Your guide to the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction.

YOUR GUIDE TO THE MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION

We’ve got Your Book

We’ve got your book…

Well, not exactly. But if you have an idea for a nonfiction book, or you want to take your writing to the next creative level, we’ll have your back.

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction degree is a two-year program offered jointly by Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College.

The program allows you to combine short, intense, on-campus sessions with ongoing one-to-one mentoring by professional nonfiction writers and teachers.

At the end of two years you’ll have a degree, a polished book proposal, and a substantial portion of your finished manuscript.

The program begins with a two-week on-campus session in August on our beautiful campus at the University of King’s College in scenic Halifax. You’ll fill your days (and many of your nights) with lectures, seminars, panels, workshops, and readings designed to deepen your understanding of the art and craft of creative nonfiction.

During the fall semester you’ll continue to learn about the genre while crafting your proposal, and researching your book, under the guidance of your mentor.

In January, you’ll take part in a one-week session in one of the publishing capitals of North America. The location will alternate each year between New York and Toronto. You’ll get the chance to learn about the latest trends in the rapidly changing publishing industry, as well as meet with, and pitch to, editors, agents, and publishers.

Then it’s back to work on your project. The second semester follows the same pattern of one-to-one mentoring as you polish your proposal and continue to improve your manuscript.

And the second year follows the first.

You’ve got your book.

Don Sedgwick BFA (Hons) (York), MBA (SMU)

Stephen Kimber MFA (Goucher)

David Swick BA (Skidmore) MFA (Goucher)

Join a community of writers to build your writing career with the help of these award-winning faculty: Don Sedgwick BFA (Hons) (York), MBA (SMU) is the executive director of the MFA program at King’s. He has previously taught in publishing programs at Simon Fraser University, Humber College, Centennial College, Ryerson University, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. During his thirty years in the book industry he has held senior positions with several multinational publishers, including Doubleday Canada. He was also the president of the Transatlantic Literary Agency, where his authors won the Scotiabank Giller Prize and numerous other awards and honours.

Stephen Kimber MFA (Goucher) is an award-winning writer, editor, and broadcaster, whose work has appeared in most major Canadian magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of nine books—one novel and eight works of creative nonfiction. His latest book—What Lies Across The Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five—was published by Fernwood in 2013. It won the Evelyn Richardson Award for Nonfiction at the 2014 East Coast Literary Awards, and was longlisted for a Libris Award as Canadian Nonfiction Book of the Year. Kimber, who has served as Director of the School of Journalism three times, has taught at King’s for more than thirty years.

David Swick BA (Skidmore), MFA (Goucher) was a journalist for more than twenty years before moving into teaching. His work includes CBC Radio documentaries, Ideas shows, and foreign correspondence; scripts for TV documentaries; nearly 2,000 newspaper columns; and one nonfiction book. He is also the co-editor of two international anthologies of journalism. David has won two major fellowships, and has judged the National Magazine Awards, the Atlantic Journalism Awards, the Junos, and the CBC Literary Awards.

MFA WRITING MENTORS: Tim Falconer is the author of Bad Singer: The Surprising Science of Tone Deafness and How We Hear Music and three other creative nonfiction books. He has been teaching magazine journalism at Ryerson University since 1995.

Lorri Neilsen Glenn is the author of eight collections of creative nonfiction and poetry, and contributing editor of five. An award-winning writer, teacher, and researcher, she teaches at Mount Saint Vincent University.

David Hayes is the author of four works of creative nonfiction and the winner of numerous national magazine awards. He has also ghost-written nonfiction books with several famous Canadians. Hayes has taught at Ryerson University for nearly thirty years.

Kim Pittaway is an award-winning journalist and editor. She is the former editorin-chief of Chatelaine magazine. She holds an MFA from Goucher College in Baltimore, and is working on a memoir about forgiveness.

Lori A. May is a freelance editor and guest speaker, and the recent author of The Write Crowd, published by Bloomsbury Academic.

Her journalism work has appeared in The Atlantic and Writer’s Digest.

Jane Silcott’s debut collection of essays,

Ken McGoogan recently published

Celtic Lightning, his seventh work of creative nonfiction. He has won the Pierre Berton Award, the UBC Medal, and an American Christopher Award for artistic excellence.

Ken teaches creative nonfiction at the University of Toronto.

Everything Rustles, published by Anvil Press, was shortlisted for the 2014 Hubert Evans Nonfiction award in the BC Book Prizes.

Jane teaches for the UBC Writing Centre and SFU’s Southbank Writing Program.

Harry Thurston is the author of

more than twenty-five books and has won numerous national and regional awards for his creative nonfiction. He has taught at four universities in Atlantic Canada and contributed to more than thirty magazines.

“ THE MFA IN CREATIVE NONFICTION AT KING’S GAVE ME NOT JUST A GRADUATE DEGREE, BUT A LIFELONG WRITING FAMILY.” GENEVIEVE COLE WRITER AND BLOGGER (WINTHROP, WASHINGTON)

MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION School of Journalism, 3rd Floor King’s Arts & Administration Building 6350 Coburg Road Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 2A1

Telephone: (902) 422-1271 Ext 159 Fax: (902) 423-3357 Email: kelly.porter@ukings.ca ukings.ca/mfa

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS COURSES OFFERED: Applicants normally will have an undergraduate degree—usually an honours degree—in any discipline, with an average grade of B or better, and must submit a portfolio of nonfiction writing with their application. While it is not a requirement for admission, prospective students are encouraged to include with their submission a description of the idea or ideas they want to pursue as their major creative nonfiction project. Potential applicants who do not have an undergraduate degree, or whose marks don’t meet the minimum requirements, may be eligible for admission on the basis of Prior Learning Assessment. Applicants for whom English is a second language must provide proof of English-language competency.

JOUR 6100.03 JOUR 6101.06 JOUR 6102.03 JOUR 6103.06 JOUR 6200.03 JOUR 6201.06 JOUR 6202.03 JOUR 6203.06

Writing Craft I Mentorship I Publishing I Mentorship II Writing Craft II Mentorship III Publishing II Mentorship IV

MFA WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE AND EDITOR-IN-RESIDENCE During the two-week Summer Residency in the MFA program, King’s is pleased to host a prominent Canadian book editor and an award-winning writer. The editorial guest is sponsored by Penguin Random House Canada, the writing guest by HarperCollins Canada. MFA students have a chance to work in groups and individually with these industry professionals while they are in Halifax.

King’s also hosts a reading with the author, followed by an autographing session and reception. Both events are open to the public.

Taras Grescoe (summer 2015 Author-in-Residence). Author of six books, and winner of the prestigious Writer’s Trust Prize for Nonfiction (and three times nominated), Taras Grescoe has also been published in The New York Times, Salon, The Independent, National Geographic Traveler, New York Times Magazine, Wired, Chicago Tribune Magazine, The Times, and Condé Nast Traveler. He is also a winner of the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Nonfiction and a winner of two nonfiction awards from the Quebec Writers’ Federation.

Pamela Murray (summer 2014 Editor-in-Residence). Pamela Murray has been Senior Editor at Knopf Random House Canada Publishing Group since July 2009.

Andrew Westoll (summer 2014 Author-in-Residence). Andrew Westoll has won Book-of-the-Year honours from The Globe and Mail, Amazon.ca, Quill & Quire, and CTV’s Canada AM. He is a University of Toronto creative writing instructor, as well as a contributor to The Walrus, Explore, Outpost, and The Globe and Mail.

“ THE KING’S MFA IS A COMBINATION MBA FOR WRITERS AND CREATIVE WRITING BOOT CAMP.” HAVARD GOULD NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, CBC TELEVISION (TORONTO)

PROGRAM OVERVIEW YEAR 1 (FALL SEMESTER)

YEAR 2 (FALL SEMESTER)

JOUR 6100.03: WRITING CRAFT I

JOUR 6200.03: WRITING CRAFT II

(includes on-campus summer session) Students attend lectures, panels, and seminars, meet in small groups, and work one-to-one with their first mentors to finalize the subject of their book proposal and draw up a contract of deliverables. During the fall semester, students read and report on assigned creative nonfiction readings and participate in online group discussions.

(includes on-campus summer session) Students attend lectures, panels, and seminars, and have the option of giving a public reading. They also meet daily in small groups with their Mentorship III mentors to further discuss craft (voice, plot, etc.) and ethical issues (truth, memory, reconstruction, etc.), finalize plans for their manuscript writing project, and draw up a contract of deliverables for Mentorship III. Prerequisite: JOUR6100.03

JOUR 6101.06: MENTORSHIP I

Students work one-to-one with their mentors to research and develop their individual book proposals as well as begin researching and writing their manuscript projects.

Prerequisite: JOUR6100.03

JOUR 6201.06: MENTORSHIP III

Students work one-to-one with their mentors to research, write, and edit their individual manuscript projects.

Prerequisite: JOUR6103.06

YEAR 1 (WINTER SEMESTER) YEAR 2 (WINTER SEMESTER) JOUR 6102.03: PUBLISHING I

During this one-week session—alternating yearly between New York and Toronto—students attend lectures and seminars with publishers, editors, agents, and established authors. They discuss their book proposals-in-progress with agents and editors.

Prerequisite: JOUR6100, JOUR6101.06 JOUR 6103.06: MENTORSHIP II

Working with their mentors, students finalize and polish their book proposals and continue work on their manuscripts.

Prerequisite: JOUR6101.06

JOUR 6202.03 PUBLISHING II

During this one-week session—alternating yearly between New York and Toronto—students attend lectures and seminars to review important trends in creative nonfiction publishing. They discuss their manuscript-in-progress with editors and agents.

Prerequisite: JOUR6102.03 JOUR 6203.06: MENTORSHIP IV

Working with their mentors, students complete and edit their final manuscripts.

Prerequisite: JOUR6201.06

FIND OUT MORE AT UKINGS.CA/MFA 8

“ EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED TO GARNER THE STRUCTURE AND SUPPORT FOR A DIFFICULT PROJECT… A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GET THE FEEDBACK YOU NEED TO PRODUCE YOUR BEST WORK.” STACEY MAY FOWLES AUTHOR, JOURNALIST AND BLOGGER (TORONTO)

K ING’S MFA ADVISORY BOARD The King’s MFA program is supported by a national advisory board. It includes editors at major international book publishers, as well as authors and journalists who have won top literary prizes and national magazine awards. The board is chaired by award-winning author and book publisher Anne Collins.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS:

Shelley Ambrose, publisher of The Walrus and executive director of the Walrus Foundation.

Stephen Brunt, award-winning sports journalist for Rogers Media and the author of numerous books, including Searching For Bobby Orr. Anne Collins, publisher of the Knopf Random Canada Publishing Group and winner of the Governor General’s Award for Nonfiction for In the Sleep Room.

Terry Gould, winner of more than 50 awards for

investigative and social issues reporting, including the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression 2009 Press Freedom Award.

David Hayes, author, journalist, magazine instructor at Ryerson University, and winner of numerous National Magazine Awards.

Mary Janigan, award-winning author of Let the

Linden MacIntyre, former host of the CBC’s The Fifth Estate and author of numerous books, including the award-winning memoir Causeway and the Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning novel The Bishop’s Man. Kim Pittaway, former editor of Chatelaine, a six-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a researcher and lecturer on writing and publishing.

Craig Silverman, Montreal print and online journalist, author of Regret the Error and co-author of Mafiaboy, winner of the Arthur Ellis True Crime Award.

Marq de Villiers, former editor of Toronto Life magazine, internationally published writer, and winner of the Governor General’s Award for Nonfiction for Water.

Russell Wangersky, editorial page editor of the St. John’s Telegram and winner of the British Columbia National Award for Canadian Nonfiction for Burning Down the House.

Eastern Bastards Freeze in the Dark, and a journalist specializing in Canadian public policy, politics, and economics for the Toronto Star, Maclean’s, and The Globe and Mail.

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