Against Blandification

Not many people know about the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts MFA program (aka Whidbey Writers Workshop). . . yet. Part of me would like to keep it that way, because there's nothing worse than blandifying something special with a deadening dose of popularity.

William Dietrich shares secrets of storytelling success

I learned the word blandifying, by the way, from someone who knows a lot about popularity—Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and NY Times bestselling author William Dietrich who generously shared his time and talent at our recent residency. (He wrote about his experience here.) I've long held the belief that artists with the greatest talent and longevity are often the most humble. (I know this from having been a maid to some legendary actors and performers when I lived in California. When you're cleaning someone's toilet or serving their Thanksgiving dinner, you learn a lot about character—yours and theirs).

Mr. Dietrich was clearly of sterling quality, and his unassuming brilliance was the perfect complement to our Whidbey family. All the visiting faculty were similarly stellar. Among them: Poet Julie Larios, whose sense of playfulness inspired me to introduce her evening reading in Is-Latin; poet/publisher Kate Gale, who gave our graduating class a three-day life-coaching session and reality check on publishing like no other; and author/playwright Marc Acito, whose genius electrified our graduation ceremony and afternoon sessions.

There's no doubt that we were blessed with the generosity of artists at the top of their game, but there was something more, something indefinable, that made it all so very Whidbey. It has to do with the character of the program, forged and shaped by Wayne Ude and a dedicated board of directors and faculty who worked hard to build a fully accredited, one of a kind, free-standing literary arts MFA program that will always remain in humble service to writing and writers.

I have a feeling Whidbey won't be flying under the radar much longer, but something tells me it will never suffer from blandification.

Popeye learns to polish his pitch in morning grad class