July
19, 2015, on the final day of the upcoming residency, the MFAC program will
have a Graduate Recognition ceremony to honor the men and women who have just
completed their studies and will receive an MFA from Hamline University.
Between now and residency we'll be posting interviews with the grads. Donna
Jones Koppelman is today's grad; she lives in North Carolina and can be found
writing and chatting at these places: www.donnakoppelman.blogspot.com;
facebook.com/donna.koppelman; @koppelmom (Twitter).
What
do you do when you’re not working on packets?
I have
four children aged 19-12, two dogs, a three-legged cat, and a husband, so
I am plenty busy when I’m not doing packets. I watch a lot of football games,
track meets, tennis matches, soccer games, plays and band concerts. I serve on
the board at our local library, I am a vestry member at our church, I sing in a
praise band at church, and I am active in our small community. I also do school
visits to talk about writing and teach writing to students, and I lead staff
development at schools to teach teachers how to teach writing more effectively.
My research when I pursued a Reading Specialist at UNC focused on the
relationship between teacher confidence in their own writing and their ability
to teach writing. At one school, I helped kick off a “Drop Everything and
Write” campaign that even involved the bus drivers. Those stories were the
BEST!
How
did you hear about the Hamline MFAC Program?
I had a
number of friends who attended the program in Vermont. I was impressed with the
program (and all my friends!), but when I heard about Hamline, I suspected it
may be smaller and more personal. I also wanted to work on nonfiction, and
Hamline’s program had the amazing Jackie Briggs Martin; I had long been a fan
of Snowflake Bentley, and I was a
huge fan of Gary Schmidt’s work. I also hoped the Hamline program might offer a
cultural experience of being in Minnesota every January.
What
was your writing experience prior to entering the program?
Growing
up, I wrote all the time. I wrote stories, poems, notes in class (before
texting), and especially music lyrics. Prior to entering the program, I had
written for educational journals, newspaper and magazine markets, and worked
daily on picture books and novels. I had also kept a blog for several years.
Once I had a good daily writing routine for a few years and read all the craft
books I could find, I knew I needed a program to take me to the next
level.
What
do especially remember about your first residency?
My first residency, I arrived late at night.
Two young [Hamline undergraduate] students were making out on the front stoop
of the dorm, blocking the door, and I had to tap the girl on the shoulder to
get in the building. Then, my dorm room smelled so awful. I could hardly
breathe. I walked to a 24 hour gas station in the middle of the night
trying to find Febreze or Lysol. I remember thinking, “I am way too old to be
staying in a dorm room that smells like vomit.” I thought maybe I had made a
huge mistake. The next day, dear Mike Petry, a returning student who knew the
ropes, helped me spray my room from end to end which we continued to do every
day for the rest of the residency. I also remember how special it was to see my
old friend, Miriam Busch, again. We had participated in a children’s writing
program at Chautauqua together a few years prior. Most of all, I fell
completely in love with my classmates, my professors, and the whole program. I
wrote my husband letters daily about how much I loved the program and how
grateful I was to be there. I saved them to read aloud when I am a keynote
speaker at a big conference one day. I kept them to remember how Hamline MFAC
changed my life.
Have you focused on any one form (PB, novel, nonfiction;
graphic novel) or age group in your writing? Tried a form you never thought
you’d try?
I have
worked on nonfiction picture books, rhyming picture books, non rhyming picture
books, and a middle grade novel. I loved my work on the critical thesis, and if
I could find a way to do more research and then teaching about my findings, I
would be in heaven. I would love to be a professor in a low-residency program
like this one. One goal I had for this program that I have not met is to figure
out what genre is my strongest. Perhaps trying so many things kept me from
getting very good at any one thing! However, I definitely have a foundation to
push forward in many directions.
Tell
us about your Creative Thesis.
For my
creative thesis, I wrote a middle grade novel about a young girl prying into
family secrets. It is set in Georgia in the early 1970s and involves divorce,
racial issues, Vietnam, family relationships, spiritual exploration, and even a
little Betty Friedan. I began this novel on Jane’s suggestion, and it grew out
of a childhood memory I wrote for her about stealing blackberries with my
cousin at the end of my first semester. I kept writing the novel on my own
during the other semesters between packets, etc. Then, this semester, Jane
challenged me to put it down and write it over from scratch without looking at
it. The thought terrified me, but I knew if I didn’t do it now, I would never
do it. (Haven’t we all walked over hot coals for Jane?) The process amazed and
astounded me, and I would highly recommend it. From then on, if a scene didn’t
work, I didn’t try to fix it, I started over. What a difference! I love this
story, and the rich culture of the time period and physical setting of a
Georgia summer. Much of the story takes place within the branches of a huge
Magnolia tree which is where I spent many summer days myself.
What
changes have you seen in your writing during your studies?
At
first, I avoided the hot stove so much that I hardly knew how to find it.
Working with Jane my first semester was the best thing I could have done, but
that semester was emotionally tough. I revisited a lot of difficult issues in
my childhood memories, but they opened the door to a wealth of writing material
and a great personal sense of peace.
I have
finally, mostly, learned to only put one space after a period. For the record,
I hate that rule. (and you may not be surprised that I also support the Oxford
Comma) I loved From Where You Dream
by Robert Olen Butler. It’s a little “out there”, as Jane would say, but
learning about the relationship between my dreams and my writing life changed
my writing routine dramatically. I have learned how to follow and control my
own mind’s rhythm and patterns in order to yield the most productive writing
time.
Any
thoughts for entering students or for people considering the program?
This
program is life-changing, but be prepared to go all in. Clear your schedule.
Minimize your expenses. Live simply. Have a sit down with your children. Give
yourself two years to write like a maniac and devote yourself to the program.
Trust the process. Give every assignment your best effort, and your work will
improve exponentially. And let the housework go a bit. Trust me, it will be
there when you graduate!
*
The public is welcome to
attend the graduate recognition ceremony on Sunday, July19, 3:30pm, (Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University). TimFederle is the speaker.
Whew. Sounds really neurotic, right? But the process of
gathering all these things and placing them just so gives my brain the
time it needs to shift from who is driving sports carpool to what story I
will tell today. Clearing my desk clears my mind. Setting up brushes
and drawing pencils signals my brain that it’s time to get creative.
It’s time for fun. Mr. Pressfield reminds me it’s time to WORK, and
poetry shows me that work should be lovely. Lastly, I choose a scented
candle with a smell that fits my work for the day. Smells are powerful
stimulants for my memory and thought process. I like to think E.B. White
chose a cotton candy scented candle to write those marvelous scenes at
the fair. Or maybe it was a pig scent? Or perhaps he had a completely
different routine.
