Patrick D
- Research Program Mentor
MFA at New York University
Expertise
Literature; Creative Writing; Religious Studies; Philosophy; Theology; German Language
Bio
I am a writer with a BA in English Literature, an MA in Theology, and an MFA in Creative Writing. I geek out on fiction, poetry, existentialism and ancient religious texts. I’ve studied Latin, Koine Greek, and German. A certain 4th century theologian named Origen had an idea of heaven as an eternal classroom, and I am in full agreement. There’s nothing more rewarding than the life of the mind. The universe is a place of infinite mystery—and awe and wonder are the way in. I’ve published a dozen stories, one of which you can find in an anthology by Penguin Press. I've also published poetry and haiku. Currently, I’m at work on my third novel. It took me a while to learn the craft. Along the way, I attended the Clarion Writer’s Workshop in San Diego, an environment friendly to writers of fantasy and science fiction—one of my first loves (Tolkien or Ursula LeGuin anyone?). As a graduate of the Masters of Fine Arts program at New York University, I studied with writers like Joyce Carol Oates and Jonathan Safran Foer. I love how fiction can give the reader an experience of what it is like to be someone else. One of my favorite things is to see students fall in love with stories and wake up to their own innate creativity. But creativity is not always easy and spontaneous, and it helps to have guides along the way.Project ideas
Creative Writing - Storytelling and Poetry
Maybe you love to read, but you don’t know how to go about writing stories or poetry of your own? Or maybe you’ve written creatively and you’re looking to “level-up” your writing? Whether you are interested in “being a writer” or you simply want to explore poetry or story-telling or poetry “from within,” there is a great deal to be learned by doing it yourself! The goal: we will work together to bring one or more pieces of creative writing (stories, poetry, autobiography, theatre plays, personal essays, or anything else you can think of) into a finished form, something you can be proud of. I will share knowledge I’ve gained through my own writing and researching, as well as lessons I’ve learned from various established writers in programs I’ve attended—the Clarion Writer’s Workshop and NYU’s MFA. We will also look at your favorite stories or poems and “reverse-engineer” them to see how they achieve their effects and why they resonate. In other words, we will look for lessons and techniques we can “steal” for your own work!
Reading the Classics
How should a person live? What is wisdom? Why do we not feel at home in the world? Let’s explore these questions, and others, by going to the deepest thinkers we can find. This is a chance to study a text, or a couple texts, of substantial insight and to grapple with it through a research project, a conference paper, an oral presentation, or even through a piece of creative writing. Some ideas: literary classics like Milton’s Paradise Lost or Shakespeare’s plays; spiritual classics like Augustine’s Confessions, the Bhagavad Gita, or Pascal’s Pensees, of the writings of the Zen master Dōgen. Philosophical texts are also fair game: e.g. Plato’s Apology or Kierkegaard’s Sickness Unto Death. Let’s dive into the Big Questions.
Literature Deep-Dive
Is there an author, or a book, you’ve wanted to read but haven’t had a chance? Let’s design a study course together around it. We’ll talk about writing technique, literary theory, historical criticism, and more. A final project might include a research project, a conference paper, or an oral presentation. Critical and analytical thinking will be the goal.