Poet and soon-to-be-published novelist Steve Kistulentz is a man enjoying a year of firsts.
He is the director of Saint Leo University’s first low-residency graduate program in creative writing.
The launch begins with an eight-day residency from July 16 to July 23. Enrolled students will attend seminars and writing workshops. And, they will hear readings from awarding winning writers, Jesse Goolsby and Tom Piazza.
The program will offer a special track toward a graduate degree for students interested in war literature written for or by veterans.
(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)
In 2017, the publishing house of Little & Brown will release the 50-year-old Kistulentz’s first novel, “Panorama,” which tells the story of a New Year’s Eve plane crash and what happens to its survivors.
Before that, he will launch the new writing program at Saint Leo.
“I want to show the non-traditional student that no matter who you are or where you are or what you are doing, there is a path to success and a way to be mentored there through this program,” said Kistulentz, who also is an associate professor of English at the university.
The program confers the Master of Arts degree and is intended for completion in two years. It includes 36 hours of graduate study in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction.
Those who want to write about war can choose among those genres and take specific courses that tackle wartime or post-war experiences.
Following the initial residency, semester work will be done largely online, with mentoring from writers with national reputations. In total, students will complete four semesters of course work, three summer residencies, and submit a book-length thesis.
Tuition is $595 per credit hour for the 2016-17 academic year. Unsubsidized loans may be available. Accreditation for the program is pending with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
The special track aimed at veterans who may want to write about their war experiences is unique to Saint Leo.
“We wanted to capitalize on Saint Leo’s long-time commitment with the men and women of our armed services,” Kistulentz said.
Saint Leo also continues its tradition of reaching out to nontraditional students.
Kistulentz took his own nontraditional path toward poetry and fiction writing.
He had a nearly 17-year career as a political consultant for national campaigns and wrote speeches, television commercials, promotional materials and magazine articles.
“I have written in just about every genre,” Kistulentz said.
He was director of a similar creative writing program at the University of Tampa.
But at Saint Leo he is building the program from scratch.
“I have always known that this is always what I wanted to do, a Saint Leo-type program,” he said.
Kistulentz is taking the best of what he learned from other creative writing programs including the Creative Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. He was at the university from 2003 to 2005 and earned a Masters in Fine Arts.
His first book of poetry, “The Luckless Age,” won the 2010 Ben Saltman Award. His second poetry book, “Little Black Daydream,” came out in 2013.
The fact that he is a college professor is to him something of a miracle. He grew up in a family of sharecroppers and coal miners.
It was the GI bill that put his father through college, and set him on a path toward higher education.
“I was the first generation in my family expected to go to college, and then continue on with my education,” he said.
But he didn’t follow a traditional path toward a writing career.
That’s what is so satisfying to him about Saint Leo’s commitment to nontraditional ways to help its students.
“I think it’s important to note that Saint Leo is one of the real innovators in providing alternative learning solutions for people with careers and family commitments who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend a graduate program,” Kistulentz said.
For information, on the program and the application procedure, visit www.saintleo.edu/admissions/graduate/creative-writing.aspx.
Published May 11, 2016