The gang

I went to my first journalism awards ceremony last week. My friend Reema Amin who is also in the Journalism MA program, was nominated for a Peter Lisagor Award for three of her stories in AustinTalks.The ceremony is hosted by the largest chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Chicago Headline Club.

There were several finalists and winners associated with Columbia. Ellyn Fortino, a Journalism MA graduate from last December, won for best neighborhood/community news for an online publication for her work in AustinTalks. She beat the staff of DNAinfo Chicago, which also boasts a Journalism MA grad–Chloe Riley.

One of our Digital Journalism instructors, Martha Irvine, won an award for best use of digital technology for the Associated Press.

Reema Amin with her name in the program as a finalist

Rob Wildeboer from WBEZ was a finalist. He is a graduate of the Journalism MA program and taught our Seminar class last fall.

Anyway, the list goes on and on, but you get the idea. The Journalism MA program is something I am proud to be associated with.

It was also exciting to be in the presence of so many great Chicago journalists. And eat free food.

I am sick and at work

When you read this, I will be done with Spring semester.

WOOOOOOO!!!! I’d look more excited in that picture if I wasn’t sick right now. In May. AWFUL. :(

It’s been a long semester, y’all! And I had a great time, but aren’t we all glad to have a bit of a breather? For us writers, it’s nice to have time to write whatever we want to write. I’ve been averaging 25 pages a week between three classes, which is a lot of pages. While I like what I am writing, I sometimes want to set it aside and do something completely different, that has nothing to do with a story I need to revise, part of my novel, or part of my thesis. It’s nice to write an essay or a memoir piece or a short satire every now and then.

I’ve been writing a bunch of memoir for live lit series. I’m not sure if I’ll even finish some of them, as they are pretty personal, but it’s fun to write outside my “fiction” genre.

We miss Josh

Also, it’ll be nice to submit. It’s something I’ve been dragging my feet on, not going to lie. I can’t be like my friend Josh Young, who publishes all the time, if I don’t try! In fact, he just got an awesome new job and left us tutors at the Writing Center, so we have asked our friend Hangman where he is. He didn’t know.

Interview

Another of the ambassadors dropped by, though. Katie Kather came to the Writing Center today to say “hi” and to interview us for a segment she’s doing for her new job at WBEZ. She asked me about my mother and our relationship for a Mother’s Day piece, and it was nice to catch up. Our ambassadors are going far! I have an exciting job opportunity, but it’s not set in stone, so I don’t want to jinx it.

I’m amping up for Summer semester (my last class!), working some this summer, and writing more for me than for a class. What about you, MarginAliens? What are you looking forward to?

SPRING!

Suited Up

Look at me in that suit!

A few weeks ago I interviewed for the position Associate Director of Creative Writing for the English Department. There was steep competition, but I got the job!! For the past two years, along with my other work for the college, I have been Nicole Wilson’s (the current Associate Director) Poetry Programs Assistant. The two year of experience really helped me talk about the possible position, and really helped me during the interview. I’m so lucky to have this job and very excited to be able to stay at Columbia College Chicago, working with the Creative Writing programs and the English Department. Let’s just say my wife and I are relieved. This job also allows me the opportunity to teach creative writing workshops during the year–huge advantage!

Applying for the job was stressful enough–making sure you’re saying everything right, and getting the right elements into your cover letter–and the waiting makes it even more stressful. But, if you have a good cover letter and application materials, then you should feel good. It doesn’t always work out, but at least you know you put forth the best. I always tell people, when talking about cover letters, to really make sure the hiring committee sees how you’ve researched the position as wells as selling yourself as the right candidate for the job. That’s the hard part, figuring out how to sell yourself without sounding like a bragger or someone assuming something about a position. In this case, I had an advantage, as I had worked with Nicole for two years. But, when I wrote other cover letters for other jobs, I had to really read, not only about the college I was applying to (mission statements, history, etc), but also about the department, programs, and faculty, and of course the students. I don’t know how successful my cover letters were because I didn’t get any interviews for teaching positions, but they felt right. At the end of the day, you just have to proofread it and let it out into the world. Don’t think about it and DON’T read it after you send your stuff out.

Before the interview I was a wreck, but Em, Elliot, and I went out and I bought a suit, and I went through my old files and notes from the job and really tried to get a handle on the kind of work I would be doing if I got the job. That morning, I got to school early, worked on some teaching stuff, and printed out my CV and cover letter for the interview (ALWAYS bring extra materials to your interviews, just in case…it makes you look prepared and organized). Then I ran into people I knew. Talking to people about other things, like Mad Men, or Game of Thrones, or teaching, or the weather, or whatever, really helped me calm myself.

My goal for the interview was to just talk about my experiences in other jobs and how that suited their needs, really try to answer to questions, and be really honest–if I didn’t know, I said so. I also wanted that interview to not feel like an interview and more like people talking about a job. It felt very welcoming and I was able to just be myself. I think that helped.

So, anyway. Here I am. I got myself a grownup job! And I’m working for programs that I really love. So lucky!

Sassy (my cat) and Montaigne

That’s my cat, Sassy. And that’s Montaigne, who you will read and get very familiar with, during your first semester at Columbia, in the History of the Essay Class. You accepted Columbia’s offer and you’re excited to start taking classes next fall. And, you should be! One of the questions I’m often asked is: What kind of classes does the Creative Writing – Nonfiction MFA program offer? The basic answer is this:

You will take the following courses:

• 4 Graduate Nonfiction Workshops (usually two sections offered with different faculty each semester)
• History of the Essay
• 2 Sections of Form & Theory (rotating topics each semester)
• 2 Sections of Topics in Nonfiction (again, rotating topics)
• 2 Graduate Literature Classes (rotating topics)
• 2 Electives
• 1 Thesis Development Workshop
• 6 Credit Hours of Thesis Hours with the advisor of your choosing

More Books, More Books, More Books

That’s the basic structure. Within each course requirement, you will usually have two options each semester to choose from. For example, one semester the Graduate Literature Courses that were offered were Marginalia: Otherness in Verse and a Latino/Latina Novel class. Another semester I had the option of taking a Topics in Nonfiction Film Essay course or Topics in Nonfiction – The Political Essay. Each semester you will take 9 credits, with the exception of the last semester which is just Thesis Hours. You will take a Graduate Workshop every semester, and some combo of Elective/Form and Theory/Graduate Literature Seminar/Topics in Nonfiction.

My Obsession

For context, I thought it might be interesting to see a list of all of the classes I took, so that you can get a sense of what your schedule might look like each semester and an idea of the courses offered. Another thing to note is that everyone takes a Graduate Workshop and History of the Essay during their first semester. If you want to be a Graduate Student Instructor, you also take Composition Theory and Praxis during your first semester, and it is counted toward Elective credit.

Fall 2010

• History of the Essay
• Composition Theory and Praxis (Elective)
• Graduate Workshop w/ Jenny Boully

Spring 2011

• Graduate Nonfiction Workshop w/ David Lazar
• Graduate Poetry Workshop (Elective)
• Topics in Nonfiction: Poets Writing Prose

Fall 2011

• Graduate Nonfiction Workshop w/ Aviya Kushner
• Graduate Literature Seminar: Postcolonial Literature
• Form & Theory of Nonfiction

Spring 2012

• Graduate Nonfiction workshop w/ David Lazar
• Graduate Literature Seminar: Marginalia: Otherness in Verse
• Topics in Nonfiction: The Political Essay

Fall 2012

• Thesis Development Workshop
• Form and Theory of Nonfiction: A Poet’s Prose
• Thesis Hours w/ Jenny Boully

Spring 2013

• Thesis Hours with Jenny Boully

Books Books Books

I am happy with the courses I took, but I think that it is important to say this: You may not always get your first choice or have a choice between two classes that you are absolutely dying to take, but that’s okay! I was surprised by some of the classes I took and how the information that I learned transformed my writing or made its way into my teaching practices. If you don’t get your first choice, you might be pleasantly surprised, and in the true spirit of the essay, of writing, this time is about exploration, about trying on new topics, voices, formal choices. So, if you can, treat your course selections like an essay–a way to explore what you don’t know by inviting the unexpected turn. Take the unexpected turn. My guess is, you won’t regret it.

Party Hearty

As the semester is drawing to a close, David McHugh (program director of the Music Composition for the Screen MFA) invited all of the first year graduate students to his home for a little get-together. We had a great time and he has an amazing place!

David lives on the 54th floor (the penthouse) of one of the most amazing buildings in all of Chicago. The building  is right on the lakefront and he was lucky enough to get one of the rooms that overlooks the lake. Fourteen huge windows panel the curved architecture and anyone that comes over is amazed.

Penthouse

We had a great time eating pasta that David cooked up for us, as well as some appetizers and there were plenty of drinks to go around. The first year graduate students are all a tight group of people and it was so fun to spend an evening with them.

Between his house and mine is the Chicago Fire Department. The REAL Chicago Fire. I snapped a shot of it on my way over:

The REAL Chicago Fire

This past week has been especially awesome because I got a call from Andrew Edwards, an adjunct professor of history and gaming (see the blog on him here), and he wanted some help with a documentary he scored called “Alex and Ali.” It is still in post-production, so I have not seen it, but the story is a wonderful call to humanity, if there ever was one. He had a few cues that he recorded at Chicago Recording Company on Ohio Street with a bunch of musicians that he personally knows (connections much?). He has two assistants from the program (a first year and a second year), and both were busy, so he gave me a call and paid me for my time to do some score prep. Also, I get IMDB credit, which is like gold to young composers. It was a great experience working with him, and one of the many opportunities that awaits students here at Columbia.

Chris Drew; photo credit Nancy Bechtol

On Sunday, April 28, I attended “A Life Celebration Memorial for Christopher Drew.” He  passed away last spring on May 7. Chris was an artist and activist who helped to get the Illinois Eavesdropping law declared Unconstitutional.

Chris was one of the first people that I met when I moved to Chicago 20 years ago. Through the Chicago Reader’s classified section, I found out about a FREE Screen-Print workshop for artists. I called the number in the ad, and Chris answered. He invited me to come up to the Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center (UM-CAC) to learn how to make silkscreens, and print art on t-shirts. The workshop ran every Sunday afternoon, and some Wednesday evenings. UM-CAC was located on the third floor of the American Indian Center in Uptown.During my first visit, I learned how to stretch a screen. It was similar to stretching canvas, which I had learned to do as a painter. Emulsion was then applied to the newly created screen and allowed to dry. I was told to bring a xerox of an image that I would like to see printed. Through a process which Chris experimented with and perfected, using vegetable oil rubbed onto the back of a photocopy and a light box, the image was transferred to the screen. The next step included washing out the screen. Back then, there was no running water on the 3^rd floor. Buckets of water had to be hauled up the three flights of stairs and then poured into a pump-powered spray gun. Rapid-fire squeezing of the trigger was needed to wash away the parts of the emulsion that would create the image, before they settled into the screen and were impossible to remove. Another bucket sat under the sink and caught the run-off from the screen washing process. And then those buckets had to be hauled back down the stairs and dumped into the toilet. Need I say that this was a grass-roots organization?

Chris Drew; photo credit Nancy Bechtol

For twenty five years, Chris ran that workshop, even up until his health had started to fail. He received small grants every now and then, just enough to cover the cost of supplies, but never received any funding for administrative costs. He was one of the most altruistic people I have ever met. He donated his time, energy and expertise to create a community center for artists to learn, share and grow. He was actually homeless when I first met him, and he crashed where he could, yet he still had the energy and motivation to teach artists what he knew. For free.

I made it to the celebration of Chris’ life and work that took place last spring in Roger’s Park, where he lived for many years. I could see that his health was deteriorating, but his spirit was as strong as ever, shining through in the brightness of his eyes. I got to give him one more hug, and then he went on his way…

He was a kind and generous person, with a wicked laugh and a warm smile, a big heart and a warrior spirit—fighting for Chicago artists’ first amendment rights in the courts and on the streets.

I miss you, Chris Drew. Thanks for being a bright light in the world. 

Scarlett Spider and me

What a crazy busy weekend that was! On Friday, I met up with the Columbia Whovians and we headed into day one at C2E2, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo. We rode a CTA bus to McCormick Place together as a group, picked up our coveted 3-Day badges, walked in, and immediately lost each other.
I have gone to Wizard World Chicago a few times.  That’s the old comic book convention in town.  This was my first time at C2E2. It was huge. It was everything a comic book convention should be. There were people in costumes (cosplayers) everywhere, tons of merchandise tables catering to your every geeky whim, and even an area set up to get tattoos, though I cannot for the life of me figure out how this last part was a good idea. The thought of getting freshly inked and then repeatedly bumping into people makes me cringe just a bit.

Saturday, I spent the morning helping my friend Becca (of Becca’s Bombshells) run her table in artist alley. I’ve always wanted to have a table at a con.  Maybe if I can get my stuff together, I will do it next year. It was super fun and also mildly intimidating working next to Becca. She took a bunch of commissions and churned them out pretty quickly–and beautifully. Later on in the day, my wife and daughter met up with us and I was able to walk around with them for their first trip to a con. I won’t lie, this was a pretty big deal for me.

My daughter had a couple of goals in mind: tracking down every My Little Pony cosplayers at the convention, and to see the full size Dalek (I take great pride in my getting my family to like Doctor Who). We made the rounds and eventually made our way to wait in line to meet Ron Perlman, of Sons of Anarchy and Hellboy fame. My daughter, who is often quite shy, actually high-fived Ron Perlman. We told him how crazy it was, because she had turned down every other high-five all day. He simply said, “That’s because she knows I love her.” That’s right, Ron Perlman loves my daughter.

I don’t know how I feel about this.

After this, we made the rounds again and met Lee Arenberg, Once Upon a Time’s Grumpy and Seinfeld’s Mike. I got to have one of my favorite artists, Ben Templesmith, sign a book with my sonic screwdriver pen (I know!). I met back up with Becca to wrap up the day and help her pack up, while my family went to ogle costumes from the Hunger Games before being ushered out the front door in a sea of cosplayers.

I forgot to mention that Friday was also the opening for the Interdisciplinary Arts MFA thesis show. The show is really amazing. The third years did a really great job. It’s up now and you all should definitely go check it out.

Tomorrow I will have my final presentation of the year, and with that presentation I will have pretty much completed my first year in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Media M.F.A. program. Below, I thought I would share some of the highlights and ways that my art practice has evolved/improved over the course of the year.

In my first year at Columbia, my art practice improved in a number of ways. My technical proficiency increased, especially in relationship to the use of lighting and projection, and I am moving toward developing a deeper theoretical and conceptual foundation for my work.

I really dove into the program this year. I tried to pursue opportunities for collaboration, and if someone wanted help on a project, I tried to help in any way I could. I attended the College Art Association conference in New York. I was involved in the student Organization, Image Unit, and am now the vice president. I also worked, and am working, on a number of projects with artists outside of the Interdisciplinary Arts program.

One of the big lessons I learned this year had to do with learning to work smarter.  After taking the class Code/Language, I was excited to incorporate code as an art material into my practice.  I spent the winter trying to teach myself objective C in order to start building my own iphone applications. I did not succeed in teaching myself Objective C, and realized there were probably better uses of my time.  I discovered that my playing around with this programming language was keeping me from making work.  I needed to learn how to develop a practice that would allow me to make the most work as well and as quickly as possible.  I needed to learn to work smarter not harder.

Before I entered the program, I was doing primarily performance work that incorporated media. One of the biggest changes in my body of work since entering the program has been my incorporation of interactivity. In one of my pieces called Twitter Performance, I allowed twitter users to give commands and instructions to a group of six performers who would act out what the twitter users commanded. Also, in my most recent iteration of It Will All be Over Soon,  cake in the shape of my body was served to the audience and they were invited to “eat me.”

My most significant classroom experience was probably in Jenny magnus’ Media Performance class. In that class I began working on two projects that I had wanted to work on for a while. One of the pieces was called Cannibal Cake.  In that class I began to explore a subject I found fascinating but for my initial iteration of the piece my fascination was not very conceptually deep or clear. Jenny and other faculty members encouraged me to think harder about why I made the choices I made in the piece. I needed to really beef up my theory, and further develop the conceptual foundation for my work so I could make more well informed decisions about the art I make. 

My most significant artistic experience of the year came during my critique presentation when I was presenting my piece entitled Cannibal Cake. I presented a number of pieces I had been working on this year but the faculty couldn’t stop asking questions about the piece cannibal cake. Many of the questions I was unprepared to answer, because I had not done as much research on the subject of cannibalism as I should have. Paul Catanese pointed out to me how my feedback time had primarily revolved around this one work of mine because of my use of the word “cannibal” in the title. He reminded me that if I’m going to use such a loaded word in my title, then I’m going to have to be prepared to defend my use of the word. It made me aware of the need for me to become a bit of an expert in whatever subject matter I’m choosing to address.

My short term goals are to continue to work on making further iterations of my two pieces, Cannibal Cake and It Will All Be Over Soon. I will spend the summer doing research on consumption and impermanence. I am also pursuing working with a fashion designer named Dieter Kirkwood on experimenting with a machine that translates brainwave data into knitted patterns in fabric. I am currently writing the music for an upcoming dance performance by Dance, Movement, Therapy and Counseling student Courtney St. Clair. I am also interested in pursuing teaching opportunities to gain experience and increase my chances of employment after graduation.

Photo Credit: Mike LaHood

1104 S. Wabash

Another week, another semester, another year has flown by. As some of my fellow classmates and ambassadors face life PCCC (Post Columbia College Chicago) I started to think about the importance of my Columbia education. Sure, I’m learning about cinema, the film industry and proper craft services…but what else? To borrow and adapt an expression…anything I ever needed to know I learned in film school.

Behind the Scenes

Everything in the frame matters. In film, what you see on the screen is in the frame. What you don’t see are cameras, wires, or lights. The things outside of the frame take you out of the story. Life is the same way. If you focus your energy on things out of frame or out of your control, you will never accomplish your main goals.

In screenwriting we learned your best work comes when you rewrite. In fact one of my professors said your first draft is really your fifth draft. This means you have to have patience. Expect your early drafts to be very rough, and then work and rework your material. What I took from that is you shouldn’t put pressure on yourself to get things right the first time. Learn from your mistakes, make adjustments and improve. You can rewrite your life just like a script.

Since day one we’ve been told film is a collaborative medium. There’s not a lot of interpretation here. In life, you get much further if you work well with others.

Sleepy!

And finally it is important to get plenty of sleep before a shoot. It may not seem like film school advice, but when you are well rested you are able to handle the chaos of a set. If you can get eight hours of sleep every day, you’re going to feel better, do better work, and work better with others.

So when people say you don’t need film school, I say they are mistaken. Since arriving at Columbia College Chicago, I’ve not only learned about making compelling films, but also about the meaning of life, or at least a way to make my current life a little better.

Chicago's Bittersweet Place, by Lake Michigan.

Last Tuesday I crammed my belongings into cases and cleared out what I called my home this last year. But, because it was also the hottest day of the year, and I have some forthcoming film projects I’m really looking forward to, summer can’t come quick enough. It was a bittersweet day; as a matter of fact, it was the last of the bittersweet days.

I found it hard to get my head around the idea of owning furniture in America. In Ireland it’s the norm for places to come fully furnished, and you generally don’t accumulate stuff until you buy your own place. I didn’t have much of my own stuff to pack; just what I had brought with me from Ireland, and the bed I bought last year. However, the lease on our apartment hadn’t been broken in five years, so although the rent was a friggin’ steal, being on the tail end of such a long lease meant there was a lot of stuff that had accumulated over the years.

War Wounds

The truck arrived in the early morning, and we moved a bunch of stuff to my roommate Garret’s new place, before taking old clothes to a charity resale store. Following a quick lunch-on-the-go, we then donated a truckload of furniture to The Salvation Army, and took our old electronics to recycling stations. Next, we brought some furniture to a friend’s place before returning the truck that evening. A few more friends came by later to take the last few bits and pieces, before we swept floors and scrubbed surfaces. My friend and fellow producer, Javi, came by to pick me up later, and before leaving I took a brief moment to breathe in the now vacant “bittersweet place” apartment. Thankful for the times I’ve had there during this first year of grad school, I’m equally looking forward to the next chapter.

L-R: Me, Garret & Scott on one of our many truck runs.

By the end of the day, the fourteen hours of lugging heavy gear had taken its toll and I was tired. However, it was a really enjoyable day with lots of laughs, and the sense of community involved was really encouraging. It might be the end of an era, but on the other hand it’s the beginning of the next chapter. It felt good getting rid of all this stuff. Like Walt Whitman said, “afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road, healthy, free, the world before me.”