Summer Residency

Summer residencies allow students and mentors to immerse themselves in the work of writers: reading, writing, and talking about reading and writing. The summer sessions are meant to be informative, intensive, and inspirational. At the residencies, students learn from every faculty member in every genre while discovering which mentors are best suited for their work. Student writers also make connections with their fellow writers that continue on-line throughout the year and carry over into future residencies. The addition of new students and mentors each year creates fresh opportunities to continue learning. It’s an exhausting, overwhelming, and exhilarating experience.

The 2012 Summer Residency will begin on Saturday, July 7th and end on Thursday, July 19th.  A typical Residency schedule will begin with an orientation and a group dinner on the first day and continues through noon on the last day. The basic daily schedule looks like this:

Optional and required field trips will also be scheduled. Faculty and students will mingle informally at most meals and the entire group will share some special buffet dinners together. Everyone will receive a detailed FINAL schedule upon arrival.

What to Expect at UAA

The campus in summer is especially pleasant, with numerous bike trails, hiking trails, a few lakes, and lots of wildlife to enjoy. The Consortium Library, the Campus Bookstore, classrooms, and other facilities are within walking distance of housing, and the Seawolf Shuttle also makes regular rounds.

Several inexpensive, good restaurants are within walking distance of campus as well, including Thai Kitchen, Taco King, several pizza places, and the Blue Fox.

What to Expect in Anchorage

One of advantage of a summer residency is, of course, summer and plenty of daylight--18 hours in July. In July, the average daily high is 65 degrees, though a 10-degree range in either direction is not unusual. The weather can quickly shift from hot and sunny to cool and rainy. Though mosquitoes aren’t as thick in Anchorage as they are elsewhere in Alaska, it’s always wise to be prepared before venturing into the outdoors.

For more information about the Municipality of Anchorage, see the city’s web site. The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau offers a wealth of information about local attractions as well as nearby excursions. For photos and details of the city’s many trails and parks, see Alaska.org.

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