Bennington Writing Seminars Selects Matthew Groner as Residential Teaching Fellow
Matthew Groner, a rising third-term MFA candidate in fiction, has been selected as the second Residential Teaching Fellow at the Bennington Writing Seminars, working in the classroom for a full term beginning in Spring 2019.
The fellowship, currently held by inaugural Fall 2018 Fellow Lisa Ann Cockrel, is the first of its kind in the country to offer full-time undergraduate teaching experience in a low-residency MFA format. Benefits include full tuition remission for one term, housing and board, and enrollment in an on-campus class.
Applications to the Bennington Writing Seminars are due by March 1, 2019.
As the Residential Teaching Fellow, Groner will assist Bennington faculty member and acclaimed poet, Michael Dumanis in his class, “Reading Poetry: A Basic Course.” His responsibilities will include grading, advising, assisting in the development of course materials, guest lecturing, and research. Groner will also have opportunity to gain experience in arts administration or editorial work with The Robert Frost Stone House Museum, The Bennington Review, or Poetry@Bennington, while continuing his regular coursework.
“We’re thrilled to have Matt here as the second Residential Teaching Fellow,” said Mark Wunderlich, Director of the Bennington Writing Seminars. “Matt’s deep background as an administrator and mentor, along with his scholarship of poetry, provides the right mix of experience and knowledge. We conceived this fellowship to give Bennington students a unique opportunity to have full-time teaching experience and also to work closely with our literary partners.”
This competitive fellowship is open to Bennington MFA students rising into their second, third, or fourth term. Students are mentored one-on-one with the on-campus faculty member with whom they are working as a teacher, as well as by the faculty mentor with whom they have been assigned to work on their manuscript. Groner is currently studying with faculty member and 2018 Yaddo Artist Medal recipient Amy Hempel.
Groner has more than ten years’ academic experience as a writing center director, English instructor, and literary arts programmer. He has coordinated large projects, overseen academic departments, and worked one-on-one with students, helping them grow as writers and as individuals. He began his writing career as a poet at the University of Central Missouri, where he studied with Wayne Miller and Kevin Prufer. While there, he was also a student-assistant at Pleiades, UCM’s literary journal.
“I am grateful to the Bennington Writing Seminars for giving me this opportunity, and I’m ecstatic to be working with Michael, who is a fantastic poet and teacher,” said Groner. “I plan to learn everything I can from him about both poetry and pedagogy, and I’m eager be a part of the Bennington campus community for an entire semester.”
Groner grew up in Eldon, MO, and currently resides in Kansas City, MO. He has lived in Seattle, WA; Richmond, VA; and Jackson, TN, among other places. He holds an MA in English and a BA in Political Science with a minor in Creative Writing from the University of Central Missouri. In his spare time, he can be found playing the guitar and foraging for edible mushrooms.