The internship opportunity - and the professional support of the supervisors - provides a powerful learning experience for each Pine Manor student that ties her classroom learning to a professional work environment. The value of the mentoring and the networking that emerges is hard to overestimate. And it is not uncommon for the student to receive a job offer from the site of her internship.

For several years the College has hosted a small reception for site supervisors, faculty members who oversee the internship program, and the students, were we recognize, thank, and celebrate the people who make the internship program. This year we welcomed colleagues from community organizations, colleges, and research centers, just to name a few, to acknowledge the power of this ongoing collaboration - and the achievements of our students.

Jialin Sun and her site supervisor Dr. Addy Alt-Holland.

Jialin's internship with Dr. Addy Alt-Holland, Assistant Professor in the Division of Cancer Biology and Tissue Engineering Tufts University, School of Dental Medicine, investigated the role of specific proteins in skin cancer in a lab that specializes in creating three dimensional skin tissue in culture. She worked with Dr. Alt-Holland to learn the specific questions being asked in the lab and the different technical approaches to answer these questions. These approaches included digital imaging of mammalian cells, immunohistochemical staining and analysis of human normal skin and skin cancer, embedding, and sectioning and staining of cultured three-dimensional skin tissue. Jialin's experience was exciting and transforming: she is now aiming for a career in research. Her immediate plans are to continue to work in a research lab and apply to a PhD program in the next two years. Dr. Alt-Holland provided an enriching and nurturing mentored experience for Jialin.

Jessica Gilmore, a senior psychology major, and her site supervisor Michelle Matuszak.  

Jessica interned in the after school program at the King school in Dorchester. The YMCA of Boston manages the program and Jessica worked for the Y this summer. Jessica was in charge of recruiting for the program and developing its curriculum.




Jasmine Milledge, a senior psychology major, and her site supervisor Fatima Sherif.

A Student Support Coordinator at the Guild School in Waltham, Fatima is also a graduate of PMC. She graduated with a BA in Psychology in 2007. The Guild School is an academic and residential program for children ages 6-22 with mental health issues. At this site, Jasmine assisted the student support department to insure coordinated care for the students.

Mikerlange Julien, a senior psychology major, and her supervisor Ryan Davis.

Mikerlange interned at the Blue Hill Avenue Boys and Girls Club, assisting Ryan, the Art Director, in promoting the arts and creativity in children ages 5-15.

Thanks to all who work tierdlessly to make this program a success.
Here are more pictures from the reception:

THE SOLSTICE MFA IN CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM OF PINE MANOR COLLEGE
OFFERS FOUR FELLOWSHIPS FOR WRITERS

[Chestnut Hill, MA, September 2011] The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is pleased to offer four $1,000 fellowships for writers: The Dennis Lehane Fellowship for Fiction; the Michael Steinberg Fellowship for Creative Nonfiction; the Jacqueline Woodson Fellowship for a Young People’s Writer of African or Caribbean Descent; and the Sharon Olds Fellowship for Poetry.

All fellowship awards are based on the quality of a writing sample.

Fellowship applications are due October 14, 2011 (not a postmark date; materials must be received in our offices before or on October 14). Fellowship applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early. Notification letters will be mailed to winners only on November 15, 2011. Awards must be applied toward the winter residency/spring semester directly following acceptance; fellowships cannot be deferred or applied toward a summer residency/fall semester start.

About our donors (underwriters of the Sharon Olds Poetry Fellowship wish to remain anonymous):
A former staff writer for HBO’s The Wire, Solstice MFA writer-in-residence Dennis Lehane is author of nine novels, including Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Gone, Baby, Gone —each of which has been made into a feature film— and the fall 2010 release, Moonlight Mile.
Solstice MFA writer-in-residence Michael Steinberg is a memoirist, essayist, and founding editor of the literary journal, Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction. His memoir Still Pitching was named the 2003 Independent Press memoir of the year.

Solstice MFA consulting writer Jacqueline Woodson is author of numerous books for children and young adults, including Feathers, a Newbery Honor Book; Miracle’s Boys, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award; and Locomotion, winner of the Horn Book Award.

ABOUT PINE MANOR COLLEGE
As an undergraduate institution consistently ranked among the most diverse in the country, Pine Manor College emphasizes an inclusive, community-building approach to liberal arts education. The Solstice MFA in Creative Writing reflects the College’s overall mission by creating a supportive, welcoming environment in which writers of all backgrounds are encouraged to take creative risks. We strive to instill in our students an appreciation for the value of community-building and community service, and see engagement with the literary arts not only as a means to personal fulfillment but also as an instrument for real cultural change.

Directions to Pine Manor College, complete bios of our authors, and more information about the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program can be found at www.pmc.edu/mfa.

Saturday March 3, 2012, 10:00am - 4:00pm

Registration deadline February 15, 2012

 Five scholarships between
$10,000 and $15,000
 will be awarded as well as a number
of honorable mention awards.

All Women of Promise Scholarships are renewable.

Click here for more information

The Women of Promise Scholarship will be awarded to students who are seeking a Bachelor’s Degree and are new to Pine Manor College. The scholarship honors Women of Promise who have made the world a better place.

The Pine Manor College Board of Trustees recently approved the creation of the “Women of Promise Scholarship” as part the college’s 100th year anniversary celebration in order to help women from low income families pursue higher education. Pine Manor College first offered this scholarship to ten students for the 2011-2012 school year.

“The board’s creation of this scholarship demonstrates its commitment to young women of promise throughout the country,” Serena Kokjer Greening, chair of the Pine Manor Board of Trustees said. “We are excited to offer this opportunity and are confident the scholarship will help these bright, deserving students achieve academic success.”

The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is proud to announce that Solstice graduate Hannah Goodman has launched a new online literary journal, Sucker Literary Magazine, featuring fiction for young adult readers.

On graduating from the Solstice MFA Program, Ms. Goodman found that very few literary journals were publishing work by writers whose work is for teens, and she and her fellow graduates had written stories that were ready to send out into the world. A busy mother of two with her own business, Ms. Goodman nonetheless decided to take a big step toward addressing that problem by launching a journal of her own.

And so, Sucker Literary Magazine was created: a magazine where raw, undiscovered, talented writers for young adults have the opportunity to strut their stuff. As Ms. Goodman writes on the magazine’s site: http://suckerliterarymagazine.wordpress.com/: “Bring on your skateboarding vampires, angst ridden, nerd-boy who has never been kissed, or girl crushing on her best friend (be it girl or boy).”

Directions to Pine Manor College, complete bios of our authors, and more information about the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program can be found at www.pmc.edu/mfa.

The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is pleased to announce the special guests and writers-in-residence to be featured at its Summer Reading Series.

All events will be held at 7:30 p.m. in PMC’s Founder’s Room, 400 Heath Street, Chestnut Hill and are free and open to the public.

A former staff writer for HBO’s The Wire, Dennis Lehane is author of nine novels, including Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Gone, Baby, Gone—each of which has been made into a feature film—and the recent releases The Given Day and Moonlight Mile. He will read on Saturday, July 9.

Three-time Newbery Honor winner Jacqueline Woodson is author of numerous books for children and young adults, including Miracle’s Boys; winner of the Coretta Scott King Award; and Locomotion, winner of the Horn Book Award. Jacqueline Woodson will read on Sunday, July 10.

Michael Steinberg is a memoirist, essayist, and founding editor of the literary journal, Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction. His memoir Still Pitching was named the 2003 Independent Press memoir of the year. Michael Steinberg will read on Sunday, July 10.

Jeffery Harrison is the author of four poetry collections, including The Singing Underneath, selected by James Merrill for the National Poetry Series, and, most recently, Incomplete Knowledge, runner-up for the Poets’ Prize in 2008. Jeffery Harrison will read on Tuesday, July 12.

Novelist, playwright, and poet Tad Richards has published 17 novels and five collections of poetry. He has written screenplays for three feature films, and his recent novel, Nick & Jake, has been made into an audio drama starring Alan Arkin, Tom Conti, and Ali McGraw. Tad Richards will read on Thursday, July 14.

Cave Canem Partner Poet Iain Haley Pollock is the author of the forthcoming Spit Back a Boy, winner of the 2010 Cave Canem Prize. His work has appeared in several literary journals, including American Poetry Review, Boston Review, and Callaloo. He will read on Thursday, July 14.

Directions to Pine Manor College, complete bios of our authors, and more information about the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program can be found at www.pmc.edu/mfa.

Pine Manor College is pleased to announce that a select number of graduate-level creative writing courses will be open to the public for auditing during the summer residency of its Solstice MFA Program, scheduled from July 8–July 17, 2011.

Classes are open to serious writers working at all levels; auditors are encouraged to complete the advance preparation requirements for any MFA class they wish to attend. The registration fee is $25 per course for Solstice graduates/$35 per course for the general public; the deadline for enrolling as an auditor for the summer 2011 Residency is July 1, 2011.

For course descriptions, our audit policy, and a downloadable registration form, go to: http://www.pmc.edu/mfa-classes-for-audit

Summer 2011 MFA classes that are open to the public include:

Fiction:
• The Political Novel
• The R&R Moment: Recognition & Reversal
• Point Of View In Fiction
• The Slant-Wise Mirror: Creating Speculative Fiction Images That Reflect Reality

Creative Nonfiction:
• The Experimental Essay: A Class For All Genres
• The Travel Essay As Gateway To Sacred Space

Persona: Across Genre
• The Multiple Selves Within Me: Narrator As Persona In Literary Nonfiction
• Persona: Writing About Someone Other Than Yourself (Poetry & Fiction)

Poetry:
• Be Bold! Revise!
• Introduction To Prosody
• About The Music Inside Your Lines

Special Guest Q&A:
• Q&A with three-time Newbery Honor Winner Jacqueline Woodson

On Saturday, May 14, 2011 PMC Dance Ensemble members Karm Augustin, Christina Johnson, Tracey Martocchio and Sharon Montella gave a beautiful and enthusiastically received performance of "Taylored for Mahala" choreographed by Sharon Montella in dedication to Mahala Beams. The performance took place at Jennifer Muller The Works in New York City and was part of the Hatch presenting series.

Other artists on the program that evening were Vital Dance, Michele Maleh, Cynthia Berkshire, Christina Bitonti, Collision Theory, Tiny Dancer NYC, Casey Ott Dance Collective and the If/Then Dance Project.

In addition to the performance, the dancers took class at Steps on Broadway (a ballet with Lonne Morreton) and at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center (Haitian Folklore with Peniel Guerriere) and posed for photos at the performance space!

Many thanks goes to Pine Manor Performing Arts, Bill Stargard, Bill Vogele, Denise Alleyne and all who helped make this performance possible.

For more information about Jennifer Mueller The Works, click here.For information regarding the PMC Dance Ensemble, click here.

 photo credit: WBUR

Recent 2011 Pine Manor College graduate and Class Speaker at Commencement Beatriz Rivera was recently featured on WBUR radio, 9.09 FM. Rivera, 22, from Jamaica Plain, graduated on May 15, 2011 with a degree in Social and Political Systems.

She is the first member of her family to graduate from college. She has received multiple job offers already and plans to continue work as a youth mentor and role model.

For the full article and audio please click here.

photo by Larry Kuzniewski

The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is pleased to announce that fiction student Sheree Renée Thomas has been awarded the 2011 Lee Hope Fellowship for Diverse Voices. Ms. Thomas will be joining the MFA Program beginning with the summer 2011 residency.

The Lee Hope Fellowship for Diverse Voices is offered once annually to a promising writer of diverse background who starts the Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program during the summer residency/fall semester. Fellowship recipients receive a $500 award toward their first semester’s tuition.

A founding supporter of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program, Lee Hope Betcher serves on the Board of Directors of the Solstice Writers’ Institute, a nonprofit organization in the service of creative writers, and is Executive Editor of the organization’s literary magazine, Solstice: A Magazine of Diverse Voices. The Institute is an informal “sister” organization to Pine Manor’s MFA Program.

Sheree Renée Thomas is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. A Cave Canem Fellow and a New York Foundation of the Arts Fellow, her short stories, poetry, and articles have appeared in various publications, including Callaloo, Essence Magazine, VIBE, The Washington Post Book World, and African Voices —as well as in several anthologies, including Mojo: Conjure Stories, Hurricane Blues, Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam, Southern Revival, and So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction and Fantasy. A mother of two daughters and a teaching artist, she is the editor of two anthologies (Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora and Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, winner of the 2001 and 2005 World Fantasy Award). Shotgun Lullabies: Stories & Poems, is the first collection of her work.

Directions to Pine Manor College, complete bios of our authors, and more information about the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program can be found at www.pmc.edu/mfa

Pine Manor College seeks an exceptional president who can embody, articulate and lead the College in its mission of preparing women for roles of inclusive leadership and social responsibility in their workplaces, families and communities.

Click here for a PDF version of the Official Job Description.

In order to select a new President for Pine Manor College, a Search Committee has been formed led by Trustee Serena Strazzulla Kokjer Greening ’59. Other members of the Search Committee include Trustees David Murphy, Jascelyn Parson ’09, Brenda Bernstein Shapiro ’58 and Marti Wilson-Taylor; Board of Visitors member Anne Coles; Faculty members Susan Bear, Michele Cromwell and Michelle Ramirez; and staff members Barbara Kirby, Whitney Retallic and Liam Roche. The Committee has engaged the well-respected firm Witt/Kieffer to assist with the search. Following is more information about the search—please share with anyone you think may be interested, and contact any member of the Search Committee or Witt Kieffer if you would like more information.

The next president of Pine Manor College will have a distinguished record of high achievement and proven leadership. With a history of strategic planning and fund-raising success, the president will possess the credentials necessary to lead a women’s liberal arts college with a unique relationship-based approach to learning. The next president will be an accomplished executive from the academic, non-profit or business world, with strong administrative and financial management skills to carefully guide the 100-year-old institution through growth and change. Pine Manor College is searching for a new president to replace Gloria Nemerowicz who is leaving after 15 years at the end of her term this year. Click here to see the full Position Specification.

Nominations, expressions of interest and applications (including a cover letter and resume) should be submitted via email to PineManorPresident@wittkieffer.com. Material that cannot be sent electronically may be sent to:

President Pine Manor College
c/o Witt/Kieffer
Attn: Katherine Haley Will and Jon Derek Croteau
2015 Spring Road, Suite 510
Oak Brook, IL 60523

PMC Dance Instructor Sharon Montella and The Pine Manor College Dance Ensemble will be performing as part of the HATCH Presenting Series at Jennifer Muller's The Works.

The performance will take place on Saturday, May 14, 8:00 pm at 131 West 24th Street at 7th Avenue New York, NY 10011. Tickets are $10 and go on sale at the door, which opens at 7:30 pm.

Other dance artists on the program that evening are: Christiana Bitonti, Catey Ott Dance Collective, Collision Theory , If/Then Dance Project, Michelle Maleh, Vital Dance and Tiny Dancer NYC.

The piece being performed is entitled "Taylored for Mahala" and was choreographed by Sharon Montella in dedication to retiring modern dance professor, Mahala Beams. The performance is open to the public. This is an open studio showing and audience feedback is encouraged at the end of the performance. Seating space is limited so patrons are encouraged to arrive early. For more information about the PMC Dance Ensemble click here and for more information about Jennifer Muller's The Works click here.

The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is pleased to announce that Solstice graduate Kimberly Kreines (January, 2011), was named the winner of both a 2010 Writers Boot Camp Fellowship and, in March 2011, a First Year Development Deal for her screenplay, Shifted, adapted from her MFA creative thesis, a science fiction novel entitled Seer.

Inspired by her background in the bio-medical field, Kreines’ screenplay is a dystopian, sci-fi adventure set in a near-future Chicago. A recipient of a U.S. patent for a brain computer interface device that makes use of electric brain waves for the control of external devices (such as a robotic arm), the twenty-nine-year old Wisconsin native has also earned several academic degrees, including a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern, a Graduate Research Grant Assignment in Neuroscience from Washington University, and an MS in Biomedical Engineering Robotics from Marquette — in addition to her Masters of Creative Writing degree from Solstice.

As the winner of the 2011 Writers Boot Camp First Year Development Deal, Kreines will be entering into a producing partnership with a development partner, and spend the next six-to-twelve months working in collaboration with WBC staff and faculty as well as the development partner, revising and editing her screenplay for the big screen.

The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is pleased to announce a new partnership with Cave Canem Foundation, the nation’s “premier home for black poetry.” Beginning in July 2011, The Solstice Program will host an annual reading by a Cave Canem poet at its summer residency. The program will launch on July 14 at 7 pm with a guest appearance by Iain Pollock, winner of the 2010 Cave Canem Poetry Prize, a first-book award dedicated to the discovery of exceptional manuscripts by African American poets. The program will be held in the Founder’s Room of Pine Manor College, 400 Heath Street in Chesnut Hill, and is free and open to the public.

"The Solstice MFA Program constantly strives to present the rich diversity of contemporary American literature to its students and the local community,” says Solstice MFA Director Meg Kearney. “Our new partnership with Cave Canem offers another vehicle by which we can highlight the contributions African American poets are making to today’s literary landscape.”

Iain Haley Pollock lives in Philadelphia and teaches English at Chestnut Hill Academy. His first collection of poems, Spit Back a Boy (University of Georgia Press, 2011), was selected by Elizabeth Alexander for the 2010 Cave Canem Prize. In addition, his work has appeared in several literary journals, including American Poetry Review, Boston Review, and Callaloo. Pollock received his undergraduate degree at Haverford College and his M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Syracuse University, where he won the Joyce Carol Oates Award. He is a Cave Canem fellow.

About Cave Canem Foundation
Founded in 1996 by poets Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady to remedy the under-representation of African American poets in writing workshops and MFA programs, Cave Canem is a home for the many voices of African American poetry and is committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of African American poets. The organization has grown from an initial gathering of 26 poets to become an influential movement with a renowned faculty and a high-achieving, national fellowship of 300-plus. Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, Cave Canem’s programs include an annual week-long retreat, first and second book prizes, Legacy Conversations, Poets on Craft talks, regional writing workshops, publications and national readings. To date, the organization has published Gathering Ground: A Reader Celebrating Cave Canem’s First Decade (2006) and The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South (2007). To learn more, visit www.cavecanempoets.org.

© Nola Lopez

The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is pleased to announce its new faculty member, multi-genre writer Robert Lopez. Mr. Lopez will teach a fiction workshop and a craft class as part of the Program’s summer 2011 residency.

Robert Lopez is the author of Asunder, a collection of short fiction; and two novels, Part of the World and Kamby Bolongo Mean River, named one of 25 important books of the decade by HTML Giant. His fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in dozens of publications, including Bomb, The Threepenny Review, The Mississippi Review, New England Review, and the Norton Anthology of Sudden Fiction – Latino. He has taught at The New School, Pratt Institute, and Columbia University, and was a fellow in fiction for the New York Foundation for the Arts, as well as visiting writer at the Vermont Studio Center. He lives in Brooklyn, New York and edits No News Today, a running anthology of newsworthy nonfiction.

Congratulations to students Noemie Martin ’13 (pictured above), Sharon Hillman ’13 and Assistant Dean Sophia Henderson who represented PMC at AICUM’s Student Financial Aid Day at the State House on March 1, 2011. Sophomore Noemie Martin’s interview with Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz was featured as part of New England Cable News’ coverage of the event. Please see the link below to see the interview and read the article:

http://www.necn.com/03/01/11/Cuts-in-US-college-aid-loom/landing_business.html?blockID=430782&feedID=4209&

Sharon Hillman ’13, Assistant Dean Sophia Henderson, and Noemie Martin ’13
at AICUM’s Student Financial Aid Day at the State House.

FINANCIAL AID IS UNDER ATTACK! was the clamor of President of AICUM Rich Doherty. It was very alarming to hear that at least two states—Connecticut and New Hampshire—are proposing to eliminate financial aid for students attending private colleges. One hundred and forty students from twenty-nine colleges were present at the State House. The room was packed to capacity with students seated on the floor of the A2 Hearing room. The Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo came in on crutches! His appeal to the student audience, “What is your personal story and how will these cuts affect you?…Your presence here motivates us to act!” He also introduced new Higher Education Co-chair Thomas Sannicandro who said that he related to student’s concerns on a personal level. He is a descendant of immigrant grandparents and his parents only completed high school. He financed his way through college and is currently working on another degree. We closed the rally with Senator Michael Moore, co-chair of the Higher Education Committee, advising that students must go back to their colleges and encourage other students to get involved. He told the students,“Make phone calls to your representatives, contact your local district offices, and make a personal visit to the State House. You don’t realize how few take advantage of this opportunity.”

Our students made us very proud! They also interacted with the following offices:
Senator Cynthia Creem
Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz
Representative Kay Khan
Senator Patricia Jelen

Below is a link to continue this advocacy to become a supporter of this very important appeal:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Massachusetts-Financial-Aid-Advocates/311171837302

Students and staff representing colleges and universities from around the state.
Pine Manor College represented front and center!

Personal recap by our two superstars..Noemi and Sharon.
Thank you for your support!

MY EXPERIENCE:
My experience and visit to the Statehouse as an advocate supporting students who receive Financial Aid was a memorable one. Being in a room with multiple college students from all around Massachusetts gave me hope that I was not alone in the struggle for Massachusetts Grants in our efforts to secure our education. We spoke to senators and representatives of our state, as well as the towns and cities we represented and thanked them for the hard work and efforts to pull us out of the 1.5 billion deficit our state is facing. Budget cuts and the economic struggles are something we are all experiencing. Pell grants and other funds are a big part of my college career and I was able to express that through an interview with NECN News. I also had the opportunity and honor to speak with Senator Chang-Diaz. It was an enlightening experience, and I am proud to have personally addressed this issue as a representative of Pine Manor and for all students who could not be present. Fight for one! Fight for all! Peace and Blessings!

With respect,
Noemi Martin ’13

Peace of Mind, Love, & Understanding
"Knowledge provides strength? Masha'Allah!"
Dios Te Bendiga (God Bless You)

Attending AICUM was one of my most inspirational experiences. Once entering the State House and actually engaging with numerous individuals and various groups of college students, the thought of “our voices for change” flashed through my mind. There were college students from all over Massachusetts who attended this event to say “no” to cuts in state financial aid, but they also represented all the students who need to be heard. After hearing Senator Michael Moore speak and express his dedication to higher education, I was impressed by his motivation to guide students on how to keep our financial aid funded. I realized that it takes not only these powerful authorized individuals, but it begins with “us” the students—we can initiate change. I was able to meet a couple of representatives. In the Pine Manor area, Representative Kay Khan was greatly enthused and eager to understand why we, as students, need and would like to continue to have what is only right for our success. I was also able to communicate with Senator Cynthia Creem’s assistant, while the Senator was interacting with students from other colleges in Massachusetts who were also expressing their hope of being able to stay in school. It was great to have the opportunity to speak up on this issue and for everyone to listen because the senators and representatives were either a parent to a student, or had attended college themselves, giving them a connection to each and every student that was at the State House fighting for their voices to be heard.

Thanks for this amazing opportunity.

Life is what she called it; Love is what she is; History is what she made it!
Sharon V. Hillman ’13