Vermont College of Fine Arts

The visiting writers for the 2012 Summer Residency for the MFA in Writing Program are as follows:

Richard Bausch, Distinguished Visiting Faculty in Fiction. He is the author of eleven novels and eightcollections of stories, including his most recent collection, Something is Out There. His work has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Harper’s, The New Yorker, as well as many others. His work has won numerous awards, including two National Magazine Awards, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Mr. Bausch currently serves as the Moss Chair of Excellence at the University of Memphis. 

Maureen Freely, Visiting Fiction Writer andTranslator. She is the author of six novels, including her most recent novel, Enlightenment. A childhood in Turkey heavily influenc

es her work; she has translated five books by the Turkish novelist and Nobel Laureate, Orhan Pamuk. Her work on feminism, family and social policy, Turkish culture and politics, and contemporary writing frequently appears in the British press. Ms. Freely is a professor at the University of Warwick.  

Kathleen Graber, Visiting Poet. She is the author of two collections of poetry, including her most recent collection, The Eternal City, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award and was the winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Poetry. She has been the recipient of several notable fellowships, including the Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University. Ms. Graber is an Assistant Professor of English in the Creative Writing Program at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Michael Hemery, Visiting Alumni Reader in Creative Nonfiction. His work has appeared in The Los Angeles Review, the New Plains Review, Post Road Magazine, and others. His book No Permanent Scars was published in 2011. 

Ron Charles, book critic, The Washington Post. A renowned critic for the past 15 years, first at the Christian Science Monitor and currently at The Washington Post, where he is also the fiction editor. His work has been honored with a Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing from the National Book Critics Circle as well as First Place for Arts and Entertainment coverage from the Society for Features Journalism. Charles’ video book reviews have been recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the satirical Moby Awards, and Washington Magazine named him as one of 40 people who shaped Washington, DC in 2010.

Charles will be interviewed in front of an audience of students, faculty and the community by VCFA President Thomas Christopher Greene. This interview will be taped and broadcast on Vermont Public Radio (VPR).

About the MFA in Writing Residency…

During the course of the residency, visiting writers will give readings and offer lectures or informal talks on the VCFA campus in Montpelier. Students will have the opportunity to work directly with visiting writers both in the classroom and during informal gatherings and meals. 

Visiting writer readings during the residency are free and open to the public. Readings are scheduled in the College Hall Chapel as follows:

June 29th, 7:30p.m.: Richard Bausch

June 30th, 7:00p.m.: Michael Hemery

July 2nd, 7:00p.m.: Maureen Freely

July 4th, 7:15p.m.: Kathleen Graber

July 5th, 8:15p.m.: Ron Charles (College Hall Art Gallery)