MFA Crash Course: The Winners!

You followed along for ten (well, eight) glorious days of tips. My residency at Spalding University was crazy with every minute of the day accounted for with some lecture, reading, or bit of homework to do. The writers I met awed me with their talent. Some of my favorite moments were spent lounging with friends on the couches in the lobby of the Brown Hotel. A couple of memorable moments included:

• Writers singing impromptu Spalding-versions of The Sound of Music songs
• Cramming into an elevator with four classmates and two actors to watch elevator plays
• Drinking my first bourbon at the Seelbach – where Al Capone used to hang – and then promptly wishing I could spit said bourbon back into my glass
• Hopping into an elevator with a famous writer and being flattered when they greeted me by name only to realize I was wearing a name tag
• The eight gallons of chai tea I consumed. Seriously.
• Coming out of my shell mid-week and shocking people – namely my new mentor – when I went from sweet to snark.
• Meeting several people – Omar, Erin, Marjetta, and more – who I know I will be hanging with at the residency in Tuscany next year. We are going to rock our workshops/cooking classes!

Thanks for playing along through this series! I hope you all learned something from the tips.

And without further ado the grand prize winners are….

Kate Hart wins a query critique from my agent, Laura Bradford

Laura McMeeking wins a 10-page critique from my mentor and writer, Eleanor Morse

Winners, email me at corrine at gmail dot com to claim your prizes.

Thank you again to Laura Bradford and Eleanor Morse for donating their time to my contest!

*On a side note, I should have mentioned that I used Random.org to pick the winners each day, plus the GP winners. I’m really glad to say that no person won twice – quite randomly since every comment counted – and no, I did not intentionally make Kate a winner because she’s my friend. She simply entered every day with stubborn persistence and snarky comments until she won as Lucky #34. I have the Random screenshot to prove it if you like. Congrats to all the winners!

Full Winner’s List:

Day 1: Kaitlin Ward (iTunes Gift Card)
Day 2: Brent Watson (Barnes & Noble Card)
Day 3: Elizabeth Briggs (Amazon Gift Card)
Day 4: Cambria Dillon (iTunes Gift Card)
Day 5: Rachele Alpine (Barnes & Noble Card)
Day 6: Karla Calalang (Amazon Gift Card)
Day 7: Sarah Enni (iTunes Gift Card)
Day 8: Susan Quinn (Barnes & Noble Card)
Day 9: Abby Stevens (Amazon Gift Card)
Day 10: Angie Spartz (iTunes Gift Card)

Grand Prize 1: Kate Hart (Query Crit)
Grand Prize 2: Laura McMeeking (10-Page Crit)