Dear Stonecoasters,
You are warmly invited to apply for the January 2014 Stonecoast in Ireland (SCI) residency. This will be our sixteenth residency in Ireland and each one has been terrific. Here are the details:
WHEN? The winter SCI residency will run from 16-23 January 2014.
WHERE: We will meet in Howth, a beautiful seaside village located on a hilly peninsula just 20 minutes northeast of Dublin city center. Participants and faculty will stay together in the elegant King Sitric Guesthouse, right across the street from the harbor, pier, and lighthouse. Come see why James Joyce chose the cliffs of Howth Head as the inevitable site for Leopold Bloom to propose to Molly (oh, and W.B. Yeats wrote his first poems while living in Howth.)
DEADLINE: Applications must be emailed as MSW attachments to SCI coordinator Ted Deppe by 11:59 p.m. (your time zone) Wednesday, 22 May 2013.
WHO’S ON THE FACULTY IN JANUARY 2014? Stonecoast’s Jaed Coffin and Ted Deppe will be joined by prominent Irish writers, to be named soon. During the program’s first fifteen residencies, visitors have included Irish writers Paul Durcan, Claire Keegan, Harry Clifton, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Theo Dorgan, Kate Newmann, Dermot Bolger, Paula Meehan, Gabriel Fitzmaurice, Sínead Morrissey, Carlo Gébler, Anthony Glavin, Deirdre Madden, Eamon Grennan, Hugo Hamilton, Joan Newmann, Tony Curtis, Nuala Ní Chonchúir, Kevin Barry, Sarah Rees Brennan, Martin Malone, and Macdara Woods; Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Dunn; traditional storyteller Liz Weir; Trinity College professor emeritus Vincent McBrierty; and traditional musicians Áine Uí Laoith and Eilín Ní Chearna.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE? Any Stonecoast student who will not be attending his or her first residency in January 2014 may apply. Alumni and fifth-residency students may also apply.
HOW ARE STUDENTS SELECTED? We will accept ten participants. The spots on the roster are filled first with continuing Stonecoast students, but if there is space available we are happy to have fifth-residency students and alumni join us. Seniority is an important factor when selecting from continuing students, but we also consider balancing workshops and creating a harmonious group. We hope to decide on the roster and notify applicants by the end of May.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT? You will be totally immersed in Irish literature and the beautiful Irish landscape. While offering a unique cultural opportunity, residencies in Ireland also maintain the same rigorous academic discipline as the Stonecoast program in Maine. A full schedule of workshops, seminars, and readings are supplemented by a field trip; past field trips have included such things as trips to the James Joyce tower and museum in Sandycove and the astonishing W.B. Yeats exhibit at the National Library in Dublin. Participants are encouraged to arrive early or stay late, so they can explore Ireland and/or Europe.
WHAT DOES IT COST? Tuition for continuing students is the same as in Maine. Because of the dollar’s slide against the euro, the cost for room and board is $85 more than in Maine. Participants are responsible for their own airfare.
The cost for alumni or fifth-semester students is $880 tuition and $1,060 for room and board.
WHO CAN I WORK WITH FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER? Continuing students can request to work with mentors from the full Stonecoast faculty for the Spring 2014 term, whether or not the faculty member is in Maine or Ireland next January.
HOW DO I APPLY? Download the accompanying application, fill it out, and send it as a MSW attachment to Theodore.Deppe@maine.edu before midnight (your time zone) on Wednesday 22 May 2013. (If you have any problem creating a MSW (.doc or .docx) file, feel free to type the relevant information from the application into an email and send it to the same address.)
HERE’S WHAT STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN THERE SAY: “Stonecoast in Ireland has been the most amazing experience of my writing life”… “Superb!”… “Transformative”…“Absolutely loved it and feel so lucky to have had this opportunity. Not only is the location fantastic, the opportunity to work in such a small group and work so closely with faculty and visiting presenters is wonderful” … “Life-changing”…“An intense experience and immersion into Irish writing and culture. It’s perfect!”
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON STONECOAST IN IRELAND, CHECK OUT THE STONECOAST WEBSITE, OR CONTACT
We hope you can join us as Stonecoast in Ireland turns Sweet Sixteen!
Ted Deppe, Stonecoast in Ireland Coordinator
Email: Theodore.deppe@maine.edu
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