Architecture
Diego & Nick
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Paige Ackerson-Kiely, director of Sarah Lawrence’s MFA in Writing program, and nonfiction faculty member Heather Harpham recognized early on that Hayley Burgess had something special. Heather’s approach centers on nurturing what is already alive in a student’s work, a philosophy reflected in her course Cells and Stars: Writing the Body, where class often moved outside and writing in nature helped Hayley feel more grounded and embodied. Through close, one-on-one faculty conferences, Hayley gained the confidence to develop her voice, supported by mentorships that value patience, trust, and discovery.