Alumni Profiles

Kaisa Ullsvik
MFA Writing & Poetics
poetry concentration, 2003

"I grew up in Middleton, WI, just outside of Madison," says Kaisa Ullsvik. "I was drawn to Naropa because of the contemplative education component—it just seemed to be a more holistic approach to learning—as well as the wide variety of great writers brought in for the Summer Writing Program. I was also interested in postmodern writers and experimental writing, which is not common in many MFA programs."

 Once Ullsvik arrived on campus, she witnessed a reading by Anne Waldman, one of Naropa's most prominent representatives of the Beat writers. "It was so powerful it made my skin crawl. I just realized how grateful I was to be there and what an amazing opportunity it was to be amongst such great artists."

Kaisa spent the next two years exploring a diverse curriculum. "One of the great things about the programs," she says, "is that the teachers challenge you to think about writing as an instrument for real change—socially, politically, artistically, environmentally, etc. Writing is a powerful art form in so many ways—through experiments with language itself, through collaborative exercises, by creating community, by challenging political and social status quo and/or stagnation. As an artist, it was both wonderful and challenging to experiment with all of these different traditions.

"Life is short—it is important to pursue your passions while you're here on earth.  People may discourage you, but I believe that if you are true to yourself, you will find your path in this world. Naropa is full of amazing people and ideas—it is a great place to learn about yourself while gaining a wide knowledge of contemporary writing practices and of the ancient lineage of literature."