Every winter and summer, the University Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe becomes a hub of creativity as MFA Creative Writing and Interdisciplinary Arts students flock from around the country to the beautiful campus for week-long residencies. In early January, students were greeted with fresh snow and in the summer with sunny days and the scent of pine treess. The intense schedule centers on workshops taught by renowned artists and writers but is designed to allow students to spend time in nature.
For Ipuna Estavillo Black, first year student in the MFA Creative Writing program, the time spent walking by Lake Tahoe has not only provided inspiration for new ideas but has given her a sense of peace that she brings into her work.
“I cannot resist going outside,” Black said. “I take a notebook with me, usually to jot down any ideas, and I either walk with my character or walk with my story. I go walking and ponder my characters or think about the next scene. I go to places like Hidden Beach. There is something about listening to the water touching the sand – it's calming and grounding.”
"I go walking and ponder my characters or think about the next scene … There is something about listening to the water touching the sand – it's calming and grounding.” - Ipuna Estavillo Black
Black also uses her time during the low residency on the University’s Lake Tahoe campus to reconnect with herself. At home, she is a parent of four and serves as the associate dean of the School of Nursing and associate professor at Nevada State University.
Right now, Black is working on a young adult novel that highlights a mother-daughter relationship, with themes of post-war immigration, breaking the cycle of poverty and family histories and identity.
“We put a piece of ourselves in our work,” Black said. “Although this piece is fiction, it is inspired by real events in my mother’s and my life. Having the opportunity to work on this story with mentors and peers in the MFA low-residency program has been instrumental to the development of my story.”
Both MFA low-residency programs at the ҹɫÊÓƵ at Lake Tahoe provide students an opportunity to not only to gain an education from experts in the field, but allows them to dive into personal projects.
Agnieszka Wszolkowska, artist and second-year student in the program, has built art and exhibits that focuses on today’s problems with overmedication.
“Overload is a fiber-based installation that sparks conversation about pharmaceuticals, inviting the audience to question the normalization of overprescription,” Wszolkowska explained.
“After immigrating from Poland, I was shocked by cultural practices in America that promote overmedication.  My work explores pathways that lead to healthier, more sustainable approaches to medicine, especially rest and sleep, which are essential to all of us.”
Wszolkowska, like Black, is inspired by personal experience, and used her time at the ҹɫÊÓƵ at Lake Tahoe campus to experiment with new ideas and modalities. She is currently in her third Lake Tahoe residency.
“I am traditionally a painter but started experimenting with fiber during my first residency in interdisciplinary arts,” Wszolkowska said. “I discovered fiber’s expressive qualities and the duality of accessibility and sophistication and have brought it into my work.”
More about the Low-Residency programs
The Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing and the Low-Residency MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts accept applications every fall and spring. The five-semester programs are designed for people with active lives outside of school. While still considered a full-time program, the 10-day residencies are designed with the understanding that not everyone can commit an entire summer multiple weeks at a time to school alone. Additionally, the residencies are meant to embolden students' desire for more critical dialogue around our relationship to our surroundings, and the role of the artist and writer in addressing these complexities.
