Laguna College of Art and Design stretches into the art of the written word
Grant Hier, a writing teacher and former chairman of the liberal arts department at the Laguna College of Art and Design, has long advocated implementing creative-writing degree programs at the school.
Laguna College of Art and Design is diversifying its portfolio of courses with two new degree programs targeted at practitioners of the written word.
The college, at 2222 Laguna Canyon Road, recently announced that next year it would add full-time bachelor and master of fine arts programs in creative writing to its repertoire of offerings, which include game design, animation and painting.
“The college is growing and it’s a natural direction for us because all of our visual arts are grounded in narratives,” said Norman Leonard, chairman of the two creative writing programs.
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The two-year master’s program, which begins next summer, features a residency component in which students will gather for two weeks for each of three summers to learn the craft of storytelling alongside writing professionals and faculty.
Session topics could include wit and humor, visual imagery and diction as revealed in classic and contemporary works.
During the rest of the year, each student will work with a mentor toward the ultimate goal of developing a manuscript, the program’s capstone project.
The manuscript could be in the form of a novel, video game outline, podcast, memoir, travelogue or stand-up comedy routine, Leonard, who currently teaches storytelling and American film at LCAD, wrote in a follow-up email.
Both programs require students to focus on one of three genres: fiction, nonfiction or poetry.
In the four-year bachelor’s program, students will learn the foundation of their genre as they work toward their own manuscript project, which could be a collection of short stories, a feature screenplay or an album of song lyrics. The bachelor’s program kicks off next fall.
About 16 years ago Grant Hier, writing teacher and former chairman of the liberal arts department at the college, suggested a master’s-level creative writing program at LCAD. Helene Garrison, vice president of academic affairs, had asked Hier for suggestions to jibe with the college’s long-term plan.
Administrators acknowledged Hier’s idea but said it was not a top priority.
“While it was not discounted completely, it was made known that such a plan would be a long, long ways off,” Hier wrote in a 2011 report to LCAD’s board of trustees. “Indeed, there were many other pressing needs and programs in development.”
Hier, an accomplished poet, remained persistent.
“Several years later I was asked again, but this time I responded as chair of liberal arts,” said Hier, who will teach some of the creative writing courses. “Again, I listed the idea of an MFA program in creative writing, and this time it gained traction. It was making more sense.”
LCAD’s board approved the master’s program in 2015 and the bachelor’s program earlier this year, Garrison wrote in an email.
Hier credited Leonard with helping develop the curriculum and writing course descriptions.
Leonard said the college seeks students who are “playful, risky and experimental.”
“A lot of creative writing programs want students to focus strictly on a literary genre,” he said. “We at the school are open-minded for students interested in writing graphic novels or scripts for television animation.”
Hier added: “We’re not teaching any one style. We’re asking students, ‘What is your vision, and what is your style?’
“I don’t want to impose my sensibilities so that they can imitate Grant Hier.”
Leonard said the school has received “several promising applications” but did not give a specific number. The bachelor’s program costs $29,800 a year, while the master’s costs $32,496, Leonard said.
For more information about the programs, visit lcad.edu.
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Bryce Alderton, bryce.alderton@latimes.com
Twitter: @AldertonBryce
