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When does the studio take place?
The Writer’s Studio runs from January to December at the Vancouver, Harbour Centre campus of Simon Fraser University.
How is the studio organized?
The Writer’s Studio is made up of three sequential semesters: Spring, Summer and Fall.
Spring is held from January to June, and is when most of the studio course work takes place. Courses include training on manuscript critique, how writing rhetoric, process and materials affect your writing, the various forms of writing and what forms you currently use, as well as legal and ethical issues in creative writing. You will also begin your mentor workshops in January. These small groups, facilitated by a mentor in one genre, are dedicated to workshopping your writing and critiquing the writing of your mentor group peers. Finally, there will be a series of readings by guest writers, by the mentors, and in late spring, by all the students in the studio.
Summer is held during July and August. The focus is on your own self-paced writing. In addition, optional seminars–called salons–may be offered, plus at least one one-on-one mentor consult, and possibly informal meetings of your mentor group. The production of the annual student anthology emerge begins during this time.
Fall is held from September to December. You may choose to take the manuscript elective on self-assessment of your manuscript or the alternate manuscript elective covering manuscript preparation and working with publishers. The final two public readings take place during this time, culminating with the launch of the student anothology, emerge. This has occurred in recent years at the Vancouver International Writer’s Festival.
What kind of program is it?
The Writer’s Studio is a part-time, one-year program that includes a dynamic blend of one-on-one mentor consults, evening biweekly workshops in a mentor’s group, courses, readings, and book production of the anthology emerge. The studio has one of the highest ratios of instructional contact hours per tuition dollar of any creative writing program in North America. A distinguishing feature of the studio is our emphasis on learning in community with other studio peer writers, faculty, mentors, and visiting guest authors. Studio students come from diverse writing and educational backgrounds, ages, races, and lifestyles. Our active alumni writers have entered into the literary world via publication, teaching, editing, earning MFAs, and as finalists or winners of prestigious literary competitions and awards. The Writer’s Studio provides workshops in fiction, non-fiction and narrative, and poetry and lyric prose.
What will I learn?
The studio combines writing theory, writing practice and pragmatic, professional business training for authors. It includes course work on a variety of topics designed to clarify your personal writing voice, inform your writing process, and gain vital professional skills essential to authors. It provides regular writing practice and feedback in small (6-8 students) bi-weekly mentor workshops. You will work with one mentor for the entire year, in one genre: fiction, non-fiction and narrative, or poetry and lyric prose. Most importantly, you will be learning with a group of like-minded, enthusiastic writers, and by the end of the year, have formed your own community of peer authors, mentors and faculty.
When can I apply?
The application deadline for The Writer’s Studio 2010 is the last Monday in October.
How do I apply?
The Writer’s Studio is a part-time, non-credit intensive writing studio. As a non-credit program run through Continuing Studies, formal application to Simon Fraser University is not required. Application to the studio itself, however, is required. An application form is available at www.sfu.ca/wp/certappinfo.htm. There is an application fee of $275, and a manuscript reading fee of $50. If you are not accepted to the studio, your $275 application fee will be refunded. The $50 reading fee is non-refundable. Should you choose to complete the Certificate in Creative Writing, you may do so by registering and paying for an additional 24 hours minimum of elective courses. The complete list of electives is available on the Schedule page. Elective courses cover a wide variety of intermediate and advanced writing topics in poetry, fiction and non-fiction, manuscript development and writing processes.
What is required when I apply?
In addition to those requirements listed above, you need to include the following in your application: 20 pages of writing that show us your range (in topics and genres) as a writer; a profile (or résumé) detailing all your writing-related activities, training, and publications; and a statement that addresses why you believe The Writer’s Studio is particularly suitable for you. Your 20-page writing sample, profile, resume, and statement must be submitted in quadruple (four copies of everything).
Do I have to have a degree, or be published to apply?
No. Our writers are selected on the basis of their writing and their commitment to being a writer. TWS students’ education ranges from not having quite finished their secondary education to holding doctorate degrees.
How much does the studio cost?
Tuition is $3,900. Being a non-credit program, we are not subsidized by the university. This means we must cover all our costs. In a tuition per hour comparison to other writing programs, The Writer’s Studio tuition is average in cost. We have one of the highest number of “contact hours” (our various forms of teaching contact) of any program, anywhere.
When do learn if I’m accepted?
You will be notified by phone or email by mid-November.
What happens next if I’m accepted?
You will need to confirm your acceptance, and pay the full tuition via certified cheque or credit card by December 1st.
What happens if I’m not accepted?
You are likely to feel two things: disappointed and curious to know why you were not accepted. We do not take the disappointment you will feel lightly. It is useful to know that The Writer’s Studio is unique in the fact that each mentor chooses each writer they have in their mentor group. They chose a writer whose work they feel drawn to and to whom they can provide the kind of training and support that particular writer needs.
Sometimes a writer applies two or three times before they are accepted into TWS. This can be a result of a change of mentors in the program. It can be a result of the same mentor seeing how dedicated you have become; that you have become more involved in writing activities and training; that you have improved your writing; or that the mentor sees more promise in your writing than he or she did initially. The Writer’s Studio also is unique in that you may request feedback if you have an unsuccessful application. Several applicants do request feedback every year and our suggestions have proven to be very useful to them. A number have worked hard to improve their writing, based upon receiving this feedback, and been accepted in a subsequent year.
Can I speak to the mentors or to program alumni?
Yes, occasionally this happens. This new TWS website is an easy way to learn about what The Writer’s Studio is like. TWS writers have played a major role in designing and creating it to give you accurate glimpses: an inside feel of TWS.
How can I learn more?
Lots of ways! Thoroughly experience our TWS website. Attend our monthly TWS Reading Series (at Blenz or Rhizome cafes) which feature TWS writers, local writers and authors on book tours. Attend our TWS Information Session. Whether you intend to apply for this year or further in the future, this Information Session is invaluable. Get a hold of one of our emerge anthologies and read it. Join us at our upcoming public launch of emerge 2009 at the Vancouver International Writers Festival, Sunday, October 26th, 4 – 5:30 pm, (www.writersfest.bc.ca or 604-681-6330 for information and tickets.)
Writer’s Studio Glossary
Cohort is a group of students who are selected at the same time and receive their training side-by-side in a group: you begin together and finish the program together.
Genre indicates the form you write in. The three basic genres we offer are fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. The sub-genres we include are: lyric prose (often creative non fiction-based, more experimental in form and typically using some of the strategies of poetry such as extended metaphor); narrative (which is often a blend of autobiography with elements of fiction, or a prose dealing with ideas such as the personal essay); and fiction sub-genres (such as literary speculative fiction).
Mentee refers to a student who works closely with one mentor.
Mentor is an author and gifted teacher with whom you, in a sense, apprentice. By “apprentice” we mean that you learn – in a hands-on fashion with your mentor – what you need to learn regarding your own specific writing style, voice, and writing project.
