The Creative Writing MFA Blog

Mailbag (1.17.12)

2012-01-17T01:50:00.001-08:00

Feel free to post questions/pertinent information here.

To MFA, or Not

2011-10-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

If you're on the fence about whether to apply to an MFA program, check out Eric Wyatt's blog post To MFA, or Not.

Eric is a Queen's cohort and gives a balanced list of the pros and cons in deciding on an MFA. There are plenty of ways to improve your writing outside of academia, and also less costly ways to do so. In summary, he writes:

What it really comes down to is this: What do you get from an MFA program?

Time to work on your writing. (Motivation)
Focused learning. (Increased skill/Growth of your art)
Deadlines and expectations. (Motivation, Experience)
Work with other writers. (Community, Opportunity, Networking)
Experience taking and giving constructive, helpful criticism. (Feedback)
A degree. (Credentials, Opportunity)

There are other ways to achieve the first four (if you are dedicated and focused) but the fifth one is where an MFA program sets itself apart.

Introducing... The Masters Review

2011-09-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

The Masters Review is a new literary journal showcasing the best in graduate-level creative writing. Each year, their editors and judges select the ten best stories submitted by writers in MA, MFA, and PhD creative writing programs. Their aim is to expose the field's top emerging writers by publishing progressive, diverse, and well-crafted fiction. The Masters Review is an annual publication with a submission deadline of December 31, 2011. Twenty-five stories will be selected for their shortlist, with the top ten stories from that pool published in the spring.

Their guest judge this year is Lauren Groff, who has this to say about what she’s hoping to see in submissions: “Simply put, I’m looking for a story I’ve never read before, a story that feels as if it could only come from the person who wrote it. Surprise me, thrill me, make me fall in love with your language and sensibility. I want to feel as if your story had been somehow dangerous for you to write it. If you write about things I’ve read about fifty-thousand times, write about them in a way that adds something to a larger conversation, one well beyond the bounds of your story. Above all, I’m asking you to please move me, make me laugh or weep or feel furious. Write your heart out, always.”

Another from Solstice: The Foundation for Children's Books Partnership

2011-09-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

SOLSTICE MFA in CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM ANNOUNCES

NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is proud to announce a new partnership with The Foundation for Children’s Books (FCB), a nonprofit organization that cultivates children’s curiosity, creativity, and academic achievement by igniting in them a love of good books. The FCB and Solstice MFA Program will co-host the first in a series of biannual events, “What’s New in Children’s Books” —a half-day conference featuring authors, illustrators, and library and bookstore professionals— Saturday, November 5^th from 8 a.m.–noon on the Pine Manor College campus, 400 Heath Street in Chestnut Hill.

“What's New in Children's Books?” will feature illustrator Bryan Collier, winner of the Caldecott Honor Award and the 2011 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, written by Solstice MFA faculty member Laban Carrick Hill; middle-grade and teen novel writer Mark Peter Hughes, whose book Lemonade Mouth is now a Disney Channel movie; Penny Noyce, doctor, educator, mother of five, and author of Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers; and Terry Schmitz, owner of the Children's Book Shop in Brookline, MA. The conference includes coffee and refreshments, new books from the Children's Book Shop, and book sales and signing.

As one of the few low-residency MFA programs to offer a concentration in writing for children and young adults, the Solstice MFA Program of Pine Manor College has worked to integrate writers whose work is targeted toward a variety of audiences.“The Solstice MFA Program believes that our children and young people deserve high quality literature that reflects the diversity of America,” says Solstice MFA Director Meg Kearney. “Our new partnership with the Foundation for Children’s Books underscores our mutual goals of putting good books into the hands of young readers, and introducing writers and illustrators to the people who play a vital role in exciting children about literature: teachers and librarians.”

ABOUT SOLSTICE & PINE MANOR COLLEGE

As an undergraduate institution consistently ranked among the most diverse in the country, Pine Manor College emphasizes an inclusive, community-building approach to liberal arts education. The Solstice MFA in Creative Writing reflects the College’s overall mission by creating a supportive, welcoming environment in which writers of all backgrounds are encouraged to take creative risks. We strive to instill in our students an appreciation for the value of community-building and community service, and see engagement with the literary arts not only as a means to personal fulfillment but also as an instrument for real cultural change.

—more—

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Founded in 1983, the FCB has served librarians, teachers, and children’s authors and illustrators by presenting a professional development speaker series and workshops. Beginning in 2005, the Foundation expanded its mission to serve teachers and urban students in grades K-8 by bringing acclaimed children’s book authors and illustrators into under-served schools in Boston. As part of its mission to build a bridge between the inspiring and dynamic creators of children’s books and their audience of young readers, the FCB has brought 23 authors and illustrators into 18 elementary and middle schools in Boston; these visits include book donations.

Directions to Pine Manor College, complete bios of our authors, and more information about the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program can be found at www.pmc.edu/mfa.

Solstice/Pine Manor Fellowship Opportunities

2011-09-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Check out these fellowship opportunities from Pine Manor/Solstice Low Residency MFA program. The deadline is October 14, 2011.

THE SOLSTICE MFA IN CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM OF PINE MANOR COLLEGE

OFFERS FOUR FELLOWSHIPS FOR WRITERS

[Chestnut Hill, MA, September 2011] The Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is pleased to offer four $1,000 fellowships for writers: The Dennis Lehane Fellowship for Fiction; the Michael Steinberg Fellowship for Creative Nonfiction; the Jacqueline Woodson Fellowship for a Young People’s Writer of African or Caribbean Descent; and the Sharon Olds Fellowship for Poetry.

All fellowship awards are based on the quality of a writing sample.

Fellowship applications are due October 14, 2011 (not a postmark date; materials must be received in our offices before or on October 14). Fellowship applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early. Notification letters will be mailed to winners only on November 15, 2011. Awards must be applied toward the winter residency/spring semester directly following acceptance; fellowships cannot be deferred or applied toward a summer residency/fall semester start.

About our donors (underwriters of the Sharon Olds Poetry Fellowship wish to remain anonymous):

A former staff writer for HBO’s The Wire, Solstice MFA writer-in-residence Dennis Lehane is author of nine novels, including Mystic River, Shutter Island, and Gone, Baby, Gone —each of which has been made into a feature film— and the fall 2010 release, Moonlight Mile.

Solstice MFA writer-in-residence Michael Steinberg is a memoirist, essayist, and founding editor of the literary journal, Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction. His memoir Still Pitching was named the 2003 Independent Press memoir of the year.

Solstice MFA consulting writer Jacqueline Woodson is author of numerous books for children and young adults, including Feathers, a Newbery Honor Book; Miracle’s Boys, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award; and Locomotion, winner of the Horn Book Award.

ABOUT PINE MANOR COLLEGE

Directions to Pine Manor College, complete bios of our authors, and more information about the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program can be found at www.pmc.edu/mfa.

Workshops for New York-based MFA applicants

2011-08-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

I'm running two writing workshops, open to both fiction and nonfiction writers, starting in September. If you live in or near New York, and you want some feedback on your MFA manuscripts before turning in your applications, here's an opportunity (though please note, the workshops are not exclusively for MFA applicants - you'll be alongside other published and experienced writers).

Previous students and one-on-one clients of mine have been accepted at some of the top programs in the country, including Iowa, UT Austin, Syracuse, Purdue, UNC Greensboro, Brooklyn College, and Hunter, to name a few.

Check out my website for more info, and get in touch with me asap if you'd like to sign up. Only five spots left now!

MFA Application Do's and Don'ts

2011-07-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, it’s summertime, and those application deadlines are still months away. But let’s face it, many of you are already doing your research and making lists of all the programs and due dates in your head. You’re starting to wonder about letters of recommendation (how important are they, really?) and personal statements (how do I describe my entire being in 2 pages or less?) and writing samples (Is my best work good enough?). So to help answer some of those nagging questions, I thought I would take a quick poll of my local admissions committee (I trust their judgment since they admitted me) about what they are, and are not, looking for in a MFA application.

1. PROOFREAD. You’re applying to a writing program, after all. Showing that you can spell and use proper grammar and recognize typos is the minimum basic requirement. Besides that, make sure the name of the school to which you are applying is the same one you mention in your personal statement or letters of rec. Writing “…and this is why I think the University of New Mexico is perfect for me” and then sending that statement to the University of Idaho is a faux pas. We all know you are applying to more than one school and that’s wonderful, but please put in the effort to change the school’s name in your application. It is also important to make sure your recommenders do the same thing in their letters.

2. First impressions count, so make your application look as professional as possible. This means formatting your work according to industry standards when applicable (i.e. playwriting and screenwriting) and not using fancy or odd fonts (especially in your poems – and don’t center them either!). Just pick one standard font and stick with it. You do not want your admissions reader to be distracted by how strange your application looks on the page.

3. Play by the rules. If an application asks for a 20-page-maximum writing sample, do not send 21 pages. Equally important, you don’t want to pad your writing sample either; if you’ve submitted your best work and it only comes to 17 pages, don’t add in an extra 3 pages of less-than-best work to fill it out. That padding just weighs your sample down.

4. Show them your Voice. The admissions committee wants to see you in your writing sample. So whether you submit one piece or a range of work, it should reflect who you are as a writer and your unique perspective on the world.

5. A tip on excerpts: Keep it simple. Try to avoid excerpts that require a lengthy explanation or synopsis in order for the reader to understand the content. Yes, you want to showcase your best work, but if the admissions reader has no idea what is happening in the excerpt, that won’t help your case.

6. While the writing sample is the most important part of an application, the personal statement (or statement of purpose) comes in a close second.

a. Take a risk and show them who you really are; don’t just try to please the admissions committee and tell them what you think they want to hear. What makes you distinctive?

b. Programs want to admit talented writers, but they also want to admit writers who are a good fit for their program. So you need to accurately describe your goals and what you are looking to gain from and hope to contribute to a particular program. Finding a good match is in the best interests of both of you.

c. The admissions committee already knows you are applying because you want to be a writer and you love writing. Beginning your statement with “I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember” is not even remotely original. Find a fresh way to show them your drive and seriousness of purpose. It’s all about what makes you different from all the other applicants.

d. A good sense of humor goes a long way!

7. Finally, don’t agonize over it. While you want to be thoughtful about your application, you don’t need to drive yourself to drink. Trust that you’ve put together the best application you can, and the right program will come to you.

A New Community for 2012 MFA Applicants

2011-07-07T19:45:00.001-07:00

I hope--and do expect--this board will continue to be a vibrant presence in the online MFA applicant community, but since so many applicants are now spending time in and amongst more than one community of applicants, I thought I'd mention that the largest Facebook group for MFA applicants can be found here. It's a "closed" group, so conversations of a slightly more private nature can happen there than would or could happen in a more public forum. That said, the pace of the dialogue there is quite a bit faster than the pace here, so that won't necessarily work for everyone. Still, it's a great opportunity for this year's cohort of MFA applicants to be part of more than one community of like-minded, passionate individuals.

Also, I hope anyone who hops over there to join the discussion--amongst the group's 234 members and counting--will consider adding to the Where Are You Planning to Apply? document in the right-hand sidebar, as that information is useful for a variety of reasons and is one way to sort of "introduce yourself" into the community. Hope to see you there!

It's Summer. Now What?

2011-06-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

Summer, for me, is supposed to mean a break. It even says so on the Queens syllabus. I don't have to turn anything in until mid-August at the start of fall semester. But really, it's not a break. I don't think writers have them. There's no such thing.

My goal for the month of June is to work on revisions. Trust me, there's a lot. I'm reviewing all my submissions from last semester and the May residency, going through workshop critiques, looking for similarities, repeating comments. Generally, you know those are the things that need fixing. Just as an FYI, I do review critiques throughout the semester, and make some changes along the way. But for me, I need to give the story some space. Go back to it with fresh eyes after a few weeks or months. Makes a huge difference.

July - I plan to write new things. That's the plan. I've started a few... first pages, first sentences...but I work better knowing that the other stories are as complete as they can be.

Many low-res MFA programs meet over the summer (Vermont College of Fine Arts, University of Alaska Anchorage, Bennington, anyone else? Let me know, I'll add them here) Other low-res programs use the summer for a study abroad experience (Spalding University, University of New Orleans, others?) Traditional classroom MFA folks - what are your summer plans?

Share your summer experiences!

The True Confessions of an MFA Graduate Teaching Assistant

2011-05-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hmm. Interesting. Please share your thoughts in the comments!

"It didn’t take me long to realize that good teaching probably requires a certain degree of education specific to education (I had none), and that, while I could get by on a certain degree of charisma, patience, and enthusiasm, truly committing myself to my students’ needs (and they had many) would require 50 or more hours per week.
At first, these notions stressed me out—I wanted to be a good teacher and was pretty won-over by the school’s apparent mission (“Admissions requirements? Who needs them! Everyone deserves a college education.”). But eventually I picked up on the dismissive attitude of those around me and learned to follow suit."
Full article here.

Northerners Available for Immediate Delivery!

2011-05-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Many readers of Tom's website have e-mailed me asking when my second book would be available for immediate delivery (as opposed to pre-order), so I thought I'd post the announcement here. Thanks to all for indulging me re: this personal note!

The book is also available from Small Press Distribution (Link). Below is the recent Publishers Weekly review of Northerners, as well as all of the back-cover blurbs:

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly. "This book will get a lot of well-deserved attention. A former public defender in New Hampshire and now a graduate student in Wisconsin, Abramson has picked up a very large following as a blogger and commentator, covering poetry, politics, and higher education, and generating a controversial, U.S. News-style ranking of graduate programs in writing. After all that, what's left for the poetry? Plenty: serious and ambitious, full of torqued proverbs and hard-to-follow advice, Abramson's own work shows a poet uncommonly interested in general statements, in hard questions, and harder answers, about how to live: 'Everyone knows what not to do/ in a dream,' he warns, 'and in a dream everyone has the heart/ to tell you who you are.' Waking life, he implies, turns out harsher, and stranger. Abramson's work as an attorney impinges on several memorable poems: 'the worst/ is meeting those people you know/ you can do nothing for.' American regions--the Upper Midwest, Boston, northern New England--also draw attention, and sometimes ire. Ultimately, though, Abramson's taut phrases show a personality, sometimes welcoming, and sometimes grimacing, at a tough, lovely, often inhospitable world: 'It is not too early for us// to turn out backs on the track,' he advises, before announcing 'YES--// there is no secret self--/ but still/ I follow it everywhere.'"

[Link].

Blurbs:

Cole Swensen. "From the first line of the first poem, this book takes us into mythical territory: mankind is walking backward, and it's back into the garden, yet this is not regressive, nor is it redemptive. A little later, an apple appears...Seth Abramson's genius lies in the ability to condense the power of our culture's founding concepts into their particulars, and then to show how those particulars are every bit as alive today, and as relevant. And he shows it more through language's muscle than through its meaning, for while he says a lot in this collection, it's the torque and snap of the medium, used as a material for art rather than as a vehicle for ideas, that keeps the reader on the page, becoming a part of it."

Peter Gizzi. "To reckon the currents of muscular energy in Seth Abramson's Northerners is to recognize that poetry may be located in language's minute particulars and in the local but it penetrates every thought, every atom of one's daily life. 'Finding your form/ is not a form of discipline,' Abramson writes. It is, as this book shows us, a form of wonder."

Don Share. "Seth Abramson's intricate, absorbing, and distinctive poems wrestle not just with language--much poetry does that--but with the objects of language: the events, landscapes, and weather that surround us and determine our lives. Dream-like, yet ever-alert, this work is memorable and illuminating."

Donald Revell (on my first book, The Suburban Ecstasies). "Working in the vivid, revivifying borderlands of such American adventures as Paul Metcalf's Genoa and Ed Dorn's Gunslinger, The Suburban Ecstasies propounds a syllabic heroism, one in which even the gentlest, most lyric proposals set forth towards ecstasy. These pages glow with immediate mastery."

You can purchase The Suburban Ecstasies from Amazon here.

A Day in the Life: A Low-Residency Schedule

2011-05-26T05:22:00.000-07:00

To give you an idea of what a low-residency week might look like, here's my schedule for today.

9:00 - 10:30 Gateway Seminar - Reading as Writer/Stage and Screen

10:30 - 12:00 Craft Seminar - Fiction/Speaking the Novel

1:00 - 2:00 Graduating student craft seminars (many to choose from!)

2:00 - 5:00 Small group workshop

5:00 - 6:15 Graduating student thesis readings

8:00 - 9:30 Graduating student thesis readings (Nightly readings alternate between Faculty Readings and Grad readings)

I mentioned in a previous post the differences between craft and gateway seminars, large group and small group workshops. Also, at Queens, we participate in seminars outside of our genre. We have astounding faculty (yes, I'm biased), writers who teach at Queens residencies, and at universities throughout the country during the rest of the year. There is a lot to take in. I'm still ruminating, for example, over Tuesday's Fiction Craft seminar about character and the question of character transformation.

It's an intense week. It's a week of being exhilarated, motivated, then crashing down exhausted. It's all consuming. And I highly recommend it.

I Wish I Had Known That...

2011-05-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

What, almost a month and no new posts? Ye gads! What is the MFA Blog coming to?!

Well, I guess this is kind of the fallow period in the MFA application cycle. Last year's applicants know where they are going, or not going, by now, and next year's applicants haven't geared up yet (or have they?)

So, I was wondering: maybe those of you who have been through this process before could do next year's newbies a favor by answering this question:

I wish I had known that...

5 Alternatives...?

2011-04-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Did you all see this article 5 Alternatives To a Creative Writing MFA over at Galley Cat?

Alternative #3: "Join a low-residency creative writing program."

A couple of folks left comments about the cost of low-residency programs - all valid points. My concern is that the author seems to think you can "join" a program (no, you must apply) ... and most (not all, but most) low-residency creative writing programs are MFA programs.

Anyone else wonder how low-residency programs made the 5 Alternatives list?

The Top 25 Underrated Creative Writing MFA Programs (2011-2012)

2011-04-18T08:48:00.001-07:00

I'm hoping that MFA applicants for the 2011-2012 application cycle will find this article helpful as they research programs. If you find the list useful, I hope you'll pass the link on to others!

Where Did You Apply? (Apr. 10)

2011-04-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

Post here to share! And don't forget to mention your genre!

Have You Ever Heard of a U.S. University Cutting a Top-Ranked Graduate Program? Neither Have I

2011-04-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

And yet, here's Pennsylvania State University. Doing just that.

I hope you'll "like" this article (link at top of article on HuffPo) and/or re-tweet it -- it's important to get the word out that there's a major attack on the literary arts now ongoing in Pennsylvania.

The Low-Residency MFA Handbook by Lori A. May

2011-03-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by Sheila R. Lamb

Anyone looking for an excellent resource on low-residency programs should read The Low-Residency MFA Handbook by Lori A. May. May presents an incredibly thorough overview of low-residency programs. Using in-depth research and interviews with faculty, students, and alumni, she examines various issues, including the application process, funding, residency experiences and "life after the MFA."

Chapter two jumps into the most important question: Is the Low-Residency Model Right for Me? May offers several topics for self-examination, including self-discipline, time, pedagogical training, the workshop approach, and many others. As with every chapter, May includes quotes from the interviews she conducted that shed light on that particular question.

For example, Jason Jack Miller, an alumnus from Seton Hill University, says this regarding artistic preparedness for low-residency programs: "A low-residency program isn't a place to decide whether or not you want to write. This type of program is for people fully committed to making the leap into writing as a lifestyle."

Specific program details are given in the core of the book, in chapter six. May lists each institution and their focus areas of study (Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenplay, young adult, etc). She also includes each person interviewed for that institution and their role, such as program director, faculty, student, and alumnus. By including interviews along with the program facts, she breaks down information for teaching philosophy, residencies, and format/study. These criteria will help you decide which program might be the best fit.

Perhaps the richest part of the book are the extended interviews, listed in Appendix A. May includes in-depth questions and answers, such as "What was your experience with non-residency semesters?" and "What can you tell us about working with your faculty mentors?"

As low-residency MFA programs proliferate, Lori A. May's Low-Residency MFA Handbook is a rare and valuable resource.

The Low-Residency MFA Handbook was published by Continuum Books.

Read more about Lori through her blog and her website.

Mailbag (Mar. 21)

2011-03-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

Post news, questions, and concerns here. Good luck to all!

Recruiting from the Other Side

2011-03-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

Last year at about this time I started getting a string of emails from Vanderbilt faculty, the first of which came from Mark Jarman, who at that time was a mythic character in my mind--one of those poets so accomplished that you don't even really think of them as a real person but as pure creative mystery. I had just left San Francisco and was driving back to Santa Cruz and checked my email on my phone. The email from Mark was cautiously optimistic and said that "nothing is final yet in our selection process." It was early Sunday afternoon, and presumably the 2010 recruitment weekend had just ended.

What I was to find out later is that over the course of the recruitment days, two of the accepted poets had seemed less than enthused about being here. I had already planned to fly to Tennessee to visit the University of Memphis, and after another encouraging email from Rick Hilles urging me to hold out a bit longer, I decided to go to Nashville, sit in on a class, meet some people, and just see. In visiting Vanderbilt I was amazed at how much effort was made for me, a waitlister. I met up with Zack, a first-year poet, and we got coffee and lunch (which he paid for) and he answered all the questions I had written down on the plane about the program. We rode to campus together where the program had arranged for me to have my own parking space for the time I was on campus that day to tour and sit in on the workshop. Zack had made copies of the poems being workshopped that day and Kate encouraged me to weigh in during the class. Afterward I met Mark Jarman, and then Rick Hilles and I went to chat on the balcony. After a while he took me on a tour of the campus and we walked around for nearly two hours talking about the program, the writers I'd studied with, Nashville, and many other things. The content of what was said was not even the most important part. It was the manner of it, and the willingness with which so much time was given.

The 10 days I spent between getting that first email from Mark and getting formally accepted to the program were a weird mix of exuberance and despair. Once I had gotten a taste of a program actually rolling out the stops, it was hard to consider any others. I had gotten to the point where I was considering not going anywhere if I didn't get in off the waitlist, so that I could reapply and hopefully attend the next year. I was lucky. Mark called the day before I was supposed to leave Nashville to accept me, and I got to go out with three of the students for margaritas that night to celebrate. I knew I'd found the right people and the right program.

This year, our MFA advisor Margaret (who is amazing) asked me to be the poetry representative in coordinating the Recruitment Weekend. So with my fiction friend Jill, we planned out Thursday through Saturday, sent emails to admitted students, made arrangements to pick everyone up from the airport, transport to and from the hotel and events, and arranged lunches and dinners and tours and coffee, doing our best to roll out the stops for people who would hopefully become our community. Neither Jill nor I had been at the recruitment activities last year, but we both feel very fortunate to be here now and can appreciate the insanity that accompanies the application season and decision-making process.

Last night as I was driving back home from the big English department party for faculty, students, and admitted students, it occurred to me that the whole thing was rather like dating, but not in exactly the way I saw it before. When I'd been going through this last year, we all heard tales of wooing by different schools and what an impact that made on the people who experienced it. Once I'd been wooed by Vanderbilt, I couldn't imagine anyone else. But from this side of things this year, I was very aware of how it seemed more like an awkward first date than a courtship. Even if the dinner is good and the guy came to pick you up and held doors open for you, it still has to feel right. First impressions are important, but sincerity is imperative.

I was impressed with the choices that the faculty had made. The personalities and backgrounds of the students are as different as my class this year, and the class that precedes us. But everyone seemed open and kind. Luckily for us current students, we're all glad to be here. When someone asked me about my experience, I could say honestly that there was nowhere I'd rather be, that everyone here is appreciated and the faculty go out of their way to make sure you get everything you need. The other thing though is that I genuinely liked everyone (which is good since I don't fake interest well) and went home a little giddy everyday at the prospect of these people being my peers. How cool to be on the other side, making sure that others feel welcome. I also know, though, how much of the decision depends on instinct. Even when people make you feel welcome, it might still not be right; no amount of urging or fun parties can make up for instinct. No matter what, you have to feel the spark. But by our last brunch today, the awkwardness of the first date seemed over. Real conversations were happening, summer plans were being discussed. Hopefully we'll get a second date.

Framework & Permission

2011-03-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

Much has been said and argued over the so-called efficacy of creative writing programs, whether they churn out writers with duplicate styles as mentors, ruin the ability to write in your unique voice, etc.(I'm not actually going to get into that argument, because I think it's silly). Now that I'm almost a year into the experience, this is what I think they most effectively provide: a framework and permission.

If you're a visitor to this website, chances are you're a writer, or you're a person who writes who thinks *someday* with enough effort you might be able to call yourself that. You also probably have done battle with friends or family members who can't conceive of this so-called profession. Is staring at a screen all day really work? they might ask. And at some point, maybe that doubt seeped in a little so that now or in the past you haven't allowed yourself enough time and space to do the work you love, or you've found convenient excuses not to write (one of mine: but I'm not inspired to write). There's also that nagging question some of us might have about the usefulness of writing: what's the point? My writing isn't going to cure cancer, maybe it won't even keep me or a family living above the poverty line.

Grad school for me has been most useful in providing a framework to dispel some of these doubts and figure out what a writing life looks like. A writing life for almost everyone includes other work, whether it be teaching, tutoring, waiting tables, or the like. In my classes, no one ever says "After this, you'll have it made." We all operate under the knowledge that this is a hard way to make a living. But there is also the expectation that nonetheless you write. No longer can you blame not writing on lack of inspiration or busyness. If you're going to be a writer, it will always be while doing other things, so if you only have an hour between 10:30 and 11:30 on a Tuesday, then dammit that's when you'll write.

This is something we all could have done before, and some of us have. But for some reason, getting into an environment with other writers gives us permission to write: writing becomes a responsibility rather than a distraction. We learn to say, "I can't go to dinner because I need to work on this story." And we are surrounded by people who think this is a useful endeavor and a valid reason. It's good practice for getting back out there where not everyone thinks so.

But this is not the only permission I'm talking about. Being in grad school also gives us a framework to pursue what interests us. At the moment for me, this means that I'm taking a nonfiction class for the first time in my life. As a documentarian, it is actually kind of strange that I haven't really learned how to write nonfiction before. Certainly I've read it and written bits of it before to accompany my photography, but now I'm actually learning to do it. But here's the thing. You can't really teach people to write, right? You can talk with them about writing and you can discuss what they've written, but there isn't a nonfiction equation just as there isn't a fiction or poetry equation. Not every story begins with a landscape or a poignant quote. But being in a writing class on this subject gives me space to read what has come before. To get in the mindset of nonfiction, to see examples of different methods, and finally to jump in feet first and see what I come up with. The other thing it does is give me a framework and permission to learn about subjects and people who interest me.

A week and a half ago, I spent the weekend in a Tumbleweed Tiny House workshop learning to build small houses and interviewing some of the people there, including the architect who leads the workshops. I've spent time with him before, interviewing and photographing him for my thesis project on the Small House Movement at UCSC in documentary work. It had been two years since I'd last seen him and despite the fact that I was still in California for half of that, I hadn't followed up on his story in spite of a genuine desire to. Because I was busy and could no longer use my thesis as an excuse for the writing. But now that I had a nonfiction class, I felt I had permission to do the work. It turns out, he'd really liked the writing I'd done before and offered to trade me a workshop (more than I could afford) for a story. It turns out that writing can be currency.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is this: grad school, while definitely a unique experience and unlike the so-called real world, puts you in a position to become an agent in your life as a writer. To claim it with confidence. Sure it's possible to get into that headspace without a program, but it might take more time. Hopefully, upon finishing a program, you'll have peers who you can exchange work with even if you end up flung to opposite sides of the country or world. We are building our own frameworks here, meeting other writers and developing support systems for after. This, I think, is where the value lies. Not just in improving your writing now, but learning how to keep improving and keep writing in the future.

Camp For Writers

2011-03-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

Trust me, no one loves the solitude of writing more than I do. I crave small, dark rooms. I relish working alone and in silence. If it were possible to write in a vacuum, I would. But I know, and we all know, that we can't. We need other people, not only to read our writing, but to critique it, massage it, cajol it, and sometimes even like it. So we join writers' groups, or apply to MFA programs, or apply to writers conferences, all in hopes of finding that writerly community where our work, and our personalities, fit in.

So how many of you are considering (or are already planning to attend) a writers conference? I've been attending the same conference for eight years now, and I can't imagine a summer without it. *FULL DISCLOSURE - I work for the Southampton Writers Conference, so yes, I'm biased.* Having said that, there are a lot of conferences in the country to choose from, so you'll need to figure out what you are looking for in a conference experience before you find the one that is right for you. Are you looking to study with a particular teacher? Are you looking for industry contacts/meet-and-greet opportunities? Are you looking for a friendly, fun atmosphere or a more competitive one? Are you looking at conferences that are sponsored by MFA programs that you would like to apply to next year? It's a good way to learn about a program without making a commitment. It also gives the program a chance to learn about you, which may help them when assessing your MFA application (and a letter of recommendation from a workshop leader never hurts either).

So what interests you about the conference experience? What would deter you? I'm more than happy to give advice based on my own conferencing adventures. Let the comments begin.

*Also, a suggestion from a friend: "Read MFA programs' literary journals and magazines. Again, another window into prospective MFA programs. You can take a stab at reviewing one, too. NewPages has an open call for reviewers. See their website for guidelines."*

Teen Novel Class

2011-03-10T11:24:00.001-08:00

Hi All. My friend Kristen Tracy is co-teaching a really cool class about Teen Novels. Moreinformation about it here. And sign-ups are here. I know this will be a great course. -- Tom Kealey

In a brand-new series of Bay Area writing classes, Kristen Tracy and Nina LaCour will teach you how to craft and publish a marketable teen novel. Together they have sold eleven novels to Simon & Schuster, Random House, Disney-Hyperion, and Penguin. They'll share their own strategies for writing and revision, and help you analyze critically and commercially successful teen novels. www.writeteen.com Nina and Kristen are both experienced teachers, who have lectured and led workshops about writing throughout the country. You can find them at twitter.com/writeteen and facebook.com/writeteen.

Between Residencies: Workshop, Critiquing, and Reading

2011-03-07T13:22:00.000-08:00

It's taken me awhile to post this because I've been busy, doing...well, all of the above. And a comment on an older Low-Residency post reminded me that I was going to fill you all in on what happens after the low-residency residency.

For Queens, we have a submission schedule for our pieces and our critiques for our small workshop groups. We've also recently received our May residency reading list, from which we choose two works to write response papers. At a casual glance of the pile o' books on my coffee table, there's about a dozen.

photo by sheila lamb

It's a mixed bag of genres - fiction (novels and short stories) poetry, critical theory, and non-fiction, plus 2 movies and online screenplays - because we're required to read for our craft, plus for additional seminars outside of chosen genre. So far, I've read 1 1/2 novels -- and need to really pick up the pace by the end of March.

Last week, March 1st, I made my second short story submission to my small group via email. Likewise, my group members did the same. Tomorrow, March 8th, our critiques of our group/pods are due.

I've spent the last week reading through the pieces. The first read is casual, where I noted general first impressions (great scene! love the imagery! or this confused me! -- at specific points) The second read, I'm a bit more critical, looking to see where things need a little work. Again, I make notes (using Track Changes). Tonight - after one more read through and pushing toward tomorrow's deadline - I'll write a 300 - 500 critical response to each group member's submission. They will do the same for me and email them. Next week, we receive our response from our professor/mentor/instructor.

Then April 1, it's time for a brand new submission - either a short story or chapter (for us fiction folks). Generally, this isn't the time to re-submit revisions, unless there is a huge, major change and something that's been discussed with the instructor. The goal is to write something new for each emailed submission.

At the end of May, we return to Charlotte for our next residency. By then, I will have completed two response papers based on this semesters readings, and will bring two new un-submitted pieces for large and small group workshops. I should have also read and viewed everything on the list, to be prepared for seminars for each topic.

The question from the previous comment was whether I felt that critique responses take away from writing and reading time. Well, yes. But so does going to the grocery store, or going to my day job, or spending an inordinate amount of time on Twitter :-) I chose Queens because of the workshop format and because I believe that the critique process is important. I think there are other posts here about balancing out critiques -- taking what is useful, what you need from them, incorporating what works for you. And when you critique, to be polite and professional. (Queens gives students a detailed handbook about the workshop/critique process). The goal is to help everyone improve their craft.

Northerners Available for Pre-Order! ($10)

2011-03-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

I hope y'all will indulge me for just a moment, as I'm very excited to learn that my second collection of poetry, Northerners, has just been reduced to $10 on Amazon.com for pre-ordering! The book will be released in a few weeks, but you can pre-order it now for this special price. I hope you'll give it a look!

Where Did You Apply? (Feb. 16)

2011-02-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

Post here to share! And don't forget to mention your genre!

Examples of Application Letters?

2011-02-15T09:26:00.001-08:00

Great Week here on the MFA Blog. Keep those posts and comments arriving!

Would anyone be willing to post their application letter? See the question below:

My name is Liam and I'm applying to do an MFA here in Ireland. I'm currently working on my personal statement and, like many others, I'm finding it quite difficult deciding what to write. I'm just wondering has anybody got any examples of personal statements that have been successful, that you could possibly send to me? I've read through the MFA blog which has been very helpful but I'd really to see some 'finished products', particularly ones that have helped earn students places. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Low-Residency Funding Opportunities

2011-02-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

Check out Lori A. May's blog and read her post about a new fellowship offered at Warren Wilson.

The Rona Jaffe Foundation Graduate Fellowship in Creative Writing. The fellowship will cover two consecutive semesters’ tuition and the fees for two residencies, plus a generous stipend to cover books, travel to residencies, childcare, or loss of income while attending each residency.

More information on the Rona Jaffe Foundation and other grant opportunities can be found on Warren Wilson's financial aid site.

The New Patronage Killed Social Activism in Poetry

2011-02-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

I just wrote a new essay I thought a few of you might be interested in -- it addresses both Tony Hoagland's poem "The Change" (and the current controversy over same) and Juliana Spahr's recent piece on the alleged "privatization of poetry." I'm hoping these topics will be relevant here, both because many applicants were speaking on Facebook recently about Hoagland, and because my take on all this boiling controversy actually has a lot to do with (as the essay details) the role of the MFA in contemporary poetry.

Suggested Distractions

2011-02-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

I remember where I was this time last year, and then a month later, and then a month after that.

Pure madness.

So I'm writing this to direct you to a couple of places you can peruse in between mad refreshing of your email inbox or this website.

For humor, some favorite online comics:

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

http://theoatmeal.com/

http://explodingdog.tumblr.com/

And for non-silly inspiration, this is one of the best places:

http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews

They have interviews with writers going back, literally, 60 years. Arranged by decade. I started with Hemingway, 1958:

"You write until you come to a place where you still have your juice and know what will happen next and you stop and try to live through until the next day when you hit it again...When you stop you are as empty, and at the same time never empty but filling, as when you have made love to someone you love. Nothing can hurt you, nothing can happen, nothing means anything until the next day when you do it again. It is the wait until the next day that is hard to get through."

What Are Programs Telling You? (Feb. 12)

2011-02-12T15:49:00.000-08:00

If you get information from a program that is unavailable elsewhere and is something other than an admissions decision, feel free to post it here. For instance, if a program tells you how many applicants they had, or how many assistantships they're offering, or what their acceptance rate is, or what their "yield" is, you can add to our communal stock of data by letting others know. Thanks in advance!

An Interview with Cara Ellen Modisett: Goucher's Low-Residency Program in Creative Non-Fiction

2011-02-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

Cara Ellen Modisett was the editor of Blue Ridge Country magazine for five years before shifting to a part-time position as editor at large while turning her attention to an MFA in creative nonfiction at Goucher College in Maryland. She is a reporter and producer for WVTF public radio and has written the text for two books on the Blue Ridge Parkway, besides working as a collaborative pianist and as a writing and music teacher at the independent Community High School in Roanoke, Va. She completed undergraduate degrees in music performance and English education at James Madison University.

Cara shares with us her transition from journalism to creative non-fiction, and how a low-residency program played a role.

Q. Why did you decide to pursue an MFA given your successful journalism background?

A. For several reasons, practical and artistic, I guess! It was an extremely difficult decision to leave Blue Ridge Country magazine. I love the publication and much of my work as an editor, but knew I didn't want to edit forever - I went into journalism in order to write, and that's where my greatest love lies, in journalism. My other great love is music, and I knew that I couldn't pursue an MFA, play music and work full-time as an editor and have any sleep whatsoever.

I wanted to be a better writer, and I missed school, learning -- I missed being part of a community of students and teachers, and the intensive study and creativity that goes into academic work. My hope is to eventually teach at a university level, for the same reasons, and an MFA will (I hope) make that more possible.

Q. Why did you decide on a low-residency program?

A. Really, for financial reasons. It would have been too risky to drastically reduce my income over two years, plus pay a full-time tuition, though part of me would love to drop everything -- music, teaching, radio -- and do nothing but go to school! But I would miss the other work too much.

Q. What drew you to Goucher? What are the program strengths that you have experienced thus far?

A. A faculty member at Hollins University sent me a good resource for low-residency programs, and I researched 20-some. There was no question in my mind that Goucher was top choice -- I liked its focus on journalism and narrative, and its teachers -- faculty and visiting writers -- included names like Tom French and Susan Orlean. When I contacted Patsy Sims, the director, she was accessible and generous with her time, talking with me on the phone and answering all my questions, and putting current students and alumni in touch with me. They answered my questions honestly and enthusiastically, and I had a great sense of a community that was close-knit, encouraging and creative, not competitive.

My two-week residency at Goucher last summer confirmed these impressions. The design of the program creates that close community, and I made good friends during those two weeks. From the first day there, conversation was all about writing -- "What's your project?" is the most-asked question on campus, I'm sure. First- and second-year students alike were excited, wanted to share their work and their inspirations, but also weren't afraid to talk about their worries. Students keep in touch through e mail and social media, formally and informally. The mentors are warm and take a deep interest in their students' work. It was hard to leave Goucher after those two inspiring weeks, but the program's semester structure, in which students communicate with each other and their mentors regularly through Blackboard,

email, phone and snail mail, helps us keep up our momentum.

Objectively, the program is well-designed for a working writer, as is its intent. We complete our program in two years, generally, working with four mentors and small groups during that time. I just got back from a mini-residency in Buffalo, N.Y. with my spring semester mentor and five other students. We are required to do a 45-hour internship during those two years (I'll be interning at Shenandoah, the literary journal at Washington & Lee University) and a craft paper, and at the end of the two years the goal is to come out with a 150-page manuscript.

The range of experience among students also creates a great community -- some of us have had years of experience, multiple books written and published, jobs with publications including the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor. Some of us are fresh out of undergrad programs. We have sports writers, memoirists, historians, newspaper editors, essayists, teachers, investigative reporters among us. Last summer, a student and a teacher each had a book on the New York Times bestseller list.

Q. Has your writing changed since starting Goucher?

A. Enormously. I have moved from being a magazine journalist, confined to 500-word columns and 1,500-word features, to an essayist, a transformation I never would have predicted. I started the program expecting to do a journalism-based project, in the realm of travel writing or human interest, and at the end of my two-week residency I realized I would be writing essays -- both personal and reported. Reading the work of Adam Hochschild and Lisa Knopp (both of whom spent time with us at Goucher, lecturing, reading and talking) turned around my idea of writing. I'm finding my writing is freeing up, that I'm thinking differently, my brain's going in directions it's not gone before. Madeleine Blais and Diana Hume George, my first two mentors, have encouraged me in this turn toward essay. Writing has become exploration, meditation, philosophy for me, in a way. I'm looking at language, ideas, place, structure, history, myself, differently.

Contact Cara through the Blue Ridge Country Blog: RidgeLines.

Syracuse Fiction

2011-02-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

George Saunders dropped me an email this morning, re: Have the Syracuse Fiction Offers gone out yet? (This was a significant topic in the mailbag)

No. They have not. At least another 10 days and perhaps longer. They received a ton of applications. As always, they are carefully considering.

Hope this is helpful.

-- Tom Kealey

Now That You Have Submitted Your Applications....

2011-02-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

You may want to consider (or continue) applying for prizes and awards. There are a number of resources out there listing prizes, grants and awards - from Poets & Writers to the Writers Chronicle. But be sure to research the prize to make sure it is legitimate and then read the fine print (look out for the fees). For those of you who are still undergraduates, there are some interesting possibilities out there. Stony Brook Southampton has a $1000 Short Fiction Prize open to all full-time undergraduates in the US and Canada (no fee). NewPages.com has a list of contests organized by deadline dates.

What contests have you entered? What was the result? Any to recommend? Comments, please!

Where Did You Apply? (Jan. 27)

2011-01-27T09:50:00.001-08:00

Post here to share! And don't forget to mention your genre!

Mailbag (Jan. 27)

2011-01-27T09:44:00.001-08:00

Post news, questions, and concerns here. Good luck to all!

2010-11 Application Response Data Bank

2011-01-26T17:37:00.000-08:00

You can find it here. A few quick (but important) notes about it:

1. Once you're in the Data Bank, search for new application responses by pressing "Ctrl+F" and then entering "2011." This should cycle you through all 2011 entries in the Data Bank.

2. Please do read the introduction to the Data Bank post, as it explains not only what all the symbols mean but also how to properly (and without significant damage to your psyche) use the Data Bank.

3. Please consider mentioning which programs you applied to at least once in the comment thread for the Data Bank, whether you are adding an entry yourself or simply commenting on others' posts.

4. Please consider donating to The Suburban Ecstasies if you're going to be using the Data Bank or other TSE resources on a regular basis. It's certainly not required, but it would be a nice way to recognize the effort behind the site and the data. PayPal is secure and does not require a PayPal account.

5. You can add your own data to the Data Bank by commenting in the comment fields. Please be courteous to others in your comments and responses!

Capital New York: The New School MFA Program

2011-01-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

Just came across this article in Capital New York on doing an MFA in New York City. An excerpt:

New York City is renowned all over the world as a great place for writers. But it can be a terrible place for M.F.A. students, at least those at programs that don’t offer much by way of funding, with its prohibitively high cost of living and famously anti-ascetic temptations. (By way of disclosure: I still owe the federal government $37,300 for my four-year-old New School M.F.A.)

....

Programs like the New School’s, in contrast to smaller, more exclusive and better funded programs of renown at large universities in less glamorous locales, function a little bit like the notorious for-profit technical institution in the disadvantaged neighborhood: only instead of luring the unwed mother into debt promising lucrative skilled positions in medicine, they attract like bees to honey the waylaid liberal arts postgraduate working an unsatisfying advertising job, certain he’s got a novel in him if only someone else will drag it from him.

Thought it might be an interesting read. Turns out pretty much everybody has the same sorts of concerns Tom and I have been writing about for many years. Including graduates of NYC MFA programs.

Top 10 Creative Writing MFA Program Websites

2011-01-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

I've got a new article up at The Huffington Post; I'm hoping to give some recognition to MFA programs that have made real strides in transparency re: their promotional materials. Hope you'll pass on the link!

The Creative Writing MFA - A Professor's Point of View

2011-01-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

The Chronicle of Higher Education just published an excerpt from Roger Rosenblatt's new book, Unless It Moves the Human Heart: The Craft and Art of Writing. In it he discusses the graduate-level creative writing workshop from a professor's point of view. What are your thoughts on it? Comments?

New Mail Bag (Jan. 23rd)

2011-01-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

Post news, questions, and concerns here.

Good luck to everyone!

Where Are You Applying / Did You Apply? (Jan. 23)

2011-01-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

Post here & let us know your plans! Don't forget to say your genre!

An Interview With Poet Daniel Romo: Transferring Low-Residency Programs

2011-01-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

Daniel Romo's first book of poetry Romancing Gravity will be released later this year by Pecan Grove Press. He's also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and for the Best of the Net Anthology. He began his MFA studies at Antioch University Los Angeles before transferring to Queens University of Charlotte's low residency MFA program. I decided to ask him why.

Q: Why transfer?

A: I was fortunate to have a nice amount of success during my first two terms at Antioch, including a number of publications in journals, inclusion in an anthology of Southern California poets, nomination for two prestigious literary awards, and my poetry manuscript was accepted for publication. I made the decision to transfer because I wanted to keep the momentum going and simply focus on the writing. Queens allows me to do that. I was also attracted to the workshop format, and the many great things I heard about the Queens program.

Q: What kind of impact do you think commuting has on the creative process?

A: I drove to Antioch every day. It took anywhere from a half hour to an hour and a half to get there, depending on the time of day I left my house. I tried to avoid rush hour as best I could, but that’s not easy in Southern California. A residency is intense. By the end of the day I was emotionally, mentally, even spiritually drained, and the daily drive didn’t help. I was exhausted by the time I got home each night. I got used to it, but it would’ve been much easier to have stayed in a nearby hotel. I derive inspiration from several sources (which in part contribute to my creative process). I enjoy being around other people who are creatively inclined, such as at open mics, poetry readings, and just hanging out socializing and talking shop. I didn’t get the opportunity immerse myself in the Antioch community as I would have liked because I wanted to preserve myself for the next day. Consequently, my creative process was stifled. At Queens I stayed in a hotel. We were shuttled to the university every morning and shuttled back at the end of the day. I was able to maintain a freshness that allowed me to relax and enjoy everything I experienced. I became a part of the community because I didn’t have to worry about driving home after a long day. This enabled me to make connections and form bonds that go far beyond a sense of inspiration.

Q: What strengths did you find in Antioch's program?

A: Antioch is a rigorous, well-rounded program. Students are not only challenged to be excellent writers, but to make a difference as a writer in the community. There is a heavy emphasis on social justice, which distinguishes Antioch from other low residency MFA programs. The diversity also sets it apart, and is what initially attracted me to the program. I think a writer benefits from being around a variety of people. The mentors are excellent, the program is very structured, and Antioch prepares the writer for life after graduation, including providing a Post-MFA Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing, should one decide to pursue it.

Q. What strengths have you found so far at Queens?

A: Queens lets the writer write. We are given the luxury of focusing on honing our craft without worrying about long critical papers and other requirements not directly related to our own writing. The workshop format provides us not only feedback from our mentor, but from three of our peers, allowing for different perspectives. The sense of community is incredibly strong at Queens. Even though I experienced only one residency thus far, I felt the genuine spirit of goodwill that exudes throughout the program. Everyone was so warm and welcoming. Let’s face it, writing can be a lonely endeavor. The residency is where the semester begins. But the real work starts when we go home and are on our own, where it’s up to us to write our best work, alone. As I begin preparing the first submission to my group, I still feel a strong connection. That connection was created during the residency when we went out to eat, hung out at night chatting over “beverages,” and rode on the shuttle from our hotels to the college. I met some wonderful, creative people that I know are pulling for me, as I am pulling for them. The faculty is strong, the campus is gorgeous making it conducive to maintaining as fresh a mind as possible in a low residency setting, and the program is well-organized.

Q: What differences between the two programs are there in terms of assignments, writing new pieces and deadlines? Do you find one program more challenging than the other?

A: Both programs require you to read a number of books each semester. Both programs also require you to submit a certain number of works to your mentor each month, as well as teach a seminar in your graduating residency. But Antioch has more program requirements. This includes a five-page critical paper, participating in a ten-week translation seminar and online conference, a longer critical paper (25-40 pages), and engaging in a social justice field study. All of this makes for a challenging experience. While Queens does not have as many program requirements, the challenge is just as great considering the focus is solely on the writing.

Q: What are the differences in teacher to student instruction and how you learn to become a better poet?

A: I teach high school creative writing and tell my students all the time, “You guys don’t know how lucky you are to have me.” Of course, I mean that in the least self-absorbed manner possible. I’m fortunate to be learning from the best writers in the country. In turn, I’m providing my students with much of what I’ve learned. And while graduate school has been an invaluable resource towards pursuing a writing career, the majority of what I’ve learned has been due to my insatiable quest to become a better writer. Even before graduate school, I was constantly reading, writing, reading at open mics, going to readings, sending out my work for publication, and immersing myself in creative culture. I don’t think being enrolled in a graduate program will make anyone a better writer. It’s up to the individual to do that. Graduate school gives me a sense of validation and further inspires me. There are a number of writers I admire that never attended a graduate writing program. This is getting convoluted. Most of my students will stop writing creatively after they leave the class. Nonetheless, my job is to teach so that I see growth from all students from the beginning of the year to the end. And for those few that do plan on writing creatively beyond high school, my job is also to inspire them enabling them to see if they want it bad enough and are willing to work, they can have it.

Q: How did the snow inspire your poetry?

A: Ha. The snow was amazing. I’m in my thirties and I haven’t experienced snow since 6^th grade camp. We had snow days the first two days of the residency. I didn’t even know they really existed! I also didn’t know how much I needed a change in scenery in regards to my writing. It seemed to give me clarity. My second day in Charlotte I walked outside in front of the hotel and plodded about, just letting the flakes fall on me. Just let ‘em fall. My last day there I took a walk through a neighborhood and found a bench nestled amongst houses, trees, and a tennis court (yes, a tennis court). It gave me the opportunity to jot done some things and reflect on the week. And while I don’t think I’ll create pastoral masterpieces anytime soon, I was able write a poem inspired by the snow.

More of Daniel Romo's poetry can be found on his blog: http://danielromo.wordpress.com/ Feel free to contact Daniel with questions at: danromo@charter.net

MFA Programs Overly Focused on Short Fiction? Food for thought. . .

2011-01-18T06:58:00.001-08:00

Author Cathy Day has a great essay over at The Millions about MFA (and undergraduate) programs tendency to favor short fiction over the novel.

For added bonus, she blogs about what she went through to get the essay published here.

If you're currently in an MFA program or an alum of one, what do you think of her perspective?

I have to say, one thing I know from my research and experience is that UK creative writing programs tend to focus more on the novel because there is even less of the market for short fiction in the UK than there is here (far fewer literary magazines, for example). The novel is the currency of fiction publishing in the UK, period.

There are a few programs, UNC Wilmington is one of them, that focus on longer works. What about others?

NEW! The Creative Writing PhD Blog

2011-01-17T13:41:00.001-08:00

This new blog (see the link at right or below) is something of an experiment to gauge whether there's enough interest and participation among doctoral program applicants to maintain a sister blog devoted solely to doctoral programs in creative writing. You can find the new site here. Feedback appreciated!

My First Low-Residency at Queens University of Charlotte

2011-01-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

Overall: I loved it! I was learning, I was writing, I was challenged to think and write in new directions. Faculty, staff, and students were extremely supportive and, at the same time, provided balanced critique. Meaning: no one was “too nice” and everyone followed the critiquing golden rule to critique as you would like to be critiqued. Seminars and craft classes examined topics such as Literary Reviewing, Writing the Other, and the Joy of Writing Sex, as well as a program-wide panel on magazine publishing. Interspersed throughout the day were graduate student craft presentations and thesis readings. Faculty readings in each genre were given in the evenings, including readings by Peter Stitt (non-fiction), Dave Johnson (screenwriting), Fred Leebron (fiction), and Morrie Creech (poetry).

Sunday: We arrived in Charlotte and met for an opening reception Sunday night on Queens campus. Students and faculty received a warm welcome from program director Fred Leebron and on-campus director, Michael Kobre. It was an opportunity to mingle, to meet students from all residency levels and genres, and to exchange manuscripts with our large and small groups. Our large group instructors were Elissa Schappell and Steve Rinehart. Part of the group meetings introduced us to our adviser/mentor for the semester (for me, Steve Rinehart!) and to review the critique how-to’s, along with the critiquing handbook given to us in advance.

Our program coordinator and directors had warned us that a storm was forecast, for the first time in low-residency history, and to be prepared for a few schedule changes.

Then...it snowed. To my hometown - which comprises the D.C. Metro Area – I will never make fun of you again for your snow panic. Charlotte wins. The Queen City shut down completely - for approximately five inches of snow. Now, for all you snow-scoffers out there, it was snow and ice. The roads were completely covered in ice and we really could have skated to campus.

The upshot was that for January residency, MFA students stayed in three nearby hotels with shuttle service, since undergraduates filled the dorms (we’ll stay in the dorms during the May residency when undergrads are gone). The hotel was able to provide conference room space, so with some creative scheduling, we continued with workshops on Monday and Tuesday even though the campus had shut down.

Monday: Our first seminar on Literary Reviewing of Fiction (for year 1 and 2 students) was held at the Marriot. Jenny Offill gave an engaging and thorough presentation on the in’s, outs, and how-to of literary reviewing. We also discussed the advent of user-created book review blogs and the impact on book critics. This was one of my favorite aspects about the entire program – discussion is highly encouraged in all seminars.

Tuesday: Campus was closed again (and the public schools were closed for the entire week!) So we were given the unprecedented gift of time in the morning to spend with our group manuscripts to read and critique. We met again at the Marriot in the afternoon, and examined the two manuscripts. For our particular group, the writer listens and takes note while his/her piece is being workshopped. Questions and comments by the writer are saved until the end. I felt that the critiques of my piece were spot on (ex: more character development). There were some things I disagreed with but only as a technicality (ex: dialogue tags – I minimize them. One workshopper wanted more of them). It’s the writers call.

By Wednesday, we were up and running full speed ahead! All missed seminars and graduate thesis readings were rescheduled into the remainder of the week. Kudos to Melissa, our program coordinator, who successfully accomplished the scheduling feat!

I’ll sum up the rest of the week - and what happens next throughout the semester - in another post. Right now, I have homework to do!

Richard Ford Joins Fiction Faculty @ #34 Ole Miss

2011-01-07T17:46:00.001-08:00

Read the story at The Huffington Post, here. If I read this right, Ford fills the position formerly held by the late Barry Hannah.

New Mail Bag (Jan. 6th)

2011-01-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

This is the place to post questions or concerns and share info.

Please use the "Where Are You Applying / Did You Apply?" thread for program lists. Good luck to everyone!

Where Are You Applying? / Where Did You Apply? (Jan. 6)

2011-01-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Post here and let us know your plans! (And the best of luck to everyone with applications!) Don't forget to mention your genre!

TSE MFA Data and Rankings Now Live (Again)

2011-01-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

The rankings and data formerly on The Suburban Ecstasies are now once again live (scroll down on the right-hand sidebar). The rankings and data can also be located via the sidebar on this site.

Low Res? Ready!

2011-01-06T07:08:00.000-08:00

I spent this week going back and forth over which manuscripts to bring to my first low-residency in Charlotte. I have my always-a-work-in-progress-historical-fiction, as well as a recent collection of short stories.

At Queens, writers participate in small group (3 - 4 members) and large group (7 - 8 members, comprised of small group + another) workshops. Manuscript submissions to each group are limited to 25 pages. My short story collection ms ran 25 1/2 pages. No amount of editing (or at least the cuts I was willing to make) could shorten that last paragraph. I could have done some creative font changes and page break deletions but decided against it - sticking to guidelines and all that. I'd have to cut one story.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/subcess/3723699858/

Next, I reviewed the historical fiction piece. My plan was to submit it to the small group. These will be the folks I'll be working with for the rest of the semester. The first chapter? All good.The next two or three - eh. Needs a little more revision. A little more cleaning up. But isn't this what the workshop and semester long project is about? I asked myself all week. Alternately, I reasoned, I don't want to throw crap at people. Ok, it's not crap, but it needs...well, you see where my thought process has been since Monday.

My current solution? Leave the historical fiction at home. I've divided up the short stories, for small and large group submissions. It makes more sense to focus on one project at a time.

I'm still wavering...I might end up making copies of the of the historical fiction chapters and bring them along, just in case I change my mind. Again.

2010-2011 MFA Blog Challenge: New Year Check-in!

2011-01-03T15:10:00.000-08:00

Hello all! If you remember, earlier in the application season, I asked you all what you were doing to cope with the stress of applying and MFA Blog obsession--and how you'd stay fulfilled as writers throughout the process. How is it coming in the heat of deadline season?

Last time I posted, kaybay embraced the all-consuming drama of the season (Good for kaybay!) but suggested sending work out to journals as much as possible, and Bryan agreed. Katie Oh set out to explore her college town while she still could. Jaime's hitting the gym, and new poster E.T. is expanding stories from the all-important writing sample into a larger collection.

Perhaps most ambitiously, Blob declared a self-imposed NaNoWriMo when response season kicks off in February. Will anyone join Blob? I think it's a great idea, and--since I'm in a fiction workshop this spring (with phillywriter, woot!)--I just might join up, too!

Give us an update, or add your two cents! How's it coming, gang?

Six More Myths About the Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts (@ The Huffington Post)

2010-12-27T18:42:00.001-08:00

You can find the new article here. If you like it, I hope you'll share it with others via Facebook, Twitter, &c. Busting these myths is critical to a better understanding of why young poets and writers actually seek out an MFA degree -- and why it's so critical that programs and working artists get together to make the MFA experience better.

Mailbag (Dec. 27)

2010-12-27T13:22:00.000-08:00

{NB: Moving this up}. I think it's that time again. Have at it!

Where Are You Applying? (Dec. 23)

2010-12-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

Post here and put in your two cents!

Add These Resources to Your Arsenal

2010-12-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

Leave no stone unturned with these useful writing resources from around the blogosphere.

The Council of Writing Program Administrators is focused on developing and directing writing programs; although, I wonder whether or not the AWP has any connections. Is this a rogue organization? Someone else may have the answers. Anyhow, their website has a job board that you may find invaluable.

We’ve previously mentioned The Owl that works for Purdue. Here’s a stodgier version that’s put out by The Writing Center of Harvard. The writing topics, such as Transitioning: Beware of Velcro, can come in handy with your next batch of green writers.

Interested in writing for magazines (and the magazine publishing world)? FOLIO has the latest industry news and some job listings on its nifty site.

Erika Dreifus has a plethora of little tidbits, job listings, and information on her informative site.

MFA or NYC? Teaching the Short Story

2010-12-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

The question is finally answered...in case you were wondering.

Universities Gain Power in a Literary World

Jess raised the original article in her earlier post. Harbach's article looks at the NYC writing world vs academia and the prolific rise of MFA programs. In Sunday's NPR interview, Harbach contends that the MFA will eventually win out because it is "probably the more durable model."

I'm curious what everyone thinks about Harbach's point that academia focuses on the short story? My two cents: "Academia" doesn't prevent anyone from writing a novel if they choose. I think a lot of writers (including myself) set out to write the Great American Novel without having the preciseness of prose that a short story requires. Is a short story focus a short sighted approach to teaching creative writing?

Workshop Etiquette

2010-12-13T19:33:00.001-08:00

You know the old joke about how there's an asshole in every room, so if you look around and you don't see the asshole, it's you? I feel that way about workshops – there's always that one person, right? And it's not that they're rude or ego maniacal or attention-hogging (though that's sometimes part of it), it's mostly that their comments on your work just aren't useful. I once got a comment on a piece that said, "C'mon, Sally Jane, you can do better than this." Or then there was the guy who said, "I mean, it's good and all, but I just don't like it." Or the time a classmate criticized my play (set in Tennessee) because "this kind of thing would never happen in Minnesota." How is that helpful?

The whole purpose of a workshop, whether as part of your MFA program or in an independent writers group, is to help the writer with his/her work and development of craft. My basic rule for any comment is if it's not useful to the writer, then keep it to yourself. Avoid delving into the writer's psychology or personal life ("Your characters are having trouble with their marriage; is this because your own marriage is falling apart?"), and try to remember that just because something is outside your own realm of experience doesn't make its existence impossible.

But don't listen to me. Listen to Meir Ribalow. He runs a playwrights group at The Player's Club in New York City, and he begins every session with a recitation of his rules. I think these rules are genius, and everyone in every workshop on earth should use them. So here they are:

All comments have to be constructive. No trash talking allowed.
You have to comment on the work in front of you, not what you would have written if it had been your idea. Even if you think your idea is better.
No invidious comparisons. Saying "Sophocles did this better" isn't helpful.
Don't try to rewrite for the author. The author can do that him/herself. Just point out the areas of concern.

So what has your experience been like? Got any workshop horror stories? Or rules you think should be added to the list? Comments, please! (Constructive ones, of course.)

Distraction & Inspiration: Dean Young

2010-12-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

Hello all! So a friend of mine posted this online earlier and I wanted to share it. It's a letter that Dean Young wrote to his then-21-year-old nephew about the life of the writer. For those of you drowning in Priority Mail envelopes and suffering to remember all the different passwords you set up for online apps, take a break before the big push, and remember why you're doing this:

Letter from Uncle Dean

Here's his wonderful voice in poetry (and Poetry):

Winged Purposes

And for anyone reading this who doesn't already know, Dean Young is in dire need of a heart transplant and a fund has been set up to help with his substantive medical costs. If you can spare $5 (that's like half a transcript, right?) or just want to read Tony Hoagland's appeal, go thisaway:

Transplant - Dean Young

Hope everyone's makin' it through! I have three papers to write in less than a week and about 10 poems to revise. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Cheers,
Amanda

(Vandy '12)

America's "Two Literary Cultures"

2010-11-30T11:03:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have not seen this article, it is a very interesting angle on what is happening in the American literary community today. Do you agree with the points made? How many of you attend school/write or wish you attended school/wrote in New York City?

Mailbag (Nov. 19)

2010-11-19T12:46:00.002-08:00

Here's hoping we can keep the mail bags under 1k this year : - )

(Just moving the mail bag up)

Holiday Cheer from Strunk & White

2010-11-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

I’m going to be honest. I’d found a different link to share, one that would have been accompanied by a few paragraphs of thoughtfulness, plus a question or two for your consideration. But due to the clutter of my writer’s brain, compounded by the clutter of pre-Thanksgiving angst, I cannot remember what it was about or even where I saw it. While searching for clues this morning, I stumbled upon a McSweeney’s piece from last summer—a riff on the grand arbiters Strunk and White—and it made me smile. What writer hasn’t been caught in the tug of war between syntax and personal style? I love the Elements and its authors, and I love this. Hope you enjoy. Likely my other idea will come flashing back while I’m on the train home for the holiday. In the meantime, just be thankful I didn’t include a transcript of last night’s vegetable and side dish debate.

Christmastime

2010-11-18T20:20:00.000-08:00

You know that feeling you had when you were a kid? You'd go to bed on Christmas Eve, absolutely giddy at the thought of what tomorrow would bring. I remember going to sleep right next to the Christmas tree at my grandparents' house, convinced that I could stay awake to spot Santa leaving me, say, She-Ra's bad-ass horse, Swift Wind. And of course, I never could stay awake. The next morning, the magic spell would still be intact: the tree lit up and the toy I'd wanted so badly sitting there next to my overflowing stocking; everything was as close to perfect as I could hope for.

I've got to be honest. I didn't expect the MFA experience to be perfect. I did an MA program in a different field before this one, and when I finished, I was frustrated, seemingly more unemployable with my higher (though not terminal) degree, and without any real additional knowledge or experience to show for it. So, I went into my current program with open, even jaded, eyes. And you know what? They're losing their jadedness. I had serious concerns about burnout, or even my ability to write so consistently. I've always been the kind of writer who works when inspiration strikes. And that's usually only once every month or two. But being here, having a structure and deadlines, specific forms to adhere to? I love it. More than I ever thought I would. One semester in, and I'm still having fun.

In the last few weeks, I've seen Margaret Atwood, Aimee Bender, Tom Sleigh, Carl Phillips, and Kate Daniels read; I picked up former New Yorker poetry editor and current PSA president Alice Quinn from the airport; a fellow poet and I chatted with Tom Sleigh one morning about poetry, The Life of Brian, and the state of Syria and Lebanon. The weekend before last, all of us students attended an all-day symposium about work opportunities outside of academia with four published writers with MFA's who now work in different fields (while still publishing). Last week we all went out for drinks with Carl after his reading (which he said was lovely and something many programs don't do). And last night, before her reading, we all went out for Indian food to celebrate the publication of Kate's new book, and then heard her read her challenging, unflinching, amazing poetry.

All of this is to say that every damn day feels like Christmas here, if your favorite kind of Christmas is one filled with books and other people who love writing. Even when I'm writing a paper about how a stanza works in a poem or forcing myself to learn the form of a rondeau, or spending hours staring at one poem with no idea where to go with it: all of it contains a little bliss. And I really think being here is the best-case scenario.

When I applied to schools, I tried really hard not to get attached to any of them preemptively. I chose only schools I felt I would genuinely be happy at (primarily based on location and funding). I didn't spend much time researching faculty, because it's such a craps shoot where you'll get in. I'm lucky to have ended up with teachers whose work I admire and whose teaching skills I appreciate. For those of you currently in the application process, one thing I learned was to shoot high. So many people on this blog ended up places they never thought they would, myself included. Don't apply to schools unless you genuinely want to go there. And also? Keep a sense of humor about all of this. You're all about to go headlong into insanity. But I really think it'll be worth it.

Where Are You Applying? (Nov. 18), Pt. 2

2010-11-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

Post here and put in your two cents! Lurkers particularly, we'd love to hear where you're applying! (And for all: Helpful MFA data, including MFA rankings, is in The Suburban Ecstasies sidebar.)

Where Are You Applying? (Nov. 18), Pt. 1

2010-11-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

Post here and put in your two cents! (And for helpful MFA data, including MFA rankings, see The Suburban Ecstasies sidebar.)

James Frey and the Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts (A New Article From The Huffington Post)

2010-11-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

My most recent Huffington Post article can be found here. If you like it I'll hope you'll re-tweet, post on Facebook, etcetera. My other MFA articles for The Huffington Post can be accessed at the top of the right-hand sidebar on my blog, The Suburban Ecstasies.

Low-Residency Prep: The Countdown Begins!

2010-11-16T07:39:00.000-08:00

The January countdown begins! I haven't paid these people at Queens a dime yet and I've been up to my nose in reading and writing. That's okay because, so far, all the books have been great. Currently reading: Your Blues Ain't Like Mine by Bebe Moore Campbell. Books completed...A Sport and a Pastime, by James Salter, Spending by Mary Gordon, The Passion by Jeannette Winterson, and Revolutionary Road by Robert Yates (no, the movie doesn't count!) There are a few more to go and I plan to have them completed, along with reading log and response papers, by January (as soon as Nanowrimo is over!)

This is how it has worked so far. Upon acceptance into the Queen's program, we newbies received an in-depth syllabus that explained the workshops and seminars for the January residency as well as our required assignments. Each workshop and seminar has a required reading list - 2 - 4 books each. The seminars are based on a particular theme, reflected in the instructors choice of required reading. In total, there are 12 craft seminars, broken down by genre - fiction, nonfiction, poetry and stage and screen. Two larger seminars are required, regardless of genre, on topics such as literary reviewing, depending on whether you are a first, second or third residency student. Finally, there are two manuscript workshops, in large and small group settings.

This week, a third residency student contacted all of us with a detailed, FAQ email about the program. She let us know what would happen when we first arrive on campus, how the meal plans work, where the library is located, and what happens at the end of the day (ie, where can we get dinner and a drink?)
This also opened up the opportunity for us newbies to introduce ourselves via email to everyone else. Its been fun to get to know everyone. Even better, I've met some folks in my general neck of the woods, so we've discussed carpooling to Charlotte and possible meet ups, before or after the residency.

Let me know if you have questions about the low residency process. I plan on keeping you all updated as I go along. Keep writing!

The Top 25 Underrated Creative Writing MFA Programs (Article from The Huffington Post)

2010-11-13T18:03:00.001-08:00

See the full listing here.

Take the 2010-2011 MFA Blog Challenge!

2010-11-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hello, all! Adam again.

As I'm hitting the intense part of the semester--preparing final projects, revising work, and drafting those dreaded 20-page papers--I'm reminded of how much worse it was to apply to school. Lots of schools, really: 8, which probably wasn't even enough. I don't miss the experience.

Worse yet was the aftermath, the waiting, the constant visits to MFA Blog. Refresh! Refresh! I wasn't the narrator in the story by Benjamin Percy, but I was nearly as desperate. Who had a friend who heard so-and-so got wait-listed where? Oh, at Notre Dame? I didn't apply there. Refresh! Any news was NEWS, and I was hooked. While this blog does an amazing job providing vital information--seriously, it's the envy of my friends in other fields--I don't think its head honchos want it to ruin your day-to-day lives.

The only thing that got me through the stress in November and December was working on my manuscript and my statements. In January, once most of the apps were sent, I wrote new poems, read a lot, sent work out to journals, applied to residencies, etc. By the time March rolled around, I had to regiment myself. Finish this chaper, and I can visit MFA Blog! I still managed a daily visit, and I still managed to feel fulfilled outside of the application process.

So I'd like to invite you guys to take part in a little challenge where you set your own rules:

How will you stay fulfilled as a writer while you apply, and then while you wait for the responses?
Will you regiment yourself to make sure you aren't spending entire days (and workdays) refreshing?

Share ideas in the comments section! I'll be checking in through the season to ask how everyone's doing. Good luck to everyone who's in the thick of it!

The New Face of the Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts (An Article at The Huffington Post)

2010-11-04T13:50:00.001-07:00

[PS: Don't forget to vote in the 2010 TSE Poll if you haven't already! You can find it in the right-hand sidebar at TSE].

My current article for The Huffington Post responds to claims made by both Anis Shivani and the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) about the present and future of the MFA degree. I think you'll find the article filled with interesting data; it may even be the sort of article you can pass along to friends or family who wonder why you're pursuing this degree. So feel free to comment under the post itself at The Huffington Post, pass the link along via Facebook and Twitter, etcetera.

Mailbag (Nov. 3)

2010-11-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

Not a new mailbag, but an up-dating (literally) of the old one.

Recommendations

2010-11-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! As I wrap up my applications, I am struggling with one major thing: recommendations. I have been "out of the game" for a few years pursuing other jobs and, later, yoga and feel very distant from my university professors. While I am still in touch with them about writing a letter for me , and with my professor from the workshop I attended this summer, I am getting worried that I will not be able to flush out three solid recommendations from this pool.

I have some wonderful bosses who I know would love to write a recommendation for me, but they can only speak to my leadership, attitude, etc. Any creative ideas/suggestions?

Leaping Before I Look

2010-11-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

I love hearing David Rakoff speak for several reasons, including but not limited to: 1) He called Barbara Bush a "stupid f*****g cow," 2) He is always honest about how difficult writing is and how long it takes him to do it, and 3) As he is revealing the truth about himself, he is also revealing the truth about me.

Case in point, last night I had the privelege of hearing David read from his new book Half Empty during the Writers Speak series at Stony Brook Manhattan. During the Q & A afterwards, he was asked how he finally made the transition from publishing house lackey/occasional freelance writer to celebrated author of three books. He said that he finally had to just face his fear of failure and go for it. The publishing gig was a comfortable job that didn't require much from him, gave him health insurance, and a salary close enough to a living wage. He recognized that those circumstances, though not ideal, were certainly sustainable, and he could continue on that same path for a long time. Except that he couldn't. He couldn't stand the thought of living the rest of his life regretting that plunge into the unknown that he never took. So he jumped.

As he told his story, I began to squirm in my seat. He was hitting very close to home. I, too, have a comfortable, unobtrusive day job. In fact, when people ask me what I "do," I reply that in real life I am a writer and in fake life I work for a non-profit organization. The truth is that I spend seven hours a day, five days week on my fake life, and not nearly that much time on my real life. And my real life is the one I actually want to be leading. So what to do? According to David Rakoff, jump.

Sound familiar, dear reader? Are you jumping or just looking over the edge?

Yoga and Writing

2010-11-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

In my time as a yogini and now yoga teacher, I have noticed that a great number of my truly devoted students are also writers. Workshops focusing on practicing yoga and then journaling or writing a more creative piece are popping up in studios all over my city. While I love this idea, I tend to find that yoga (and really any form of intense physical exercise) clears my mind to the point that I have no writing in my head to put on the page. It's like I'm too calm to create.

Are many of you out there yogis? Do you find it helps or hinders your creative process? Both yoga and writing are disciplines, but I cannot determine if they feed or inhibit each other.

Also, with a hat tip to my procrastination post, sometimes I tell myself "I'll just finish writing this chapter after yoga class..."

Going Grey Gardens

2010-11-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

Do you watch Bored to Death? For those who may not be familiar with the HBO comedy, Jonathan Schwartzman’s character is a writer-slash-private detective, and last night’s episode opened with a scene of him in his apartment, working on a short story. The phone rings; a friend asks to come over. He hesitates before responding: “The place is very Grey Gardens at the moment. I’ve been writing.”

I hope I’m not the only person who understands too well what he means. And it got me thinking—not only about the mess that consumes my studio after a few marathon days at the computer, but also the eccentricities that I indulge while writing in that zone state. In particular, my hat. I bought it several years ago at an agricultural fair—a shapeless, floppy-brimmed number that’s meant to be worn at the beach. The color is a shade of denim better suited for the 1980s, and the logo on front sports three pigs parading in sequence, noses to the ground as if rooting for something to eat. Though I never start my writing day with the hat on, inevitably there comes a moment around hour four or five when I stand up—to stretch or to pace or, sometimes, to scream—then march over to my nightstand, grab the hat, and jam it on my head. I won’t go so far as to credit it with inspirational powers, but there’s something oddly comforting in having it on.

I’ve talked with a number of classmates about this hat, and most everyone can relate. I have one friend who wraps himself in a rainbow bathrobe a la Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat. Which brings me to the question: Does anyone else out there have an unusual writerly habit they’d like to share? It could be wardrobe-related, or a bit of routine that puts you in the creative frame of mind. I’d love to hear about it!

NaNoWriMo: Are You Doing It?

2010-11-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Two questions: Are you participating in National November Writing Month? And what happens on December 1st?

I'm doing it - or will try. This is my second attempt at completing the 50K in one month. The point of NaNoWriMo is quantity, not necessarily quality. The purpose (as I'm sure most of you know) is to get something down on paper/in the computer in one month's time. NaNoWriMo is the antithesis to procrastination.

Last year was tough - I only got to 15K or so. My excuses were real - death in the family, new job starting - all things that distract from anyone's writing. That said, I've done nothing else with that 15K. It IS the start of a novel. I WILL do something with it eventually. So what happens at the end of the month? Has anyone completed a full publishable manuscript? The fact that The Great Gatsby was written in a similar amount of time should motivate us all.

This year, I'm working on the sequel. Being marginally employed, I have a lot more time to write. I'll start MFA classes in January, so I'm also telling myself that I'd better get used to this writing schedule. Self-bribery. Motivation. Whatever.

Several of my friends are also participating, so we compete with each other on Facebook and Twitter (I wrote 5K today! Ha! I wrote 6K!) I usually opt out of the NaNoWriMo pep talk emails and local writing groups, but for a lot of folks, the extra encouragement helps.

I'm also looking forward to hearing about Tom Kealey's class and how NaNoWriMo worked this year for his students! Have a great November and keep writing!

Breakfast with a Nobel Laureate on the Balcony of a Billionaire's Guest House

2010-10-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

When you think of the Hamptons, when you picture those wide-angle arial shots of gargantuan beach-front estates, you're thinking of Meadow Lane. It's the road that runs parallel to the beach in Southampton, and it is the road I drive along to get to the guest house. As an author's assistant at the Southampton Writers Conference, I am responsible for picking up Derek Walcott every other morning and driving him to his workshop. He's staying at the estate of a local billionaire, and as I drive up the winding path to the guest house, I can see the ocean.

I park my car and tentatively knock on the front door. I've never been to the guest house before, only to the pool house, once. Never the main house. There is no answer, so I let myself in. I climb the wooden steps to the living room, and across the room I see the sliding glass doors that lead to the balcony. Everyone is outside at the table, eating breakfast. I slide open a door and stick my head out. "Good morning," I say.

"Sally Jane!" Billy Collins says. "Come, sit. Do you want something to eat?"

"Sure." Apparently it's his turn to cook this morning. I sit down at the table and Billy brings me a plate of eggs and bacon and a glass of orange juice. Derek is listening to Frank McCourt talk about his Irish childhood, and Matthew Klam is laughing and drinking his coffee.

I look around me and am astonished that this is actually happening. I'm having breakfast with a Nobel Laureate, a Pulitzer Prize winner, a 2-time U.S. Poet Laureate, and a Guggenheim Fellow. But it is real. It is really happening.

Getting my MFA made this possible. If I hadn't gone to grad school, I never would have had the opportunity to surround myself with such accomplished and generous artists. I would never have found myself in such amazing circumstances. I wouldn't be the person I am today. So as you're slogging through the admissions process, or staring your thesis deadline in the face, fear not: it is worth it. Good things will happen. Maybe even great ones. Maybe even breakfast with Nobel Laureates.

An Open Letter to Anis Shivani

2010-10-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

So I’ve read “Creative Writing Programs: Is the MFA System Corrupt and Undemocratic?” and there are parts I agree with and parts I disagree with. But mostly, it makes me worry.

I worry about the impression articles like this give to the general public about creative writers and creative writing in higher education. You see, Mr. Shivani, your narrative, while compelling, is awfully simplistic, repeating, with a new, excruciatingly extended metaphor, myths and arguments that have been made ad infinitum over the years. Polemics like yours are polarizing, sending organizations like the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) directly back into their corners to craft their own polemic responses. And who can blame them? Polemics in their very nature are cynical; you yourself see no possibility for change at the end of your essay, in itself a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I worry that the general audience that reads the Huffington Post doesn’t realize that a great deal of nuanced work has already been done on the positive and negative effects of the rise of MFA programs in America—Mark McGurl’s recent The Program Era: Postwar Fiction and the Rise of Creative Writing and Paul Dawson’s Creative Writing and the New Humanities, for example are particularly detailed in chronicling the history and origin of this rise, revealing contexts far more complicated than the feudal system you describe—because you don’t even mention them. Sure, you weren’t writing a scholarly article, but at the same time, your essay seems to exist in a vacuum, willfully unaware of the vast amount of energy that has been spent in the past ten years trying to understand creative writing in higher education, to critique it constructively and move it forward as a discipline. Work done by writers like Anna Leahy, Cathy Day, Kelly Ritter, Tim Mayers, Patrick Bizarro, Dianne Donnelly, Wendy Bishop, Tom Kealey, Seth Abramson and Graeme Harper, to name just a few.

That said, perhaps the area in which we are in the most agreement is the section of your essay which seems to be the most current—the reference to the “brouhaha recently about a journeyman’s attempt to rank MFA programs in Poets & Writers magazine according to input from potential apprentices as opposed to evaluations by journeymen and masters themselves: obviously such prospective evalution couldn’t be allowed.” I too find this brouhaha, and the resulting AWP Annual Ranking of MFA Programs, deeply troubling as it signals a real reluctance on the part of our field’s signature organization to recognize the urgent need for more information and transparency about these programs.

Overall, however, I worry that in painting the picture of the MFA program in America in such broad and pessimistic strokes, you not only discount the significant, ongoing labors of my generation of writers to change the status quo but you also write off entirely the potential of the rising generation of current and prospective creative writing students, readers of this blog, to create conditions that might “break up” the guild system to which you refer. They are an entirely different breed, this new generation of writers, for whom “new media” is not new but reality, the reality in which information about creative writing programs, teaching, publishing, indeed, functioning in the milieu of 21st century (writing) arts is as omnipresent to them as the air that they breathe (I know, because I teach them). They don’t sit still long for the status quo, this generation. They tend to want to mix things up; the “very fine state of consolidation” of a system like the one you describe is only a challenge to them. I wouldn’t write them off just yet.

Stephanie Vanderslice

Intro to Jessica Farquhar

2010-10-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

I'm in my second year (of three) in Purdue's MFA studying Poetry, and I'm fortunate also to hold the position of Assistant Director of the Creative Writing Program. I keep busy. I have two kids. I still manage to write a lot. I'm interested in talking about the realities of being in an MFA program and the possibilities of the post-MFA. I have an MA from the University of Louisville (hometown nod), and I really like teaching. I'm glad that I was thirty by the time I started my MFA and that I had a fantastic mentor to guide me through the application process. I don't think I would have taken full advantage of the experience if I would have done it when I was first considering it, back in...I honestly can't remember what year. I certainly wouldn't have found a program that is as perfect a fit as Purdue is for me back whenever that was, a whole lifetime ago.

Don't Tell Me What to Write: Choosing the Multi-Genre Program

2010-10-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

I admit, I was a spoiled undergrad. I went to Sarah Lawrence College where there are no tests, no grades, and very few academic rules. I could study whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, and it didn't matter if I had never tried the subject. It was that level of freedom and exploration that allowed me to try writing for the first time - I signed up for my first fiction workshop and my first playwriting workshop as a sophomore, having never written anything creative before. It was a life changing experience.

I spent the rest of my undergraduate career studying writing, and when I decided to apply to a MFA program, I was looking for the same level of creative flexibility. It turns out that can often be difficult to find. Most graduate programs are divided into categories: fiction and poetry are in the Writing Program, playwriting is in the Theatre Program, and screenwriting is part of the Film School. Those limitations just didn't work for me. I knew I wanted to write both plays and screenplays, but I had no desire to get a theatre degree or attend film school. I just wanted to write, not direct or act or edit or design.

So I went in search of multi-genre programs. I already knew exactly what I wanted my thesis project to be (a pilot script for an one-hour dramatic television show), so I needed a program that would support that project and had the faculty to teach me how to write it. I also wanted a program that would allow me to take classes outside of playwriting/screenwriting. Plus I wanted the opportunity to pursue Independent Study if the standard courses were not enough. My criteria definitely narrowed my selection of schools, but it was important to me to find a program that would work with me to accomplish my goals.

Ultimately, the program that worked for me was the MFA at Southampton College. I took workshops in creative non-fiction and screenwriting, and I also took classes in Women's Literature, Southern Literature, and Fiction into Film. It was exactly what I needed, and my relationship with the program continues to be strong and productive.

What are you looking for in a MFA program? Would love to hear from you, so leave comments!

*Shameless Promotion* Applications are available for the new Florence Writers Conference, sponsored by the Southampton MFA program. Study fiction and creative non-fiction for 10 days in Florence, Italy! Go to www.stonybrook.edu/mfa for more details. Deadline: November 1st, 2010.

In Their Own Words

2010-10-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Who among us doesn't enjoy reading writers on writing? So big thanks to Dwight Garner in today's New York Times for pointing out the wealth of authorial insights now available courtesy of the Paris Review's newly redesigned website. There you can find, free and accessible at a click, the complete set of interviews from the magazine's 57-year history. Whether commenting on craft or offering a glimpse into daily routines, the conversations run the gamut from the inspiring and thought-provoking to the surprising and, at times, surprisingly comforting. You can search by name, browse by decade, or start with Chinua Achebe and read through to Marguerite Yourcenar. Some are even featured twice — Joan Didion, John Steinbeck, and William Styron, among others — giving us a rare opportunity to see how their perspective changed through the years. Of course, many take a look back at their beginnings — a welcome reminder that we all have to start somewhere.

2010-10-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

So it's been over twenty years since I applied to MFA programs in 1989! Yeesh--well, I've never been vain about stuff like that. Anyway, the realm of MFA programs and the process of applying to them has changed dramatically since then (hello world wide web)--to the extent that my "process," which I'll write about in some future post about the "olden days" is probably almost unrecognizable to writers applying now.

But that doesn't mean I'm out of touch. I graduated from George Mason University with my MFA in fiction in 1992 (another groan) but since then I've made it practically my life's work to turn a magnifying glass on creative writing in higher education, including and especially MFA programs, looking for ways to make it better and improve the prospects for all MFA graduates in the 21st Century. I've studied both BA and MFA programs, here and in the UK, intensively in writing my upcoming book, Rethinking Creative Writing in Higher Education: Programs and Practices that Work (Professional and Higher, UK).

My graduate experiences were, in a word, uneven. Once I gathered the courage to step out of my "good girl" academic persona, I began to write about these experiences and to examine them critically. In the past twenty years, I've published a lot of essays and a couple of books about the pedagogy of the creative writing classroom (especially the workshop). Along the way, I've also picked up a Ph.D. with a creative writing dissertation at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette ('97) and a dream job teaching creative writing at the University of Central Arkansas, home of the Exquisite Corpse, the Oxford American, and, if the Board of Trustees smiles down upon us, a brand-spanking new MFA program in the next couple of years.

My other life's work besides studying creative writing programs and teaching creative writing? I write fiction (I'm currently heavy into revising my 2009 NaNoWriMo novel), have published short fiction in places like The American Literary Review and So to Speak, and have discovered a real love of reading and writing nonfiction over the past ten years. I've published several personal essays and most of my "scholarly" essays are really narrative essays in disguise. I also share the joys of raising two boys in Conway, Arkansas (one of the ten geekiest cities in the country) with my writer-husband (we met at George Mason) John Vanderslice.

I have admired Tom Kealey's work--indeed it has deeply informed my own and is a driving force of change in the creative writing world--for a long time. I'm very happy to be joining the chorus at the MFA Blog!

Chasing Carrots

2010-10-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

My name is Alexis, and I’m excited to join the ranks of the posting set—thank you to Nancy Rawlinson for inviting me. Biography seems the preferred way to begin, so I’ll tell you that I’m in the home stretch of the M.F.A. experience. I finished coursework for Columbia University’s nonfiction program in the spring and am working on my thesis. While there, I also served as editor-in-chief for the literary magazine Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art. Further back I spent more than five years as a reporter and editor with the Vineyard Gazette, a newspaper on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

To jump right in, I’ve been considering Jess’s procrastination question and—having experimented with quite a few strategies—I think a good thing to do is find a fellow writer, or group of writers, with whom you can exchange work on a regular basis. It helps to meet deadlines when you’re accountable to someone outside yourself, plus there’s the benefit of feedback. Also, a warning for the coffee shop sitters out there: free wi-fi is not necessarily your friend. I thought I’d found the answer to the distractions of my apartment when Starbucks announced all-access this past summer. But my 15-minute email breaks quickly turned into hour-long surfing expeditions. Now I make a point of disabling the internet on my computer whenever I want to be creative.

A final thought on beating procrastination: incentive. Everyone’s got to have a carrot they can chase. It could even be something small—say, a trip to the movies after finishing a draft or stamping an application. Writing contests are also excellent for this. Winners often receive cash prizes, or publication, or both. In fact, the Columbia journal just started accepting entries for theirs—fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Check it out. Who wouldn’t welcome an extra $500 in their pocket? ... I’ll watch for other contests to highlight, and I look forward to keeping up with the conversation.

Why I Will Never Have a Real Job, or, Life After the MFA

2010-10-20T19:46:00.000-07:00

November 7, 2007: Two weeks before my 30th birthday. It had been a struggle, but I finally had what I thought I always needed - a real job. I was Deputy Director of Cassidy's Place, a non-profit integrated pre-school program for disadvantaged and special needs children. I had actual responsibilities. I was making grown-up money. I had just moved into a one-bedroom apartment by myself. I was leaving my twenties behind and walking full-force into an adulthood that included novelties like a savings account and furniture I didn't inherit from roommates past. A la Mary Tyler Moore, I was going to make it after all.

And then I got laid off. Six months into my first real job, I was called into my executive director's office and told that, unfortunately, they couldn't afford to maintain my position. (Did I mention this was two weeks before my 30th birthday?) I could feel my future (and my self-esteem) circling the drain. The void in front of me was so large and unforgiving that I could not imagine how I was going to move through it. I cried for days.

Depressed and in need of a drink (or twelve), I went to my friend Christian's early Christmas party. As I walked in the door, he said, "How are you?"

"Unemployed," I said.

"Congratulations!" he said. "You've just received a six month government grant to stay home and write."

I haven't been depressed since. Those six months were some of the best of my life. I finished a screenplay. I took trips to Vegas and the Bahamas (probably not what the State of New York had in mind when they asked me if I was "actively seeking work," but whatever). And I got my head screwed on straight. I'm a writer. It's the only thing I'm even remotely confident about. Well, that and my ability to live on the cheap. I know what I want to do with my life, and how I manage to make money in the meantime is only a minor detail.

I've pieced together several part-time jobs since the unemployment checks ran out. I went back to the same non-profit, but for a different job with less pay. I spend my summers working for the Southampton Writers Conference. I occasionally ghost write for my mother or hire myself out as a production manager. I moved from my one-bedroom apartment to a two-bedroom with a roommate. What matters is that I'm writing more now than I have in years, and I'm happier than ever. The part-time gigs are not perfect or permanent solutions, but they work for now. You know, until I become a famous writer.

Allison Leigh Peters Joins the MFA Blog

2010-10-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tom for allowing me to be part of this blog and its intelligent conversations. I look forward to posting, reading everyone's posts and tuning in to your comments as we take on the creative world.

This April I'll be finishing my BA in English Language & Literature and Honors Creative Writing at the University of Michigan. As a 21-year-old, I'm currently applying to a number of MFA programs, including the University of Michigan's highly-acclaimed program, as well as Brown's, and the generously-funded Wallace Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University (which, incidentally, does not actually offer an MFA, although it is a fully-paid with stipend two-year writing residency).

I'm all for the idea that you shouldn't have to pay to perfect your art. So with my blog posts I'd like to concentrate on information and tips for applying to schools that offer exceptional financing, whether it be in terms of fellowships, grants, paid teaching assistantships, scholarships, publishing gigs, or whatever else may come up. As someone who is not yet admitted to an MFA program, I'm also interested in creative alternatives—including various national and international writing fellowships and residencies, as well as publishing opportunities and creative writing contests—which I hope to discuss as options to either precede the MFA to better prepare a student for intense creative study or to supplement the MFA.

I look forward to sharing and exchanging knowledge and information with you. Here's to it!

Allison Leigh Peters won an Academy of American Poets Prize in 2010. Her most recent work has been published in The Michigan Quarterly Review, Connotation Press, Oberon Poetry Magazine, Fortnight Literary Press and Third Wednesday, among others. She studies English Language & Literature, Creative Writing and Global Media Studies at the University of Michigan, where she works as a Digital Publishing Assistant for MPublishing and as an Editorial Assistant for UM's Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning. She is a contributing writer and editor for Portico, Associate Editor for the UM Undergraduate Research Journal and the Co-Editor-in-Chief for Xylem Literary Magazine. She volunteers at 826Michigan and lives in Ann Arbor.

Check out Allison's own poetry blog, Knuckle Twenty-Nine.

Adam Nunez Joins the MFA Blog

2010-10-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hello there from Albuquerque!

First of all, thank you so much to Tom for giving me the chance to contribute to the discussion. I look forward to the cool conversations this blog offers, and like my fellow bloggers, I'm happy to help with anything!

I was on MFA Blog last year looking for advice and a community when I applied to 14 programs. It was an expensive and exhausting process, but in the end, totally life-changing. Currently, I'm in the MFA program at the University of New Mexico, and I'm loving every second! Teaching undergraduate English and writing lots and lots of poetry keeps me busy, but Abq offers a lot to do. Much of my time I spend seeing the sights.

In August, my longtime girlfriend Emily moved with me from Boise, Idaho to the Land of Enchantment. We miss the Northwest, but Abq reminds us so much of Boise--the mountains to the east, the high desert, the ease of fitting in, and the warmth of the community.

Though I look forward to giving any advice I can, I might relate most to younger MFA applicants. I graduated in June from a small liberal arts college outside of Boise, and spent fall of my senior year applying to programs while still handling a full-time course load. I say if you want to do it now, do it now. I knew I wanted to go straight into an MFA program. I couldn't see myself doing anything else, and at this point, I'm completely happy.

Lastly, my poems have appeared in LUMINA, Scribendi, and last year a poem of mine placed second in The Atlantic magazine's Student Writing Contest. I'm an editor at Blue Mesa Review and we're always looking for new submissions in all genres.

Thanks for having me. I'll be posting!

Sally Jane Joins the MFA Blog

2010-10-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

For starters, a big thanks to Tom and my fellow bloggers for allowing me to join their ranks. A little about me: I'm originally from Texas (Go Rangers!) and I received my MFA from Southampton College (formerly Long Island University, now SUNY Stony Brook). I'm a playwright/screenwriter, and since getting my MFA in 2004 I've taught English 101 at two community colleges, worked in various capacites for a non-profit childrens organization in East Harlem, produced/production-managed several Off and Off-Off-Off Broadway shows, been the theatre coordinator for the Southampton Writers Conference, had a couple of my short plays produced, and one published. Occasionally I get paid for these things, occasionally not.

So if you have any questions about life post-MFA or attending writers conferences or getting a play produced or about finding your way in a multi-genre program, I'm your girl. I can't wait to hear from you!

What Will You Do With Your MFA?

2010-10-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

It's a question that's asked often. I hear it from others. I ask it of myself. Seth touches on it in one of the September ranking-debate posts below. The MFA does not guarantee a job. Unless you are really lucky or really good.

This scares the crap out of me. I come from a very practical family of public school teachers. I ended up getting my teaching degree in social studies. I like history and, for the most part, it was a guaranteed a job. I forgot to ask myself if I would enjoy facing 130 15 year-old every day beginning at 7:20 am. (Side note to anyone considering high school school teaching: you have to like kids. And 7:20 am. Combined.)

Somewhere in the midst of teacher burn out, I started to write. And I was hooked. A series of events (you know, life) led me to consider MFA programs. I weighed the pros and cons for a long time. I already have a Master's, my old student loans are paid off, and - let's be realistic - there is a very good chance that I will be back teaching high school students at 7:20 am. Except English this time, instead of history.

And sometimes, there is a little voice that says...you never know. And there is a louder voice that says...who cares? If you want to write, then do it. If you want your writing to improve and you found a program that works for you, then go for it. I've discovered that my goal is not a job...my goal is to write, and write well. What's yours?

Amanda Abel Joins the MFA Writing Masses

2010-10-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

As many people have said before (and below) me, I am elated to be invited by Tom to join this blog. I was here during the last season, though without an interesting screen name like Wandering Tree. ;) I created the MFA-Limbo ning group for people to discuss application and program concerns while avoiding worries of the watchful eyes of MFA faculty and selection committees.

I'm originally from Texas, and if I'm forced to be honest, I'll admit to being from Dubya's home town. But when I think of home, it's Austin that I claim, as I spent about a decade there from college on. I'm a poet and a documentary photographer, but am most passionate about teaching. I got an MA in documentary photography and discovered my love of teaching during six grueling but rewarding quarters of TA'ing in Santa Cruz. My ultimate goal is to teach creative writing and photography in underprivileged communities, and I expect there'll probably be some adjuncting thrown in there to sustain myself.

I'm now in the program at Vanderbilt and loving every minute of it. Being here still feels like winning the lottery, especially because I was a waitlister. But the truth is that out of the six of us, half were originally waitlisted, and I think all of us only applied because Vandy waived their online application fee. None of us thought we had a shot in hell.

I went all in last year and applied to 17 programs to ensure I'd get in *somewhere* fully funded and would never have to go through the application process again. This blog was a great resource for both support and mania, and I'm still friends with many of the people I met on here (koru, franny, and others). I'm looking forward to sharing my program experiences and answering any questions that people have. Until next time!

Chamber Four Looking for Submissions

2010-10-19T08:45:00.001-07:00

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: C4 MAGAZINE ISSUE #1

ChamberFour.com seeks submissions for the inaugural issue of its online/ebook magazine, C4.

For Issue #1, we’re looking for:

--> fiction (short stories, flash fiction)
--> non-fiction (personal essays, memoir excerpts, travel writing)
--> poetry (traditional, experimental)
--> digital visual art

Accepted writing will be published on ChamberFour.com, and collected in an ebook, probably by January. (We can’t pay you, but we’ll mail you an awesome can koozie, which is better than money.)

Find full guidelines at ChamberFour.com/submit, and check out the anthology we recently published to get an idea of our publishing process---it’s at ChamberFour.com/anthology.

Send submissions to submissions@chamberfour.com or find us on Submishmash at chamberfour.submishmash.com/submit. We accept submissions on a rolling basis, but priority for the first issue will be given to those received by December 1, 2010

Procrastination

2010-10-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

The New Yorker had a great piece on the psychology of procrastination last week. You can see the full text here.

As someone who procrastinated on her MFA applications in the past (among other things), it got me thinking. Sure I still have at least three months until my first application is due (January 15), but I am still putting off revising my Statement of Purpose, contacting recommenders who might be valuable to me, and generally telling myself you have time. Last year I did the exact same thing and ended up accepted to a program, rejected from three, and ultimately not finding a good fit.

So my question for all you MFA-ers out there is: how do you deal with procrastination? Our profession is so self-driven, what motivates you on a day-to-day basis? Any tips and tricks for a highly passionate but very procrastinating fellow writer?

KC Trommer Joins the MFA Blog

2010-10-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tom and my fellow bloggers for the opportunity to join the discussion about all things MFA. You can find my bio below, but I'm most interested in hearing from you.

KC Trommer’s poems have appeared in AGNI, The Antioch Review, Coconut, MARGIE, Octopus, Poetry East, The Sycamore Review, and other journals. A graduate of the MFA program at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, KC has been the recipient of an Academy of American Poets prize, as well as fellowships from the Maine Summer Arts Program, the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Prague Summer Program. Her sound and video work can be accessed via www.kctrommer.com. She lives in New York with her husband, the writer Justin Courter.

Adam Atkinson: Another New MFA Blog Contributor!

2010-10-15T19:01:00.000-07:00

Greetings all!

First, thanks to the bigwigs at MFA Blog for inviting me and the other new contributors to participate. I really look forward to exchanging info and opinions, MFA-related or more broadly literary, with as many of you as possible!

I used this blog from summer 2009 to spring 2010 for a multitude of reasons that I'm sure a lot of you know well: researching programs, navigating outdated websites, searching for funding, nailing down the details of application requirements, and sharing news (and hearsay) of notifications. Perhaps the best thing about MFA Blog was the community. Yes, there were Negative Nelsons here and there, but there was also phillywriter, who cheered me on (and I her) as we awaited the verdict of our wait list status at LSU. Now, she's my friend and colleague at the program here in Baton Rouge, and we both still reminisce about the online friends we made here at the blog. And of course, there remain a multitude of positive, helpful, humorous voices like phillywriter--I hope I can be one of them for you!

Before I left Pittsburgh for LSU, I spent five years between school keeping myself very busy: teaching writing and theory at a high school for the arts, starting a regional literary & arts non-profit with a small press component, and founding Pittsburgh's small press festival, which just completed its second annual installment! I somehow managed to write a few poems in that time, and there's one online if you're interested. The transition away from all of this Pittsburgh activity has been difficult, but I'm still keeping myself busy with the rigorous program at LSU, a new small press venture and, of course, blogging here!

I won't post any specific topic this time, but instead I'll tell you a few things I think I can speak to fairly well: getting a literary initiative going in your local community; applying for residencies and grants; applying to schools when you have a bad undergraduate GPA; the prospect of going long-distance with your relationship; being openly gay at a large southern university; and facing down the dreaded strikeout, which nearly happened to me and which I'd already come to accept by the time LSU suddenly yanked me off the waiting list.

Ask away!

Sequoia Nagamatsu (aka Wandering Tree), MFA Blog Contributor

2010-10-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you to Tom for inviting me to contribute to the blog. My name is Sequoia Nagamatsu but some of you might know me as Wandering Tree.

A few fun facts about me:

I'm originally from Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay Area and was educated at Grinnell College in Iowa where I received a degree in anthropology. After working a variety of jobs including large-scale event planning, teaching English abroad, giving historical city tours on refurbished WWII amphibious landing craft, and working at a mid-sized PR firm, I decided to apply to MFA programs. I'm currently writing to you from my office in Carbondale, Illinois where I'm pursuing an MFA (in fiction) at Southern Illinois University's three-year, fully funded program.

You can find out more about me (plus a sample statement of purpose) on my blog where I'll also be periodically posting MFA related things (SIUC and otherwise). I know a lot of folks at other programs, and I've done quite a bit of research on what's out there over the past two years (even for post-MFA avenues), so if anyone has questions, please feel free to ask. I look forward to helping out in any way I can.

SequoiaNagamatsu.com

Jess Joins the MFA Blog

2010-10-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Thank you to Tom and everyone on the blog for inviting me to contribute. My name is Jess and I am in the middle of applying to what feels like a million MFA programs but is, in reality, about six.

A little about me: I graduated from the George Washington University in 2006 and feel like my writing has changed drastically since then. As a student, I was constantly writing and receiving feedback. Because I studied Journalism and Creative Writing, there was always something new to write about, discover, improve upon. I did not realize that the "real world" would be devoid of that glorious writer's merry-go-round.

So last year, I saved up some money and headed out to a summer workshop on "Beginning Your Novel" at the University of Iowa. It was amazing to be back in the workshop format, surrounded by people who wanted the same things I wanted, had read all the books I'd read. As I currently live in Washington, DC, conversation usually tends toward Tea Party candidates and the ever-increasing Metro fare rather than form, foils, and great first pages.

As soon as I got back to DC, I began looking into MFA programs. I've heard that they matter, they don't matter, they help, they put you in debt, and on and on. But all I know is that I feel out of the only loop I've ever felt comfortable in, and I want to rejoin it before it gets "too late" (which my mother swears never really happens, but I do not believe her).

So, to recap this little All-About-Jess-And-Her-Potential-MFA: I'm 26, living in DC and teaching yoga. I used to work as an editorial assistant for a publishing company but left to teach yoga full time when I felt like I was fixing the printer more than reading manuscripts. Now, after a quick stint in Iowa, I'm determined to throw myself back into the writing world.

I really look forward to getting advice from those who are already in an MFA program and commiserating with those of you in the middle of the application process with me. Who knows? Maybe we'll be classmates next fall.

Improving the MFA . . .

2010-10-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

For the past few months, I have been reaching out to poets from both inside and outside the MFA to discuss the merits and drawbacks of the current MFA system and to consider how it can be bettered.

As a holder of the degree, it would be nice to lift the English Masters Lite stigma. I am wondering what those of you who attend or teach in an MFA think might improve your program. For those looking at programs, how closely have you considered the curricular requirements of the programs to which you're applying? What criteria are you using?

I'm most interested in pedagogical questions. As a poet and visual artist who also works with sound, I wanted more interdisciplinary opportunities. I also hankered for a more demanding academic program that considered the history of poetry and asked poets to have a firm grasp on prosody.

What do you think would make for an ideal program? If your experiences were generally positive, to what do you attribute that success? If you didn't feel that the degree benefited you as a writer, what do you think could have been done differently?

Profile on Kevin R. Elder

2010-10-13T23:28:00.001-07:00

I am incredibly excited to be joining the community here at MFA Blog. I have been trolling and enjoying the posts from afar for a while, and am looking forward to finally contributing to the discussion. I have been working professionally with a non-profit theatre company for several years (Tricklock Company), but just recently started the MFA program in Dramatic Writing at The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. I am still adjusting to being back in academia after almost 8 long years, and feel like I still have a lot to learn from this side of the desk. A more lengthy Bio is below.

Kevin R. Elder is the Co-Artistic Director of Tricklock Company and has been a Resident Artist with the company since 2003. Elder became extremely dedicated to the creation of new work in 1999 upon completion of his first original work Tiny Caravans. Since then, Elder has been a part of creating more than a dozen highly acclaimed original works which include, The Glorious and Bloodthirsty Billy The Kid, as well as Love and Beauty, Knit, Black River Falling (Alibi’s Best Performance 2007), Catgut Strung Violin (Outstanding Original Work, Ottawa Fringe, Alibi’s Best Performance 2009) and most recently he directed/co-created a collaboration with Teatr Figur Krakow of Poland, Nasze Miasto/Our City. Elder’s original work has been seen in Albuquerque, Dayton, Chicago, New York City, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Canada, Germany, Poland, Scotland, and Serbia.

Elder has taken master classes and/or trained extensively with Sir Ben Kingsly, Master Mime Moni Yakim, Daniel Stein of Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, Second City’s Pajama Men, Gardzienice Theatre of Poland, Kathleen Weiss of the University of Alberta, and Karen Hines, the critically acclaimed director of Canadian clown duo Mump and Smoot.

Elder has taught classes and workshops nationally and internationally. He is currently an instructor of Tricklock Company’s Ensemble Incubator class, and has in the past taught Entering the profession at The University of New Mexico for the past several years. Elder is also one of the founders of Tricklock Company’s Manoa Project: Teen playwriting and Ensemble Apprenticeship Program, where he has trained high school theatre students from all over New Mexico, for the past 8 years.

Kevin R. Elder currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he is enrolled as an MFA student in Dramatic Writing at the University of New Mexico.

Sheila Lamb, MFA Blog Contributor

2010-10-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hi all -

I'm looking forward to contributing to the MFA Blog! I'll be starting the Queens University of Charlotte MFA program in January. A stack of books to be read by then are staring at me right now. I'm excited to be taking this leap to an MFA after many months of internal debate. Did I need an MFA? (maybe). Will an MFA help me get published? (not necessarily). Will it help my writing? (yes).

A little about my background: I write across a wide variety of genres, including fiction, educational curriculum, and book and theater blog reviews. I teach history and English to homebound students, and will also teach creative writing at the Manassas Center for the Arts. I'm currently at work on a Brigid of Ireland trilogy and another manuscript set during the Irish Famine. Read more at my blog Pagans, Saints, and Potatoes.

I hope to share my experiences as a new student in a low-residency program, as well as my perspectives from a historical fiction background, as I merge into the contemporary literature world. Even more, I look forward to hearing about all of your experiences in the MFA process!

Profile of Tom Kealey

2010-10-13T11:31:00.001-07:00

Hi All. Here's a profile about me and my teaching in the Stanford Daily. The photograph is a rare capture of my students paying attention to me. :) -- Tom

If you walked into Meyer 220 on a Tuesday night this quarter, you would see students writing together and critiquing each other, each trying to complete a 50,000-word novel in just one month. This room is the home of two experimental creative writing classes at Stanford: “NaNoWriMo,” short for “National Novel Writing Month,” and “The Graphic Novel.” The force behind both of these classes is creative writing lecturer Tom Kealey.

Often, writing is perceived as a solitary endeavor, but Kealey encourages his students to work collaboratively, and his classes reflect this approach.

“The idea of collaborative writing is really crucial,” Kealey said. “In most classes we’re taught the ‘lone genius’ concept.”

Instead, he likes to see teamwork taught in writing as much as independence.

“It’s difficult sometimes to write in a vacuum,” Kealey added. “And for students to bounce ideas off of each other, to give suggestions, it’s an amazing thing to see.”

For November, which is National Novel Writing Month, creative writing lecturer Scott Hutchins floated the idea for a class where students write 1,667 words a day for each of the 30 days of November. The goal is 50,000 words (about the length of Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises”) by the end of the month.

Contributors to the MFA Blog

2010-10-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hi All.

We're searching for some new contributors to the MFA Blog. Basically, we're looking for anyone involved in the MFA world (student, teacher, editor etc.) who would like to post new links, discussions and the like a few times a month.

Basically, just send me an email at tom.kealey at gmail.com with a few sentences about your interest and experience. If things look good, we'll set you up with access!

Thanks in advance for helping to make the MFA blog a continued happening and important space for prospective students.

-- Tom Kealey