Faculty

Get to Know Mindy

Posted December 4, 2015 by MS

The Butler University MFA has a team of people working to ensure the most successful experience for students. Throughout the year, this blog will present a who’s who in the program and what they can do for you.

Mindy Dunn, the friendly MFA program administrator has an office on the top floor of the Efroymson Center for Creative Writing and an always-ready smile. Besides stocking the kitchen with tea, coffee, and snacks, she keeps busy helping MFA students and applicants. Though she has about a hundred responsibilities, she especially enjoys working with students.

What are your main roles for the MFA program?

I can field any question an MFA student, or potential student, has. If I don’t know the answer, I can get them to the person who does know the answer. This includes questions about classes, what they should be taking, if they are having problems registering, or if they want to meet with the MFA director. I can give advice about what types of things they should be getting involved in, like Bridge, Writing in the Schools, or our creative writing for wellness project. I even give advice about living in Indianapolis. I am also in charge of the Efroymson Center so if they have something they want to use the house for, I’d be the person to give approval. I work on the conversations@efryomson series. I’m the coordinator for the bridge program, so I hire all the mentors and workshop teachers who work for that. I also help with Writing in the Schools with administrative stuff.

I also think you are an all around general therapist. You are always willing to have a conversation with anyone about anything.

Yes! I’m always here to talk to students about anything on their minds. The people I get to meet and work with are the best part of my job.

You received your MFA in Poetry from Purdue. If you were an MFA student at Butler, what classes would you take?

I always hear everyone rave about Allison Lynn’s Reading Like a Writer class, so I’d love to take that even though it’s prose. I’d take David Shumate’s Prose Poems and Flash Fiction. I hope to sit in on Hilene’s Whitman and Dickinson’s class in the Spring. I’m really excited about that.

What is your favorite thing about the ECCW?

I just like it when it’s full of people. I like to see MFA’s using it. I love this semester’s writing club. People just show up. I love it when Ty [an MFA student] just shows up and makes monkey bread.

You also run the poetry lunch hours here at the ECCW. Why did you start them?

I started them because I don’t teach classes anymore, but I wanted a chance to personally talk about poetry. A little selfish, but now it’s one of my favorite parts of my job because I get to share the thing I’m really passionate about.

They are really well attended. Why do you think all students and faculty, not just poets, benefit from the poetry lunches?

It’s always smart conversation. It may start off about a specific poem or poet, but we always have bigger conversations.

I’d like to add there’s also good food.

Yes! And also, even if you are new to poetry, we are very welcoming.

Where is the best place to get lunch around here?

Taste. Everything there is so good. Or LaMulita. They have really good tacos.

Where’s your favorite place to get coffee?

Well, I drink tea. The best place to get tea is here in the house. We usually have lots of options in the kitchen so I just go down and make it here.

I know you love your family. Tell me a little about them.

I live with my husband Brian and two-year-old son, Cormac. Brian is an English teacher at Franklin Central high school and cross country coach. I met Brian as an undergraduate here at Butler. Since he also went to Butler he’s had people like Hilene and Dan as professors, too, so they all know each other. Cormac also has a connection to the Butler MFA. I brought him into work with me until he was about nine months old. Elisabeth Giffin [an MFA student] came in to be his nanny. There are plug covers in the room across the hall I still haven’t taken out.

What book have you read in the last year that you would recommend?

For straight-up literary-novel: either The Goldfinch or The Secret History by Donna Tartt. The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett is great historical fiction. I’m just finishing up a great YA fantasy/sci-fi series called The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer that I love because it uses fairy tale plots. I’ve also read about 350 picture books to Cormac this year, we’re trying to get to 1,000; Mr. Tiger Goes Wild is our family favorite. And, of course poetry: I loved Ada Limon’s Bright Dead Things.

What advice do you have for MFA students?

I help decide who gets hired for MFA-funded jobs so for new MFAs or MFAs wanting to get involved or get funding, make sure I know who you are. I should know what your interests, passions, and experiences are. This is a good excuse to stop by and say Hi!

The Akbar Reading

Posted October 26, 2015 by MS

Over fifty people packed the Broad Ripple Brewpub for the first Akbar reading. The new reading series promised short, entertaining readings, free beer trivia, and the chance to engage with other writers in the Butler community. The Akbar delivered on all points. In the spirit of keeping the boring stuff short, the reading series formally known as The Kaveh Akbar (ahem!) Endowed Reading Series, is now called simply “The Akbar.”

The reading began with a series of poems by Allyson Horton. Her reading experience was evident as she captivated the large, rowdy crowd with her womanly, jazzy poems and haikus. The unmarried poet jokingly gave marriage advice after reading “Husband number 4.”

Fiction candidate Logan Spackman’s reading was punctuated with hardy laughter and dramatic page tossing. He read an excerpt of his thesis project, a novel involving a small town mystery, twins in the basement, and boozing parents. Are there better ingredients for a novel?

Andy Levy, Butler English Department Chair and MFA nonfiction professor, provided an incredibly personal essay on grief and closure. “Spoiler: you’ll never find it,” Levy read. The essay centered around the loss of his friend who died in Pan Am flight 103 before he made it as the literary superstar many thought he’d be.

The winners of the free beer trivia contest were Claire Leo, Erin Harris, and Tracy Mishkin. They sure know their drunk writers.

The readers wowed, but the best part of the night was the eclectic group assembled in the pub. It was standing room only as members of the first Butler MFA graduating class mingled with first year students, professors, and everyone in between. Old and new friends encouraged each other in our common mission on being a better writer.

Save the date for the next Akbar reading Wednesday, December 16th, 7:00pm at the Brewpub. The lineup includes Butler MFA director and nonfiction professor Hilene Flanzbaum, fiction candidate Greg O’Neill, and poetry candidate Rachel Sahaidachny. Plus, inappropriate trivia presented by John Eckerd. See you at the Akbar!

Get to Know Hilene

Posted October 6, 2015 by MS

Hilene Flanzbaum is the Director of the Butler Univerisity MFA in Creative Writing. Originally from Staten Island, Hilene earned her M.A. at Johns Hopkins and her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. She’s edited many books and been published countless times. Recently her essay for O Magazine was anthologized. But you can read all that on her faculty bio page. I asked all the questions you really want to know, like what she drinks while writing.

As the director of the MFA, you have many roles and responsibilities. What can you do specifically for current students?

I am officially everyone’s advisor. Students should come to me about what courses to take, in what order, and how to stay on track to graduate. Even though students could talk to anyone here about professional concerns, I also give advice on life and career plans. I’m also the money person. I decide how the money is distributed.

What class do you love to teach?

I love teaching the graduate course in nonfiction. I love that. It’s very intense. It’s about craft, but also about telling the truth in very deep ways. People get very close in that kind of class. There’s a level of trust that builds up among the students that is very gratifying to see.

A new MFA student should…

I’ve never been a student here, but I’ve heard all the current people giving the incoming students this advice: “There are so many opportunities in the program. Do as much as you can.” If you make yourself available to the program, we’ll keep you busy all the time. The other thing I say to people who come to me asking they are talented enough is, “You have just as much talent as anyone who has already made it. You’ve already made the talent leap. Now it’s about how hard you work.”

A book you enjoyed this summer?

I’ve read so many books this summer… I recommend this to everybody: The Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante.

What is your writing routine?

Mornings, definitely. I can’t keep concentration for more than two hours. I find if I can look out a window, it’s helpful. I always have a project going.

What do you drink while writing?

Coffee.

What can you say about your hometown?

It’s such a funny place. It’s rich with stories. I have an essay coming out with the New York Historical Society about Staten Island. I could definitely write more essays about it. Staten Island has changed so much. With the rest of the city becoming so gentrified, Staten Island has become the place where criminals go. It’s huge mafia. We lived with the presence of the mafia in our lives. As soon as I finish the project I’m on, I am going to write another essay about Staten Island.

Who shares your house?

Millie, a four-year-old standard poodle, and Bella, a fourteen-year-old Bichon Frise. Also, my husband who teaches at Park Tudor and directs the creative writing camp here at Butler. I have a daughter who finished college and is living in New York City trying to make it as a writer, and a daughter who is a junior in college. We are used to an empty nest, I think.

What is your favorite spot on campus?

The Efroymson Center for Creative Writing. Or anyplace I can bring my dog.

Work Hard, Play Hard

Posted August 26, 2015 by MS

Butler’s MFA classes officially start today. However, the fun has already begun. Here at the Butler MFA, we like to work hard, play hard, and write best. We aim to build a community of writers who will support students for life, not just three years.

Last Saturday, the Efroymson Center for Creative Writing was packed with faculty and staff, new and returning students, and alums for the annual Welcome Back Celebration. Delicious food, drinks, and conversation were enjoyed by all.

Monday, Booth held its annual kick-off meeting at the ECCW with a pizza party and orientation session for new readers. The turnout was fantastic, and all the editors and readers are excited for a great year.

Tuesday, a feisty bunch gathered a few miles off campus at the Broadripple Brew Pub for Trivia Night. Poets, fiction and nonfiction writers, along with a few professors and spouses, united to create two powerhouse trivia teams. Although neither team won the grand prize, one team did out perform the other earning major bragging rights. There was talk about making Trivia Night a regular gathering. Look for notices on the MFA facebook page.

Summer Course: Story Structure

Posted April 7, 2015 by MS

Over the next three weeks, the Butler MFA Blog will explore the summer class opportunities available for summer 2015.

Story Structure with Dan Barden

Dan’s Story Structure has become a summer staple for Butler MFA students. Affectionately nicknamed “Watching TV with Dan,” the course takes a close look at story structure and explores the moves writers can use to become better storytellers.

Professor Dan Barden is a the author of two novels The Next Right Thing and John Wayne: A Novel. He loves teaching this course. He says, “It’s the one place in my life where I’m actually on the other side of the bullshit of storytelling. That is, I’m talking about storytelling as pure storytelling. This is about how you move a reader (or viewer) from moment to moment through the experience you’re giving them.”

Writers from all genres enjoy the course, and some have taken it more than once. Dan redesigns the course every year, continually evolving to push writers further. Fiction MFA student Bob Helfst took Story Structure last year. He says, “Watching TV with Dan” is not nearly as easy as it sounds. This is a class where you’ll read scripts, watch television or films, and dissect scenes, all to better understand the narrative engine of conflict. It’s demanding but rewarding, and you’ll see your writing change for the better in a big way.”

Lisa Renze-Rhodes, a nonfiction MFA student, is enrolled in the course for the second time this summer. She says, “In short, here’s the reason I love Dan’s class — In example after example, whether it’s in books, TV shows or movies, Dan is constantly helping us see where the writers ‘moved the ottoman’ into the path of a character. In other words, he has a way of clearly and distinctly pointing out the role conflict plays in story development. He takes the time to break down classics, say Casablanca, and cult classics, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and point specifically to a scene or dialogue and say, ‘See that right there? That’s the ottoman shove.’ I thought as I head into thesis, his class would be a great reminder of all that I’ll need to keep in mind as I finish my work with Butler.”

Details

EN501 Story Structure with Dan Barden.

T/R 6-9pm, June 9^ththrough July 16^th. This course is open to Butler MFA students only.

Course Description

The tools of narrative storytelling are probably as old as cave paintings and certainly as old as Greek drama. Aristotle articulated the principles that still pertain to every Hollywood blockbuster. As fiction writers and essayists and poets, our application of these principles will be tempered, but maybe not so much as we think. By studying the examples of stories, novels, and films, we will seek to understand these principles and apply them to our own work.

Saturdays @ 3

Posted February 27, 2015 by MS

MFA students and faculty are invited to Saturdays @ 3 at the Efroymson Center for Creative Writing. Hilene hosts this fun social gathering once a month as a way to gather together the Butler writing community to share their common passion- books. Enjoy snacks, meet new friends, and share the book you are currently reading or have recently enjoyed. Writers and readers from all genres are encouraged to join the discussion in front of the fire. You’ll be sure to leave with a new friend and an increased reading list.

Last month’s Saturday @ 3 was great fun. Millie, our Dog-in-Residence, made an appearance as well as many students and faculty. Recommended books included current and former best selling novels and poetry collections, as well as classics, a play, and new discoveries. This month’s gathering will be this Saturday, February 28th at 3:30.

A new home for creative writing in the midwest