Mills College Graduate Assistantship in Narrative Writing and Community Engagement

Mills College is pleased to offer one full-tuition assistantship each year to an entering student in the MFA in creative writing prose program. This assistantship provides full tuition for either the two-year or three-year MFA program. Candidates for the assistantship will design and implement a narrative writing-related community project during the course of their degree program. The assistantship does not require a teaching commitment. Under the mentorship of Mills' renowned faculty, the successful candidate will have the unique experience of pursuing her/his MFA degree while implementing a community engagement project of her/his own design. This is a high-profile opportunity to explore narrative writing's possibilities for transformative dialogue—at Mills and beyond.

Background

Continuing the Mills tradition of experimentation in graduate education, this newly created assistantship is designed to support the development of innovative, even risky ways of teaching and/or presenting narrative prose in non-academic settings. As the number of full-time teaching positions in higher education decline across the United States, Mills seeks to explore the possibilities of making creative writing available outside traditional academic confines to broaden access and utilize creative approaches to literature as a force for social change.

This assistantship aligns with the goals of the existing Mills Community Teaching Project which offers students the opportunity to teach residents in the communities surrounding the College. Mills graduate students lead writing workshops in a variety of alternative venues, including after-school programs, elder homes, community centers, half-way houses, lock-down facilities, and battered-women's shelters.

Proposals should not replicate the Community Teaching Project but should re-imagine the socially transformative possibilities of narrative writing. Applicants are encouraged to imagine a project that in some way propels narrative into new encounters outside the academy.

Application Instructions

Applicants should follow and complete the usual application processes for the MFA in prose by the priority application deadline of December 15. Applications for the full-tuition assistantship itself are due February 1, as per instructions below.

In addition to the usual MFA application materials, they should submit a maximum 1,000-word proposal that outlines a project they would like to pursue during their enrollment in the MFA program. Proposed projects could explore new ways of teaching narrative writing, expanding arts access, and/or promoting social change. The proposed project needs to be executed during the time frame of the student's MFA program. It can be a continuation of work the applicant is already doing.

They should also submit a CV or resume that demonstrates any relevant experience and skills.

The proposal and CV or resume should be submitted separately from the program application materials.

Assistantship proposals and CV or resume can be submitted by going to:

www.mills.slideroom.com

Along with the graduate assistantship in narrative writing and community engagement, the department also offers a number other graduate assistantships, most of them providing partial-tuition remission. We encourage all applicants to the MFA program—including applicants to the graduate assistantship in narrative writing and community engagement—to apply on SlideRoom for other assistantships in which they are interested. Students will only be awarded one assistantship per year.

NOTE: There is a $5.00 total submission fee to apply for this and any other assistantships online via SlideRoom. Though we prefer that mode, and we think applicants might find it easier to manage the application, if the $5.00 fee causes a hardship, contact Stephanie Young by email and include a statement about why you need to waive the application fee.

Judging Criteria

Proposals will be judged based on:

1. Creativity
2. Potential for social impact/change

SlideRoom Deadline: February 1, 2013

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact:
Jess Heaney, Graduate Program Coordinator
jheaney@mills.edu
510.430.2240