Alumni Celebration of New Works

The Alumni Celebration of New Works showcases alumni accomplishments in the areas of publishing, play production, and filmmaking. Faculty, students, and alumni of the Naslund-Mann School are invited to celebrate the success of Spalding graduates by attending these special readings and screenings. The event culminates with an opportunity to purchase alumni works during a meet-and-greet with the authors and filmmakers. Held annually at Homecoming and as needed virtually.

Criteria for Inclusion in Alumni Celebration
  1. Alumni may apply to participate if they have had a book released, a play produced, or a film based on their script released between May of the previous year and May of the current year (books must be available for sale at the time of the Celebration).
  2. Alumni with their first published book or produced play or film will be given consideration before alumni with their second (or subsequent) works.
  3. Once a writer has participated in a Celebration, they will be given a lower priority for inclusion for three years.
  4. Regardless of the foregoing, authors/writers may be included to provide for a balance among genres represented at the Celebration.
  5. Exceptions may be made for works and authors whose recognition would warrant inclusion in the Celebration and bring favorable publicity to the alumni association, the MFA in Writing program, and the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing.
  6. Self-published works or vanity press published works or self-produced plays or films will be considered for the Celebration if they meet at least one of the following criteria:
    • Portions of the works have already been published as stand-alone pieces.
    • The work qualified for a grant to which submission of the work was a prerequisite.
    • The work was vetted by some other arm’s-length third party and approved for publication.
    • The majority of the material in the work was the approved creative thesis necessary for the graduation from the MFA program.
    • The play or film script has been performed in a staged reading, workshop production, or full production before a live or online audience in a play or film festival, independent production, or as a presentation of a theatrical production company.
    • The film or television production has been presented before a live or online audience by a film and/or television festival, network television or streaming service, or screened before an audience as a theatrical film. 
  7. If, after all of the above criteria are considered, there are remaining slots, alumni who were unable to attend previous Homecomings but qualified for that year will be considered.

Watch your inbox and social media early in the year for a call for applications to participate in Celebration.

Check back here in January to apply for the next Celebration!