Rachel Rose, MFA 2005
How did your time in the Creative Writing Program influence your work?
The Creative Writing Program’s requirement to write across genres was an invitation for me to experiment. I will soon have published books in poetry, non-fiction, and fiction. As well as this inspiration to move outside of my comfort zone, I received wise and generous mentorship from my professors at UBC and also was lucky enough to find my people there–writing peers who are still part of my close circle. I treasure the memory of those two years where I was so well-supported to write and to explore.
What’s your latest published/performed work(s)?
My new fiction collection, The Octopus Has Three Hearts, is being published by Douglas & McIntyre in Spring 2021.
Are you connected to any creative writing communities you’d like to mention (UBC alums, film and theatre communities, etc)?
I will be the new co-Associate Director of Vancouver Manuscript Intensive for 2021. http://vancouvermanuscriptintensive.com/
What are your most recent awards?
My poetry collection, Marry & Burn, received a 2016 Pushcart Prize, and was a finalist for a Governor General’s Award. My memoir, The Dog Lover Unit: Lessons in Courage from the World’s K9 Cops, was shortlisted for the 2018 Arthur Ellis award for best non-fiction crime book.
Rachel’s Website: https://rachelsprose.weebly.com/about.html
Cheryl Archer, MFA 2018
How did your time in the Creative Writing Program influence your work?
The habit of daily writing encouraged in the UBC Creative Writing Program as well as the thrilling experience of workshopping creative pieces (albeit virtually) were instrumental in my development as a writer. The all-important presence of the creative writing teachers was also imperative. Not only did they support me and cheer me on, they taught important lessons about craft and offered helpful feedback and criticism when appropriate.
Summer on-campus writing programs were also a fantastic way to bring us all together in community and spirit. I’ll never forget Screenwriting Bootcamp. It was a killer, but I fell in love with a brand new way of writing (for me), and it opened my mind and heart to aspects of dialogue, sub-text, three-act structure that I hadn’t even considered before.
The overall experience of the Creative Writing Program was exciting, enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable.
What’s your latest published/performed work(s)?
I have several works-in-progress right now, including short stories and a novel.
Are you connected to any creative writing communities you’d like to mention (UBC alums, film and theatre communities, etc)?
I am a member of Sarah Selecky’s Centered Writing Group.
Is there anything else about your writing career you’d like to share?
I continue to write with more confidence and awareness of craft now that I’ve graduated from the program. And I’m happily sending my work out into the world. What more could a writer ask for?!