Vassar College Creative Writing (VCCW)

Past, Present, Future

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Contents

• Historical Perspective• Present Situation• Future: Preservation & Longevity

Historical Perspectives

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Edna St. Vincent Millay• Millay found a rich

environment at Vassar that nurtured her talent

• She was a regular contributor to The Vassar Miscellany and a prominent campus songwriter, who wrote the 1916 Founder Day’s anthem

• Legendary influence on many to apply to Vassar to become writers

MacDougall, Allen Ross. "Tribute to Edna St. Vincent Millay." 1950. (ts: Vassar Special Collections)

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The Art of Reading and Writing

• Established ~75 years ago at Vassar• Introduces students to a curriculum that engages the mind simultaneously in the study and creation of poetry and prose

• Emerged from the formal educational ideal that creativity is a process understood through practice as well as scholarship

• Originated in the New England colonies pre-1890s, according to historian Charles Beard

Charles Beard, New Republic 11-23, 2006.

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Elizabeth Bishop• A history of literary

rebellion at Vassar• When excluded from

the official student literary magazine, Elizabeth Bishop (with Mary McCarthy, Eleanor Clark & Muriel Rukeyser) founded Con Spirito, a rival journal, until the editors agreed to publish their work

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Muriel Rukeyser

• "Muriel Rukeyser's poetry is unequalled in the twentieth-century United States in its range of reference, its generosity of vision, and its energy."

--Adrienne Rich

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Mary McCarthy on VC Writing

• “We had complete freedom as to what we would write about; we didn't have to cast it into any form, and that was excellent, very good for our writing.

• “…The best thing that I ever got out of Vassar was [Professor] Kitchel in 105. If the whole thing could have been like that..."

Interview with Elizabeth A. Daniels, February 12, 1982, Vassar Encyclopedia online, accessed on January 16, 2009.

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Eleanor Clark• Mother studied comparative literature at Vassar

• Clark enjoyed Vassar’s proximity to Manhattan

• Later she became a conspicuous part of the city's intellectual left, writing for The Partisan Review, The New Republic and The Nation

Thomas RMCG Jr. “Eleanor Clark is Dead at 82; a Rumative Travel Essayist“New York Times, February 19, 1996

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Mary Oliver • As a young poet was

influenced by Edna St. Vincent Millay; as a young woman, wrote to family and ultimately helped to organize Millay’s papers

• One of the most celebrated and best-selling poets in America– Pulitzer Prize, 1983– National Book Award, 1992

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Other Notable VC Writers • Jesse Ball• Thomas Beller• Katherine Center• Karin Cook• Elizabeth Gaffney• Indira Ganesan• Joe Hill• Owen King• Adam Langer• Carole Maso

• Keith Scribner• Curtis Sittenfeld• Brett Singer• Jane Smiley • Peter Spiegelman• Elizabeth Spires• Brett Singer• Miriam Thurm• David Wong Louie

And many others…

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Unique Development of VC Creative Writing

• Early 1980s: English Department had 10-15 adjuncts teaching part-time across its curriculum

• 1989-1991: Move to create more composition classes to satisfy student demand and provide additional writing opportunities; full-year writing no longer offered as 105/106

• 1990s-2008: A pool of more or less permanent part-time and full-time working writers to teach along side several creative writing tenure-track faculty members

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History of Freshman English• English 101 has long offered the unified

philosophy of teaching writing to prepare Vassar students for a range of intellectual experiences at the college

• Available stats from 2000s demonstrate that English 101 is almost always fully enrolled*– Reputation for excellence– Students and parents subscribe to the long-held

idea that writing is related to the study of literature– Many English Department faculty are specifically

trained to teach writing

*Except for when taught by faculty new to the school

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Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)

• Removing 101 from English Department in favor of WAC is outmoded in peer institutions

• WAC is most often established in tandem with a required Freshman English course and is usually coordinated by the English Department

_________________________“Writing directors and administrative officers should

never force a program or curriculum onto any faculty.” --Linda H. Peterson

McLeod, Susan H., and Soven, Margot. 2000. Writing Across the Curriculum: A Guide to Developing Programs. WAC Clearinghouse Landmark Publications in Writing Studies: http://wac.colostate.edu/books/mcleod_soven/ Originally Published in Print, 1992, by Sage Publications, Newbury Park, California.

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Challenges • Promote established literary legacy • Capitalize on VCCW outcomes:

– A steady stream of Vassar students accepted into prestigious MFA programs

– Innumerable Vassar graduates who have passed through the English Department and go on to write and publish books

– A vocal and loyal following of alumnae/I, students and parents

• Differentiate writing taught by writers & English Professors trained in language and craft without curtailing curricular range or insulting other faculty members

Present Situation

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Writers in Residence:30 Years of Excellence

• Unmatched creative opportunities

• Vibrant writers brought in to interact with students and Vassar community – Public readings– Class visits– Individual work with

creative writing students

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Recent Visiting Writers

Christopher Bram • Jumpa Lahiri • Lydia Davis • John Balaban • Colson Whitehead • Leslie Marmon Silko •

Stanley Kunitz • Dagoberto Gilb • Joy Harjo • ZZ Packer …and many others

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VC Writers At Work on Campus “Coming back to Vassar in

1987, as a writer in residence, I was struck at how focused and articulate the students in Senior Composition were. And how talented. I suppose, being an alum (in my 30s, then!) I was seen as a role model. Just as, in a more distant, mythic, way, Elizabeth Bishop ‘34 was a role model for me.”

--Elizabeth Spires

Elizabeth Spires ‘74

David Wong Louie ‘77

Bergon F. Vassar Quarterly, Summer 2003.

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Vassar Writers in Residence 1979: Philip Levine & Leslie Marmon Silko1980: Jayne Anne Phillips1981: Stanley Kunitz1982: ---1983: Hilma Wolitzer1984: Carolyn Forche1985: William Trevor1986: James Salter1987: Elizabeth Spires (‘74)1988: Ellen Currie1989: Olga Broumas1990: Howard Norman & Jane Shore1991: Leslie Norris

1992: Alberto Rios1993: Katha Pollit 1994: Peter Carey1995: David Wong Louie (‘77)1996: Madison Smartt Bell1997: Jessica Hagedorn1998: Jim Shepard1999: Lorna Dee Cervantes2000: Louis Owens2001: Christopher Bram2002: John Balaban2003: Joy Harjo2004: Jhumpa Lahiri2005: Dagoberto Gilb

Bergon F. Vassar Quarterly, Summer 2003.

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Gifford Lecture Series

Jane Smiley

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Bishop Lecture Series

Mary Oliver

Billy Collins

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Current Atmosphere• Endowment$195 million in 2008• Decision initially made to cut $750,000 in

faculty salaries (70-80 out of 1,200 courses); so far 33 courses have been cut for fall 2009*– Data demonstrating that Vassar offers 30% more

courses than peer institutions– Cut 10% to save $ but still keep Vassar

competitive– Environment of fear

• Dynamic situation; rapid changes & confusion

*Corrected to $700,000/35 cut courses (Miscellaney News, 2/25/09)

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Initial Proposed Budget Cuts• 10% cuts across all departments and programs

resulting in adjunct faculty firings• English Department to cut $200,000 = more to

come in next 2 years– Reduce course offerings by 13

• 5 Freshman Writing courses farmed out to other departments & 8 taken from adjunct professors

– Fire 2 specific adjuncts now– Fire more adjuncts in years to come (?)

• If so, in 3 years will VCCW be dismantled?• English Department current solution saves 2

positions with colleague donations (pay cuts) & leaves--is this sustainable?

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Administration Response ON THE RECORD

• All must sacrifice• It’s their fault: “The

English Dept was proposing an additional 11 classes over last year’s offerings.”

• Nothing is really happening: “VC is committed to creative arts, a hallmark of a Vassar education”

• Adjuncts are the ones that can be fired (?)

OFF THE RECORD• It’s a rumor• It’s the English Dept’s

choice; they have the power to decide how to make these cuts

• The English Dept is too bloated/powerful/special

• Students and alumnae/i shouldn’t be dragged into what’s not their business

• English Dept can’t control its people

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Stats (Fall 2008)• Total English Enrollments: 997 (~43%)

– 952 English Classes Total– 13 Field or Independent Work/32 Senior Tutorial

• Total English 101 enrollments: 291• English Majors: 188• Correlates: 14• Total creative writing enrollments*

– 145 (fall 2008)– 200 (spring 2009)– Wait lists are not officially recorded, but could be

documented from now on by English Dept• VC grads in MFA programs: ~12

*Includes Composition, Literary Nonfiction, Narrative Writing, Verse Writing, Senior Composition

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Steady Enrollment (2005-2009)

050100150200250300350400

'05-'06 '06-'07 '07-'08 '08-'09

MajorsNon-MajorsTotal

323309

351 345

4-Year Sample of Creative Writing Courses*

N=1328

*Registrar data; includes Composition, Literary Nonfiction, Narrative Writing, Verse Writing, Senior Composition

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Stats (Spring 2009)• Total English Department faculty: 40

– Nontenure-track faculty: 10• 9 active FT tenure-track faculty who split

time to teach 1 creative writing class per year (rotated) along with other courses in areas of expertise

• 7 active PT nontenure-track adjunct/visiting faculty dedicated to teaching 2-5 creative writing classes each per year

• How many faculty and classes needed to maintain vibrant diversity of curriculum?– Estimated $$$ to continue this program = ?

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A Draw for Prospective Students

Writing is said to be a fairly common

interest among prospective students______________________________• Could creative writing at Vassar College be better promoted?

• Does promotion ensure longevity?

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University ApproachesInstitution Type Claim

Columbia University

UndergradCreative Writing

Readies students for MFA

UNC Chapel Hill

UndergradCreative Writing

Claims to be “the best”

HollinsUniversity

CW Major/Minor

$5 M Creative Writing Gift from

Alumna

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University Approaches

Institution Type Claim

Yale University The Writing Concentration

Famous visiting faculty

CreightonUniversity

UndergradCreative Writing

“the finest in the U.S.”

Carnegie MellonUniversity

BA in Creative Writing

“The oldest in the U.S.”

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University ApproachesProgram Type Claim

Farleigh Dickinson

Creative Writing BA

Vibrant internship program for

studentsKnox College Undergrad

Program“the finest” says Poets & Writers

NYU UndergradProgram

Closely linked with its MFA

NorthwesternUniversity

UndergradConcentration &

Major

Exclusive/Must apply to get in

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Low Cost Networking

• West Virginia University puts out a low cost eNewsletter produced by students

• Offers faculty news, alumnae/i literary updates, student interviews, upcoming events, scheduled readings, appeal for donations.

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AWP Director’s Handbook, A Publication of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, 2008.

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Potential VCCW Claims• One of the very few and finest small liberal

arts undergraduate creative writing offerings?– One of the first 10 in the U.S.

• % of students accepted into prestigious MFA programs?

• Famous literary visitors through the years & now as a draw for prospective students?

• Robustness to ensure a more creative life among Vassar students and graduates?

Future

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Immediate Needs • Promote and create support VCCW within

the administration– Creative writing – Required English 101

• Increase & continue interest and involvement from Alumnae/i and students

• Build community among writers connected in any way to the college

• Create opportunities for VCCW ownership within and beyond the department

• Foster major funding from parents, alumnae/i, other interested parties

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Strong, Untapped Alumnae/i Connection

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New Website

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Growing Community Resources

• 850+ facebook group members• 200 email list plus ~400 viral email• Vast numbers of known published VC writers

and a strong love for VC’s creative writing program

• Motivated VC students in MFA programs• VC writers looking to make connections• Other non-writers willing to speak up about

impact of VCCW

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Testimonies: Non-Writers• “I have faith that Vassar will remain true to its

history and celebrate the writing program as one of its most valuable assets.” --Jonathan Elliott, ‘84, Composer

• “No course at Vassar has stayed with me as clearly as Nancy Willard’s Verse Writing.” --Peter Lynn, ‘88, IT/Business Management

• “My creative grounding from Vassar gave me a competitive advantage at Harvard Business School and gives me an advantage in the business world.” --Carl Cade, ‘00, Real Estate Developer

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Testimonies: Writers• “Storytelling is at the heart of every successful communication….The creative writing courses I took at Vassar taught me how to think and gave me a voice.” ––Karin Cook, ‘90, author of What Girls Learn

• “The leading lights in the creative fields have always cast back a bright glow on the institution. This is especially true of creative writing. Mary McCarthy! Elizabeth Bishop! These writers did not spring from the earth fully formed. They were nurtured at Vassar. I am very proud to count myself as part of that lineage, however tangential.” ––Thomas Beller, ‘87, author of Seduction Theory, The Sleep-Over Artist, and How to Be A Man

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Facebook Ad• Targets 5,000 FB

Vassar grads• 10-day run: February

15-25 = 100+ joins• Monitors click through

rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), and cost per thousand impression (CPM)

• If useful, other messaging may apply…fundraising appeals?

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Hollins University Model?

• $5 million gift to establish The Jackson Center for Creative Writing within $15.6 m fundraising campaign

• President Nancy Gray: funding will “enhance one of the university's most popular academic disciplines”

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Wesleyan Model?• President Michael S. Roth,

‘78: “Wesleyan has a long storied tradition of nurturing great writers…This gift helps develop an even more prominent focus on helping our students develop work in fiction, poetry, drama, film journalism, and creative non-fiction.”

• As a stiff competitor for top students, Wesleyan may well edge out Vassar if VCCW is gutted as planned?

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Low Residency MFA Model?• Low-residency MFA

programs are institutionally lucrative

• A few weeks in the summer for 20-30 students plus admin costs; student/teacher relationship via email & phone

• Tuition is $20K per year per student

• May enhance undergraduate offerings?

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Work W/ VC Development?

• VC Development needs unrestricted funds• Proposal: Offer a portion of every dollar earned for

VCCW to go to unrestricted funds?• Rationale: Ensure longevity and create more powerful

support within the institution

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Writers-in-Residence Endowment?

• In existence: A restricted endowment since 1970s, recently enhanced “to assure the continuance of the writers in residence program”

• Proposal: Grow the Writers-in-Residence Endowment to continue to fund lectures/readings, but also fund faculty and staffing of the program, as needed– Can likely be done independently with English

Department approval– Minimal Development Office/Admin involvement

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Organizing Efforts Underway

• Alumnae/i VCCW reunion events in June 2009 & every year– Currently in discussion with AAVC

• Fundraising events with VC writers– Readings, panels, discussions, regional alumnae/i

events– Institutionally supported campaign– Need VC Development buy-in (?)

• Student/alumnae events with writers and publishing professionals– Need Career Development buy-in (?)

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Continue to Enlighten• Vassar is to creative writing as

– MIT is to mathematics– Johns Hopkins is to pre-med– Oberlin is to music– NYU is to film– Middlebury is to foreign languages

___________________________Would any of these institutions ever risk

losing such a precious asset?

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Next Steps• How to create support• How to announce fundraising initiative (i.e.,

Writers-in-Residence endowment or other mechanism); depends on response from Development

• How to get buy in and participation– English Department– Students – Wider group of alumnae/i– Administration – Office of Development/AAVC/Career

• Timing and approach: How and when?

Conclusions

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Conclusions• VCCW is one of the first and only small liberal

arts undergraduate (p)rograms in the country• Organizational and promotional efforts are

needed within the English Depart and among alumnae/i, students & administrators to keep creative writing from being dismantled

• The Writers-in-Residence endowment is one possible mechanism for supporting the program, but other models exist

• Fundraising efforts need to be ongoing