Alumni Gatherings

From a simple meet-up at a restaurant to a multi-day retreat, alumni are invited to plan get-togethers where they live, with support and advice from the Spalding MFA Alumni Association. Past events around the country have included readings, weekend workshops, meet-ups at book fairs and libraries, and lectures followed by happy hour/mingling. Future events are limited only by our imaginations. Contact MFA Alumni Association Director Marjetta Geerling if you’d like to talk about getting a group together in your area.

In addition, the Naslund-Mann School hosts a Spalding reunion (and often a reading) at the AWP annual conference, held in a different region of the country each year. The 2023 conference is in Seattle, 2024 in Kansas City. As a conference sponsor, the School also provides registration fee waivers to a limited number of Spalding alumni at each conference. Watch News from Home and social media for a message from Katy when waivers become available—they tend to get snapped up quickly.

In the meantime, you can join a regularly hosted alumni gathering online. The Spalding Water Cooler, hosted by Mervyn Seivwright (P ’19) and Cristina Trapani-Scott (F/P ’09), is a supportive space to discuss the challenges and joys of the writing life. Held every third Sunday of the month on Zoom, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. Watch the Spalding MFA in Writing Alumni Facebook page for the registration link, or email Katy a few days ahead of time to request the link.