published author. The program was my way to do that. It gave me a strong purpose to continue.”

Kaszyk heard about the program through Dr. J. Michael Lennon, program co-founder, advisory board member and faculty member. Lennon, who remembered conversations about writing he had with Kaszyk, called him and personally asked him to apply.

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And shortly after completing the program, Kaszyk saw his name in print for the first time. The St. Petersburg Times published his article, “After Corvette Debacle, A Key to Sanity,” in July. It was the first submission Kaszyk had ever made.

“Once I receive the check, I’ll copy it and frame the copy with the article,” Kaszyk said. “They’ll mark the start of my writing career.”

Currently, Kaszyk has copies of his novel out to readers, and as he awaits their response, he plans to continue publishing articles to add to his writing resume.

Out of the publishing and teaching tracks M.F.A. students pick, Kaszyk chose the publishing track, but said that though he has no plans to teach professionally, he may on occasion enjoy mentoring a student or two.

Like Kaszyk, Krista Caponigro, a seventh grade reading teacher from Halifax, Penn., also dreamt of becoming a published author before entering the program. She found the Wilkes program by doing a simple Internet search, and was hooked after talking to Bonnie Culver, co-founder and director.

The program has allowed her to reassess her teaching curriculum and bring more creative writing exercises into the classroom. The M.F.A. also provides her with additional teaching options.

“Right now, I’m very content with my job teaching seventh grade reading; however, with the M.F.A. degree, it’s nice to know that I have options at the university level if I ever feel that I need a change,” she said.

Caponigro also focused on fiction for the M.A. and M.F.A. programs. For her M.A., she wrote The Iron Coffer, the first novel in a young adult fantasy quartet. For the M.F.A., she wrote The Marble Tower, the second book in the quartet, and she’s currently working on the third installment.

Lennon said that the program is different from several other low-residency M.F.A. programs because it has two residencies a year in January and June.

“The residencies are a critical element in building the community,” he said.

The program is also unique, according to Lennon, because it has faculty members that are frequently writing and publishing and also understand the business aspect of writing. Those faculty members are also accessible to students, especially during the residencies. The program also brings in editors and publishers, including Chris Busa, editor and publisher of Provincetown Arts.

“We were able to bring in people we have long professional relationships with, and we knew we could trust them,” Lennon said.  “When I read the evaluations from the students, one thing they say they love is the accessibility of the faculty,” Lennon said.

Lennon is also certain that students will continue to be published once they complete the program.

“I think we’re producing pretty high-quality stuff, and I think over the next year or two, we’ll see several publications by Wilkes students,” Lennon said.

Screenwriter Ross Klavan Joins Creative Writing Faculty

Ross Klavan

Klavan’s introduction to the program already started when he arrived on campus for the program’s June residency.

His screenwriting resume runs deep.  His original screenplay for the film Tigerland was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.  The film was directed by Joel Schumacher, released by New Regency/20th Century Fox in 2000 and stars Colin Farrell.

His other screenplays include an adaptation of Tom Clancy’s novel, Without Remorse, for Paramount, Within Range for Miramax, Abyssinia for director Roger Donaldson and War Party for Walden Media.

His latest screenplays include Baghdad Blog for InterMedia/BBC4 and Heaven’s Bride for A&E.  Another one of his screenplays, Deathwork, will be directed by Robert Greenwald for TNT.  He was also a script consultant for the soon-to-be released Marconi Brothers.

Another one of his screenplays, The Colony, is based on a book by John Bowers, another faculty member.  Klavan said he and his agent are currently trying to get The Colony made into a film. 

Prior to writing the screenplay, Klavan did not know Bowers, but he was inspired to make the book into a screenplay after he found it sitting on a pile of books at his home and realized he had not read it. “I enjoyed it so much that I finished it in one sitting,” he said.

During a party for Bowers, Klavan met another faculty member, novelist Kaylie Jones, and she and Bowers encouraged him to join the program.  “They made it sound very inviting and said the program is dedicated to teaching writing with a creative attitude,” he said.

Klavan added that he especially looks forward to teaching students the basic elements of screenwriting, a genre he believes combines the elements of other genres of writing.

“Screenwriting in a way has many of the best parts of writing,” Klavan said.  “It is a mix of a variety of mediums.”

He added that screenwriting is also becoming more popular as technology grows.  “Instead of sitting down and writing a novel, I think people are more and more writing screenplays and making films,” he said.

Bonnie Culver, the program’s co-founder and director, also acknowledged that screenwriting is a popular genre for the program.

“Student interest in screenwriting is definitely increasing with each new class,” she said.  “Ross’s addition will allow our students access to not only a talented screenwriter, but also someone who can explain the business to them. Screenwriting is business.”

Klavan’s writing career, however, has not been limited to screenwriting.  His works of fiction have appeared in Zing Magazine and Pierogi Press and have been produced by the BBC.  He has also written drama, and his play, How I Met My (Black) Wife (Again), was produced in New York in 1997 and 1998.  In addition, his novel, Trax, was published by Pinnacle Books under the pen name RLS Hawk.

A former reporter, Klavan worked in New York and London for WINS Radio, the RKO Network, NBC (London) and LBC (London).  His journalism credits also include work for the Village Voice and the Gannet Newspapers.

Currently, Klavan has been working on a novel about the news business in New York in the 1970s.  He has also been a guest lecturer at various universities, and he is married to the painter Mary Jones.

Nicole DePolo has been promoted from assistant managing editor to production editor/graphic designer for Etruscan

Nicole DePolo

DePolo, who has been with Etruscan since the summer of 2006, said she will continue to be involved with the book design and marketing aspects of the press, but she also plans to increase her involvement in fundraising and public relations. 

“We would like to work to increase our visibility on the internet, both in terms of developing our website and developing marketing campaigns,” DePolo said.  “With the increased time I’ll be spending here, I’ll also be working with Etruscan to increase our presence at conferences and bookfairs.”

DePolo, who recently finished her M.F.A. in the creative writing program, also looks forward to strengthening the internship program. Any M.F.A. student on the publishing track can obtain up to six credits for an internship with Etruscan, but the program is also available to other students, including undergraduate students at Wilkes University. The press has also had interns from Binghamton University and Youngstown University.

 There are internships available in marketing, public relations and book design. In the past, interns have even presented at panels at Bucknell University and attended the AWP Conference. One intern was even credited for a book design.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for any student interested in the publishing track and the creative writing program,” DePolo said.  “Interns also work directly with our editorial staff, so they do get real world, practical experience.”
 
As part of her promotion, DePolo has been added to the Rhode Island School of Design Portfolio Review Board. Once a year, DePolo will travel to Rhode Island to serve on the board and provide advice to students regarding their portfolios before they try to find jobs as designers.

DePolo sees the job as a way to raise visibility about Wilkes, the Creative Writing
Program and Etruscan. “It could potentially serve as a benefit to Wilkes students that Etruscan is involved with the Rhode Island School of Design. It creates another tie-in with the academic and artistic communities that I think is valuable to everyone involved,” she said.

In June, DePolo completed her final residency for the Creative Writing Program, and as part of the program, she completed a novel, The Glass Angel. She also teaches computer graphics courses at Wilkes.

Etruscan has released two publications that were National Book Award finalists: Shoah Train, a poetry collection by William Heyen, and Chromatic, a book of poems by H.L. Hix.  Students can inquire about internships by contacting DePolo at etruscanpress@gmail.com.

Student Profile: John Plucenik

John Plucenik

Instead of drafting a memoir or novel, Plucenik, a former sports reporter, launched a publication, The Westsider, now called The Independent. The magazine has given back to the community of northeast, Penn. by offering profiles of local businesses and giving local writers the opportunity to be published.

The publication’s content, however, is not limited to profiles of the community. It also includes everything from a column about poetry by Jim Warner, assistant director of the creative writing program, to a photo essay by Mike Burnside, who also completed the program.

Plucenik was part of the first graduating M.A. class in 2006, but did not know going into the program he was going to launch a quarterly magazine. What he did know is that he wanted to start something that would be an asset to other writers.

“I didn’t want to write a manuscript that was going to sit on my shelf and never have a chance of doing anything. I would rather produce something I knew would have an immediate impact,” Plucenik said.

The creative writing program gave Plucenik the support and advice he needed to launch the publication. He especially enjoyed working directly with two faculty members, creative nonfiction writer and Columbia professor John Bowers, and Chris Busa, publisher of Provincetown Arts.

“Bowers really gave me all the time and straight forward advice I needed,” Plucenik said. “Chris Busa was incredibly tremendous in making himself available. I stole a lot of his ideas. His advice was invaluable.”

The program has also benefited the publication because since its first issue in 2005, Plucenik has used the writers in the program and plans to continue to do so.

Plucenik would also like to expand the magazine’s readership and eventually get it on shelves in Scranton, the city where he was raised, and Wilkes-Barre. To do so, a name change was needed, since The Westsider mostly covered the west side of the Susquehanna River.

“The Westsider really confined us geographically,” he said. “The Westsider was a harder sell if you’re going to put the magazine on shelves in Wilkes-Barre or Scranton.

The new name is perfect, Plucenik believes, because the publication highlights local businesses and supports local, independent writers and artists.

Plucenik is also hoping to expand the magazine by including fiction and poetry, despite the general attitude of some market analysts regarding creative writing.

“I think this magazine is proving that traditional market analysts are wrong,” he said. “People say not to include poetry because no one reads poetry and there’s not a market. But if 300 or 400 people pick up our magazine because of the poetry section, it’s worth it.”

The Independent can be read by visiting www.independentnepa.com.

The University of Tennessee Press will publish a new collection of essays on poetry by Philip Brady. The collection, By Heart: Reflections of a Rust Belt Bard, is slated to be released on Oct. 5.

Screenwriting faculty member David Carren was awarded second place in the University Film and Video Association’s 2008 screenwriting competition for his screenplay for his film The Red Queen. The award was presented during the organization’s annual banquet in Colorado Springs in August.

Advisory Board Member Samuel Hazo had a collection of his poems, The Song of the Horse: Selected Poems 1958-2008, published by Autumn House Press over the summer.

Juanita Rockwell’s play, What’s A Little Death, will premiere at the Baltimore Theatre Project Sept. 4-14 and will be produced by the new company she co-directs, 3 Hands Clapping.  Another one of her plays, Between Trains, will have its first fully staged production at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland, College Park from Nov. 13-23.

M.A. student Chris Bullard recently had several of his poems published. His poem “Going” was published by Nimrod International Journal in the spring/summer issue. Blue Unicorn, a tri-quarterly poetry publication, published his poem “Boxwood” in the June issue. Another one of his poems, “Private Box,” was published over the summer by The Bumbershoot Annual, an offshoot of Umbrella, an electronic journal

M.F.A. alum Peter Kaszyk saw his name in print for the first time in July after the St. Petersburg Time published one of his articles, which can be read by visiting http://www.tampabay.com/features/article705848.ece.

“Jock Strap,” a monologue written by M.A. student Carol MacAllister, was produced as part of Viva Vagina, a group of monologues performed in June in Asbury Park, N.J. MacAllister also had her essay “What You See is WHAT?” receive an honorable mention for the April/May contest sponsored by HumorPress.com. The essay can be read by visiting http://www.humorpress.com/Results/Essays-200804-05/c-HonMens/Essay-200804-05-HonorableMentions.htm#9.