Over a year ago, I wrote a response here to one of Anis Shivani's Huffington Post blogs about creative writing MFAs. He has struck again and, along with several of my colleagues, I have responded, this time on the Huffington Post itself. I hope you'll check it out. I direct the Arkansas Writers MFA Program as well and I hope you'll take the seriousness with which we take this subject as an indication of how seriously we take our students' educations.
0 Where Are You Applying?
Let the lists begin! Please post where you are applying, which program (fiction, poetry, CNF, etc.) and if you've heard anything back yet (acceptances, rejections, waitlists, etc.)
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Applications
0 To MFA, or Not
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:
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.
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