Marsha Masseau
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I grew up struggling in school, so when I returned to studies for second-career training and excelled, I had to push myself as far as possible. I studied professional writing, completed an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Social Communication, received the Governor General’s Silver Academic Medal and leaped to the MFA program at UBC. Finding creative workarounds for learning disabilities has been a wild journey. I’m so grateful that education has become more accessible than when I was a youth.
Why did you decide to study at UBC?
I met MFA alumna Natalie Morrill, the award-winning author of The Ghost Keeper. She spoke highly of her UBC experience, adding that many of her cohort went on to win awards in their respective genres. From that conversation, I was hooked and started plotting my path to the program. I found a copy of Naked in Academe: Celebrating Fifty Years of Creative Writing at UBC, and the forward sold me on the program. Not only was the teachability of creative writing assured, but the safe and encouraging mindset of workshops in the MFA was explicitly explained. Veteran professor and author Keith Maillard offers, in the forward, that since other fields of study can be taught, then it stands to reason that writing can be taught, too. To quote Maillard, “We hire active working writers who teach what they do and do what they teach.” Entering my second year of the MFA program, I found Maillard’s comment to be true.
What is it specifically, that your program offers, that attracted you?
Besides the above, the multi-genre requirement stands out as unique to UBC’s MFA compared with other top universities, in my opinion. Midway through my second year, I feel the value of learning writing craft from as many angles as possible. Because of that multi-genre approach, I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I adore scriptwriting!
What was the best surprise about UBC or life in Vancouver?
I’m Ottawa-based and chose the distance education MFA rather than relocate to BC. This allowed me to maintain my longstanding massage therapy practice and stay close to family. Even so, I spend time on campus every July for the Optional Summer Residency and adore the Guest House at Green College. I also find the Rose Garden spectacular. Overall, my biggest surprise has been how generous the faculty is with their time.
What aspect of your graduate program do you enjoy the most or are looking forward to with the greatest curiosity?
As mentioned earlier, the Optional Summer Residency is a high point of the program for me. Every morning, we begin with a relaxed set of craft and industry seminars and dedicate the afternoon to workshops; I thrive on the pressure-tank-style environment. In the evening, we network and have some creative fun.
What do you see as your biggest challenge(s) in your future career?
Managing large projects, creating self-imposed deadlines and finding the time to connect with others might be difficult for me beyond the program. Writing can be a solitary endeavour, so it’s wonderful that because of the Optional Summer Residency, I have well-established peer relationships that thrive in a mediated format.
What aspects of your life or career before now have best prepared you for your UBC graduate program?
My decades as an entrepreneur and Registered Massage Therapist definitely facilitated merging into diverse small-group workshops, especially given how vulnerable sharing rough drafts of our writing can be. Also, at fifty, I feel far more equipped to take creative risks and make space for other’s experimental work than I might have been in my thirties. On a personal note, I feel that my time spent on mental health and healing from past traumas means I can confidently show up for my writing projects and workshops. Sometimes, we study difficult and triggering content, and I must reach for self-care tools. I’m grateful to have that as an ingrained habit.
What do you like to do for fun or relaxation?
I’m a visual artist and spend most of my free time in the studio, either painting or making pottery. I’m outdoorsy and love a vigorous hike or trod down unlikely paths and trails. That said, what sort of writer would I be if I denied a virtual addiction to reading? I appreciate everything from Canadian literature to genre fiction, poetry to essays!
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
Understand that you are embarking on a sort of metamorphosis. Whatever you believe about yourself, your writing will be challenged. You are likely much more skilled than you give yourself credit for, but you will nonetheless travel metaphysical lightyears from where you began at the start of your MFA. You may resist or falter, but failure is not a real thing on this journey. You will build storytelling muscles. You will find your narrative centre. You will learn to take quantum creative risks. And you will do this one terrible draft at a time in a safe space with a crew undergoing the same process. Friend, you are in for an adventure!
