by Katy Yocom, associate director
This year’s international summer residency takes us to Quebec City, where the language is French, the climate is mild, and we’ll be visiting before the summer high tourist season.
Credit: Getty Images
Founded in 1608, Quebec City is one of North America’s oldest cities. Old Québec, known for its European charm and cobblestone streets, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage treasure. Just outside the city lies the natural beauty of Jacques-Cartier National Park, Montmorency Falls, and Île d’Orleans. Wendake, a cultural center of the Huron-Wendat Nation, offers educational opportunities. The Wendake International Pow Wow takes place near the end of our residency. Here's a round-up of our plans:
Our residency dates: June 25 - July 3. Since we’re staying in North America, there are no overnight flights or big time changes to worry about. No jet leg, either.
Our faculty: Kathleen Driskell, Chair of the Naslund-Mann School, leads the residency. Additional faculty are Beth Ann Bauman, Douglas Manuel, Nancy McCabe, John Pipkin, and Charlie Schulman.
Beth Ann Bauman, Kathleen Driskell, Douglas Manuel, Nancy McCabe, John Pipkin, Charlie Schulman
Workshops and other curriculum: We plan to run a teaching seminar in addition to workshops in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, writing for children and young adults, and writing for TV, screen, and stage.
In addition to workshops, you’ll attend craft lectures, readings, and an “ask me anything” panel discussion with faculty. You’ll read and discuss Canadian literature and try your hand at a cross-genre exercise that builds off your experiences in Quebec.
After residency, you’ll return home to work one-on-one with a faculty mentor in an independent study focused on fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, writing for children and young adults, or writing for TV, screen, and stage.
Our hotel: We’ll stay at the four-star Hôtel Château Laurier Québec, a short walk from Old Québec. The family-run hotel features locally crafted furniture, artwork, food and soap. It offers a restaurant, spa, fitness center, and saltwater indoor pool.
Our cultural excursions: We’ll spend an afternoon exploring Old Québec on a walking tour focusing on its long history. Another day, we’ll take a short trip by motorcoach to Jacques-Cartier National Park, with a guided hike for those who’d like to immerse themselves in the scenery. Optional excursions are still being added.
Our group: As always, the trip is open to Naslund-Mann School students, alumni, family, and friends. Alumni interested in a semester of study can take the Post-Master’s Certificate in Writing Enrichment, with a $2,000 tuition discount and possible financial aid. For prospective students, our early placement deadline is February 1.
Tuition: Tuition is the same as in spring and fall semesters: $620/credit hour, or $9,300 for the semester, including the 3-hour residency course in Quebec City and the 12-hour independent study course. Read on for travel costs, which are separate.
Ground travel package: Our travel enrollment window is March 21 – April 4. You’ll enroll for travel directly with WorldStrides, our educational travel provider. For those who sign up March 21 - 28, the ground travel package price is a discounted $3,499. After those dates, the travel package costs $3,880. A shared hotel room is included.
Travelers should budget separately for tuition as well as flights, lunches and dinners most days, and spending money.
Deadline to apply for study: February 1 is the early-placement application deadline for admission to all of our low-residency programs—the MFA program, Master of Arts in Writing (MAW), and certificate program—for the Summer 2023 semes ter. Late applications will be considered, but students who apply late may be wait-listed.
For current students, February 1 is the course registration deadline.
Signing up for travel: I’ll be in touch with students and alumni with specific details before the March enrollment window.
If you’re a current student or alum of our low-residency graduate programs, you should have received my email with a detailed FAQ about the residency. If you didn’t receive the email—or if you’re not currently a student but are interested in becoming one—drop me an email. I’m always happy to talk with you.
Katy Yocom, associate director of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing, is author of a novel, Three Ways to Disappear, and co-editor of Creativity & Compassion: Spalding Writers Celebrate Twenty Years. Her work appears in Newsweek, American Way in-flight magazine, Salon.com, LitHub, and elsewhere.