What prompted you to pursue a graduate degree?
I came to Sarah Lawrence immediately after finishing my BA. Academically, I was all over the place as an undergraduate, and I craved the specialization of a graduate program. Attending an MFA program would give me the excuse to, as [program director] Brian Morton says, put writing at the center of my life. That was really the key factor. For those two years I could make writing my highest priority.
How did graduate school fit into your life at the time?
I lived in Bronxville, in an apartment about a half mile away from campus. My roommate was a fellow MFA student, a poet named Nicodemus Nicoludis. I took an on-campus job in the A/V Department projecting movies for undergraduate film classes, which is probably the best job I’ll ever have. It didn’t have the romance usually associated with film projection—almost every screening had a digital, rather than celluloid source—but it was a great way to interact with some of the film history faculty and meet some undergraduates. It was through this job that I became aware of the Contemporary Film Club, a screening series formed by two undergraduates, Axel Cuevas de Chaunac and Malia Haines-Stewart. During my second year at Sarah Lawrence, I rarely missed one of these screenings.
Why did you choose Sarah Lawrence College for your graduate studies?
Though I ended up doing my BA elsewhere, I’d considered Sarah Lawrence as a high school student, and was highly impressed by the individualized program planning and the sheer amount of time the faculty put into working with students. Sarah Lawrence remained a tantalizing “what if?” for me, and the opportunity to pursue that curiosity as a graduate student was very compelling. Also, the word of mouth surrounding the writing program, in particular, was quite strong. The more I read up on Sarah Lawrence, the more its veneration was confirmed in my own mind. That was also the year that we were ranked #1 by the Princeton Review for best college faculty, which served to solidify my positive feelings about the program.
What role did the Sarah Lawrence faculty play in your time here?
I am in awe of the Sarah Lawrence faculty. I can only assume they have secret access to some kind of time warp, because the amount of time they dedicate to each one of their students is staggering. David Hollander, who’s something of a legend on campus, was teaching one undergraduate and two graduate workshops in the semester I studied with him—which entailed reading work from every student every other week, in addition to whatever classwork was assigned. And yet, he somehow managed, in our bi-weekly one-on-one conferences, to act as though I were his only student; I’m confident everybody else who worked with David had the same experience.
Overall, I feel so honored to have studied with such an amazing faculty of writers, many of whom were at crucial moments in their careers when I worked with them. I’m still in touch with many of my former teachers, and the ongoing relationships have been exceptionally rewarding.
I took workshops with: Kristopher Jansma, David Ryan, David Hollander, and Mary LaChappelle. I took craft classes with: Garth Risk Hallberg (the very same semester he made the now-legendary deal for his debut novel, City on Fire), Tao Lin (one of the kindest, most generous professors I’ve ever had), Kathleen Hill, and David Ryan.
And although Brian Morton, director of the MFA program, never taught a graduate class during my two years, he became something of a mentor to me, generously granting me an audience multiple times every semester. I don’t always have an agenda when I go to meet with him (which I still do from time to time), but we always have great conversations on a variety of topics. Brian also helped me get a job in the Office of Admission after I graduated, and remains a source of support and (dare I say) inspiration.
What is life like as a graduate student at Sarah Lawrence?
Living near New York City for the first time, I took advantage of the sprawling film culture. I typically went into the city every weekend to catch a sampling of new releases or check out a retrospective at Film Society of Lincoln Center or Brooklyn Academy of Music. I love not having a car. I lived very close to the Metro North station in Fleetwood (which gets one into Manhattan in about 30 minutes) and enjoyed perambulating through the city. People who live in other parts of the country seem to have different ideas about what constitutes a walkable distance; I’m not sure whether my parents appreciate the convenience of a half-mile walk to the Metro North, or the addictive walkability of New York. When the weather is right, a twenty block stroll through Manhattan sounds inviting, not like a chore.
What are you up to now?
I’m an admission counselor at Sarah Lawrence, which allows me to stay in touch with the community and continue attending events on campus. I read applications, meet with prospective students, and travel during the fall to visit high schools and go to college fairs.
I’m also a film critic for an online magazine, Spectrum Culture, which, in addition to giving me an outlet for my writing, lets me see new releases early. I also contribute to staff-wide polls and write longer features on films of my choosing.