Third-semester students in the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program have a unique opportunity to pursue an applied-track internship in arts administration and community programming; pedagogy and literacy studies; or publishing as part of their research for the major critical essay. These optional internships enrich their experience, broaden their knowledge, and provide necessary research for the essay due at the end of the semester.

Students considering the third-semester internship option have access to many resources, including: Elective Seminars designed to broaden awareness of opportunities in the field; tips and suggestions from graduates; sample topics and suggested field materials; and access to our consulting writer, M.L. Liebler, an activist and community organizer.

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. Below, you will find comments from two MFA students who have opted to do an internship during their third semesters; their work is inspiring to us!

Jasen Sousa, graduated July, 2010

“I was excited to do an internship that allowed me to go out into my community and base my critical thesis on a revolutionary writing program — Books of Hope.  Books of Hope is based in Somerville, Massachusetts, and offers youth ages 13 to 22 a chance to write, perform, and eventually publish their work.  Participants receive a portion of the earnings from sales, and the rest goes back into printing more books.

Because of my internship experience, my critical thesis went from being something I had to do, to something I wanted to do.  The actual process of sitting down and writing might be done in solitude, but for me, the inspiration, ideas, and passion come from the communities which I live in, and visit, and the special people who inhabit them.”

Jasen writes about his experience working with Books of Hope on his Web site: www.jasensousa.net

Erika Sanders, graduated July, 2009

“I started my volunteer work at the Monroe Correctional Complex in the spring of 2008 as my internship project for the Solstice MFA program. Since then, I have worked in two separate units of the prison and probably met upward of fifty different inmates. In our program we teach two things. The first is the concept of the Hero’s Journey, put forth by Joseph Campbell, mythologist, as a way storytellers have told their stories across time and culture. We focus on adapting the material so that each inmate can, if he chooses, tell his story as if he were the hero—an idea that seems counterintuitive to them and to many others. Second, we teach writing—basic storytelling and craft skills.

My commitment to my internship was only for a semester, but over a year later I have yet to stop going to the prison. In the United States there are over 2 million people incarcerated. I acknowledge that many of their crimes were horrible, and I would never want to diminish the suffering of the victims, but to exclude 2 million people from the collective story of a country is, in my opinion, a crime in itself. That is why I chose to do the work at the prison, and why I will continue to do the work for the foreseeable future. I am grateful to the Solstice program for having the foresight to create space for their students to work as writers engaged in their communities, and for encouraging students to seek out the humanity in others.”

Erika posts regularly about her experience teaching inside prison at: www.teachingontheinside.wordpress.com

M.L. Liebler, Consulting Writer

As a literary arts activist and working writer for close to 40 years, M.L. Liebler is available to consult with MFA students about how to get involved with and/or create programs in their communities. M.L. has started and worked in creative writing programs in many non-traditional locations: domestic abuse shelters, hospitals, youth homes, prisons, mental health facilities, churches, libraries, coffee houses and bookstores, schools, etc.

For students considering an applied track internship, M.L. can assist with the planning, implementation, and promotion of programs that creatively enrich and educate members of local communities while increasing the visibility of individual writers.

To read more about M.L.’s work in communities, click here.