Twice a year, artists and writers from across the country spend 10 days at the ÍƼöÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ at Lake Tahoe and step into a different rhythm. Removed from their daily routines, students find the focus to deepen their practice. We caught up with four low-residency MFA students and alumni whose time at Lake Tahoe became a turning point —where books were born and careers shifted.
Abigail White: A book finds its way into the world
Abigail White arrived at the Lake Tahoe campus for her first residency in August 2023 carrying a finished manuscript, but unsure how to take the next step with the story. White, a fiction writer based in Washington, D.C., had spent years working in journalism and ghostwriting, but the manuscript for young adult readers was her first step into fiction.
“I knew the book was ready for other eyes,” White said. “I had taken it as far as I could on my own, and I needed professional guidance to help it reach its final form.”
"When I arrive there, my body exhales. I don’t have to fight for focus, I can just write."
During her first semester, White’s mentor, Gayle Brandeis, read the manuscript and delivered unexpected news: the book wasn’t just close — it was ready. Together, they prepared the manuscript for submission to agents and publishers.
“My book came out the same week I graduated,” White said. “That doesn’t happen by accident. I would not have reached this point without this program.”
White’s debut novel, "," was published Aug. 5, 2025.
Beyond the support to publication, White credits Lake Tahoe itself with creating the conditions that allowed her to fully commit to her writing life. The campus, 18 acres surrounded by pine trees and quiet mountain air, became a place of peace.
“When I arrive there, my body exhales,” she said. “It feels like home. I don’t have to fight for focus, I can just write.”
White is now working on her second book and preparing to join the University’s low-residency MFA faculty.
Anna Ingels: From tech to art
When Anna Ingels began the low-residency MFA program in Interdisciplinary Arts, she says she wasn’t using “artist” to describe herself. Coming from a background in software development, she arrived with curiosity, but hesitation.
“I was very cautious about the word ‘artist,’” Ingels said. “I didn’t have the background and didn’t know if I deserved that title.”
That uncertainty followed her into her first winter residency, where the intensity of the program initially felt overwhelming. But being removed from daily routines and surrounded by an intimate creative community, Ingels began to redefine her identity.
She worked with faculty who reframed art-making as a type of research, rather than a performance of expertise.
Halfway through the program, Ingels life outside the studio unraveled. She was furloughed from her tech job amid a corporate collapse, losing the professional identity she had long relied on. At the same time, she was deep in the MFA program, questioning who she was becoming.
“The world exploded,” she said. “I felt completely anchorless.”
Faculty mentors encouraged her to transform uncertainty into work, helping her shape a midway exhibition rooted in the body, materiality, and presence. Ingels turned to tactile art, large-scale installations of fiber and crochet.
By her final residency, Ingels claimed the word “artist,” completed her thesis, and soon after graduation, accepted a tenure-track position teaching art at a community college. She is now an art educator, a mother, and an artist.
“I’m living a life I didn’t know I was allowed to have,” Ingels said. “This program didn’t just teach me how to make art. It changed how I see myself.”
Manny Perez: Finding the space to think like an artist
For Manny Perez, the ÍƼöÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ at Lake Tahoe offered something he hadn’t had in years: uninterrupted space to think like an artist. A teacher, husband, and father, Manny lives a life shaped by responsibilities that leave little room for creative immersion.
“At home, it’s constant,” he said. “Teacher mode. Husband mode. Parent mode. Artist mode is the one you have to fight for.”
The low-residency MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts made that fight unnecessary for two times out of the year. Twice a year, Perez travels from his home in Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe, where mountains, sapphire waters and isolation bring a sense of quiet.
“There’s something about being away from the big city,” he said. “Your mind finally has room.”
"There’s something about being away from the big city. Your mind finally has room."
Perez’s thesis work now explores the “third space” of cultural identity, shaped by his Puerto Rican heritage and his multicultural family.
The cohort experience deepened that growth. Surrounded by artists who listen, share, and engage thoughtfully, Perez found a rare sense of mutual respect and creative intuition.
“It feels spiritual,” he said. “It’s about knowing yourself better.”
m.e. gamlem: Learning through intimacy and mentorship
For fiction writer m.e. gamlem, one of the most powerful aspects of the low-residency MFA program at the ÍƼöÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ at Lake Tahoe is the closeness between students, faculty and the work itself. Coming from New Mexico, gamlem was drawn to the program by its low-residency structure and the caliber of visiting writers.
“The relationships are intense,” gamlem said. “In the best way.”
During the 10-day residencies, students and faculty share classrooms, meals and long conversations that stretch far beyond scheduled workshops, something gamlem says is a highlight.
“You’re having breakfast with people who are published authors,” gamlem said. “And they’re not distant. They’re amazingly invested in your growth.”
One moment stands out vividly: sitting at breakfast with California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick and author Tracy Chee, listening as they spoke candidly about history, identity, and craft. “It felt like a private podcast,” gamlem said. “That kind of access doesn’t happen in traditional programs.”
Removed from the pace of daily life, gamlem finds the campus to be a place of anticipation and renewal. “I truly get excited every time I go,” they said. “It’s magical.”
