why get an mfa in creative writing

3 Myths About the MFA in Creative Writing

Today’s guest post is an excerpt from DIY MFA by Gabriela Pereira ( @DIYMFA ), just released from Writer’s Digest Books.

Most writers want an MFA for one of three reasons: They want to teach writing, they want to get published, or they want to make room in their life for writing. It turns out these reasons for doing an MFA are actually based on myths.

Myth 1: You Need an MFA to Teach Writing

Many writers get the MFA because they think it will allow them to teach writing at the college or graduate level. Once upon a time this might have been the case, but these days so many MFA graduates are looking for jobs and so few teaching positions exist, that it’s a challenge to get a teaching job with a PhD, much less with a terminal master’s degree. The writers who do manage to snag a coveted teaching position are often so overwhelmed with their responsibilities that they have to put their own writing on the back burner. While in the past an MFA may have served as a steppingstone to becoming a professor, it’s not the case anymore.

More important, many teachers in MFA programs do not have that degree themselves. Some professors are successful authors with prominent careers, while others are publishing professionals who bring the industry perspective to the courses they teach. This goes to show that the MFA has little impact on a writer’s ability to teach writing. Being a successful author or publishing professional is much more important.

Myth 2: The MFA Is a Shortcut to Getting Published

No agent will sign you and no editor will publish your book based on a credential alone. You have to write something beautiful. If you attend an MFA program and work hard, you will become a better writer. And if you become a better writer, you will eventually write a beautiful book. An MFA might help you on your quest for publication, but it’s certainly not required. After all, many writers perfect their craft and produce great books without ever getting a degree.

Ultimately getting published is a matter of putting your backside in the chair and writing the best book possible. For that, you don’t need an MFA.

Myth 3: An MFA Program Will Force You to Make Writing a Priority

If you can find time to write only by putting your life on hold and plunging into a graduate program, then your writing career isn’t going to last very long. Only a small percentage of writers can support themselves and their loved ones through writing alone. This means you must find a balance between your writing and the rest of your life.

Even within your writing career, you must become a master juggler. Forget that glamorous image of the secluded writer working at his typewriter. These days, writing is only a small piece of the writer’s job. In addition to writing, you must promote your books, manage your online presence, update your social media … and likely schedule these tasks around a day job, a family, and other responsibilities.

The danger with MFA programs is that they train you to write in isolation but don’t always teach you how to fit writing into your real life, or even how to juggle writing with all the other aspects of your writing career. Not only that, but external motivators like class assignments or thesis deadlines don’t teach you to pace yourself and build up the internal motivation you need to succeed in the long-term.

Genre Writing in MFA Programs

Most MFA programs focus on literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. While these are noble areas of literature, they cover only a tiny slice of the wide and diverse world of writing. Heaven forbid a writer in a traditional MFA program produces something commercial—or worse, genre fiction. While a handful of MFA programs allow writers to study genre fiction or children’s literature, the majority still focus on literary work alone. If you want to write genre fiction, commercial nonfiction, or children’s books, you likely will not learn much about them in your MFA courses.

Writers of genre and commercial fiction are among the most dedicated, driven writers I know. They take their craft seriously and work hard to understand the business side of the publishing industry. In addition, a vast number of associations, conferences, and guilds are dedicated to specific genres or commercial writing. Literary writers are not the only ones who crave knowledge and community. Commercial and genre writers want it, too.

This is why I created DIY MFA : to offer an alternative for writers who do not fit the strict literary mold of the traditional MFA system.

Should You Pursue an MFA?

MFA programs are not a bad thing. In fact, they are exceptional at serving a small and very specific group of writers. If you write literary fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry, and if you thrive in a formal academic environment, then the traditional MFA is a great option. If you can afford the tuition without taking out loans, and if you have the time to make the most of the experience, then you are one of those ideal candidates for graduate school.

One reason I am extremely grateful for my own MFA is that it gave me the opportunity to work with several phenomenal teachers. I studied YA and middle-grade literature with the brilliant David Levithan. The legendary Hettie Jones was my first workshop teacher. I worked closely with Abrams publisher Susan Van Metre, who served as my thesis advisor and mentor. These experiences were invaluable, and at the time I didn’t think I could make connections with such literary luminaries any other way. Now I know, however, that you can make connections and find great mentors without attending an MFA program.

The “Do It Yourself” MFA

As an MFA student, I discovered the magic equation that sums up just about every traditional MFA. The Master in Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing is nothing more than a lot of writing, reading, and building community. In the workshops, you exchange critiques with other writers and work toward a manuscript that becomes your thesis project. Most programs also require you to take literature courses both in and outside your chosen area of literature. Finally, you are asked to attend readings or talks by other writers—to build your personal writing community. To create a personalized, do-it-yourself MFA, you have to find a way to combine these three elements.

Write with focus. You have to commit to a project and finish it. In traditional MFA terms, this project is your thesis, and it’s a crucial part of your development as a writer. But you don’t need to complete a thesis to get this experience; you just need to finish and polish a manuscript. While you can feel free to play and explore early on, you must eventually choose a project and see it through from beginning to end. When you write with focus, you write with a goal in mind.

Read with purpose.  This means reading with a writer’s eye. If you’re like me, you were a bookworm long before you could hold a pencil in your hand. Writers love books. In fact, many of us become writers so we can create the very books we love to read.

Reading for pleasure is wonderful, and it certainly has its place. Reading with purpose is different: It is reading in a way that serves our writing. It’s not just about finding out what happens in the story; it’s about learning how the author pulls it off. Reading this way isn’t just an intellectual exercise. When we read with purpose, we examine how an author crafts a story so we can emulate those techniques in our own work.

Build your community.  In the traditional MFA, building a community happens organically. You meet fellow writers in your workshops and literature courses. You go to readings and conferences to connect with authors. You attend a publishing panel and learn about the industry. The community element is baked into the MFA experience.

To learn more about crafting your own customized MFA experience, sign up for the DIY MFA newsletter , and check out the new book, DIY MFA .

Gabriela Pereira is the Creative Director at DIY MFA , the do-it-yourself alternative to a master’s degree in writing. She develops tools and techniques for the serious writer, to help you get the knowledge without the college. With an MFA in creative writing, Gabriela is also a freelance writing teacher, and has led workshops throughout New York City via writing programs like: 826NYC, East Harlem Tutorial Program and Everybody Wins. When she’s not working on DIY MFA, she loves writing middle grade and teen fiction, with a few short stories for “grown-ups” thrown in for good measure.

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[…] Today’s guest post is an excerpt from DIY MFA by Gabriela Pereira (@DIYMFA), just released from Writer’s Digest Books. Most writers want an MFA for one of three reasons: They want to teach writing, they want to get published, or they want to make room in their life for writing. It turns out these reasons …  […]

I find screenwriting programs to be more honest with respect to story telling.

So true, I did a screen writing module in my degree. It was easy, fun and clear to write a script. So weird!

THANK YOU! I needed this. I occasionally doubt myself and my future success possibilities because of my lack of an MFA. I’ve been gradually letting that notion go, and this helps!

Also, I’m not interested in social media with exception of using Twitter as a news aggregator. From my perspective it’s an unwanted hassle. I write fiction and have neither the time nor inclination for blog posts or podcasts, but I do understand the nature of the disadvantage this might impose. And I think reality reliably informs us a social media presence is not necessarily mandatory to find success.

[…] view post at https://janefriedman.com/mfa-creative-writing-3-myths/ […]

[…] 3 Myths About the MFA in Creative Writing (Jane Friedman) Most writers want an MFA for one of three reasons: They want to teach writing, they want to get published, or they want to make room in their life for writing. It turns out these reasons for doing an MFA are actually based on myths. […]

[…] to the rest at Jane Friedman and thanks to Matthew for the […]

[…] the program could help build contacts, at the very least. Here is an article by Jane Friedman with 3 Myths About the MFA in Creative Writing to help answer some of the […]

[…] Jane Friedman […]

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The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing is a three-year, terminal degree program that provides students with graduate study and professional training in the writing of fiction and poetry with our distinguished graduate faculty.

The primary goal of the MFA in Creative Writing is to give literary artists time and space to work on perfecting their art. Students in this program specialize in fiction or poetry, teach creative writing, and produce a book-length, publishable manuscript. Students will also gain extensive experience in literary editing and publishing while enrolled in the program.

For more information about MFA in Creative Writing, please visit the program page . 

Application Deadline: December 1, 12:00 noon CST (Fiction); December 15, 12:00 noon CST (Poetry)

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What an mfa in creative writing can do for you.

If you've ever contemplated getting your MFA in Creative Writing, this is the episode for you.

Listen to the podcast

Find the full transcript at the end of this page.

Episode notes

We've got a panel on the MFA in Creative Writing experience with three members of the Lesley University community: Boston Poet Laureate and Lesley University MFA in Creative Writing Interim Director Danielle Legros Georges , Associate Director Janet Pocorobba and alumna Heather Hughes , an associate editor at Harvard University Press.

The three authors writers talk about Lesley's low-residency MFA program , diversity in MFA programs, and what an MFA program can and can't do for you. A Q&A with the audience rounds out this episode.

Recorded at the Boston Book Festival by Studio 125. Listen to more recordings from this year’s festival .

Check out all of our episodes on our podcast page or just go ahead and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Stitcher , Google Podcasts or Spotify .

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Announcer: This is Why We Write, a podcast from Lesley University. Each week we bring you conversations with authors from the Lesley community to talk about books, writing, and the writing life. Today, we have a special episode recorded at the Boston Book Festival. Three members of our Lesley community participated in a panel called, what an MFA program can do for you. Today, you'll hear from our MFA interim director, Boston Poet Laureate, Danielle Legros George as well as Associate Director Janet Pocorroba and alumna Heather Hughes, who is an associate editor at the Harvard University Press.

Danielle Legros Georges: Good afternoon, everybody. Good afternoon, everybody. [laughs] Okay. A sign of life, which is really nice. My name is Danielle Legros Georges. I am the interim director of the Lesley MFA program in creative writing and I'm really pleased to welcome you to this afternoon session. Can you hear me, okay?

Audience: Yes.

Danielle: I'm going to be moderating this panel on which I'll be sitting and which includes the lovely Janet Pocorobba, who is the Associate Director of the MFA program in creative writing at Lesley, a memoirist, and essayist and Heather Hughes, who is a graduate of the Lesley MFA program who is a poet and an essayist and an associate editor at the Harvard University Press. I'm really glad that you too have agreed to sit on the panel entitled, what an MFA program can do for you and…

Janet Pocorobba: What it can't.

Danielle: We're really going to just talk about our experiences as folks who have gone through MFA programs and for Janet and me, folks who are currently working at an MFA program. We're thinking about this in broad ways and not especially discussing the Lesley MFA program, although we want to encourage you to think about it too as you're thinking about your MFA journeys. I'm going to ask Janet to speak first.

Janet: Sure. Good. I was going to make that little disclosure that I work in an MFA and I teach in an MFA and I went through an MFA, the Lesley MFA. [laughs] I say that just so that you know and that an MFA program has been a big part of my writing life, my writing development, my experience, my whole identity really as a writer. I did it the MFA way. [chuckles] Not everybody does, you don't have to. You don't have to get an MFA to be a writer.

I remember the first time I was asked, "Why do you want to get into MFA?" I was sitting in- it was the Lesley MFA office with a director at that time, and I'd seen him on a panel at GrubStreet about MFA programs, probably much like this one, talking about the Lesley program and I said, "Hey, I'd like to hear more." He said, "Come on by." I went to his office one day and I sat in the chair next to his desk and he was like, "Why do you want to come here?" I was like, "Oh, no, [laughs] it's like trick question or." I had articulated it to myself, but I wasn't really sure and me being me, I was like, "Well, there must be a right answer. What is it?" I just said, "I want to be a better writer." He's like, "Oh, okay. That's a good reason." [laughs]

We talked for a little bit and I remember he had some documents on his desk and he was talking about the program and talking about these craft annotations, and writing craft, and it was very exciting. He was like, "Get these documents." I remember sitting there and wanting to see those documents so badly. I just I was like, "Show me the key. Show me what this is all about." He didn't but I learned quickly that there is no key to becoming a writer or becoming a better writer. Not at all. There's no silver bullet. I guess the first thing I would say in terms of what an MFA can't do for you is two things. It can't offer any kind of silver bullet in terms of your writing or your writing career.

Great things may happen but there's no guarantee so to come in thinking you're going to solve something about your writing, or writing life with an MFA, I might say, "Be careful." The other thing that I think is, it can't make you a writer. If you don't have that hunger [laughs] to see what those documents are, to get in there and learn all the craft and to know about yourself that you love language, you love playing with it, you've been doing it, you want to study it, you have to have that real appetite and know that that's something that you do, you're a writer. I wouldn't go to an MFA to find out if you are a writer. Can I do this? Because it's not easy? It's not easy to be a writer, it's not easy to graduate from the program, it's quite intensive.

I would say, those are a couple of things that it can't do for you. I'll just mention one thing that I think it can do for you before we move on into the bigger conversation we're going to hear from you too. The one thing that I think you can get from an MFA that is really unusual and really rare and you may never get it again, [chuckles] is really sharp writers reading your work and reading it with a level of seriousness and commitment.

That means your faculty, but it also means your co-writers, your peers, the fellow people in your cohort or your workshop. There's something about being in that community, where everybody is taking it very seriously. Having a lot of fun. It's not dour in any way but it's this I think level of commitment that it can really seal for you and I think when you see that level in other people and then they're mirroring yours, it becomes really powerful in terms of propelling you through the degree and then after the degree which you're going to need to keep propelling yourself somehow.

I think that that is no small thing because I think after you graduate, it can be really hard to find those readers who as invested. I think the only comparison to that would be an editor, an editor who's going to publish your work because there are agents who will sit with you and go through your work and tell you to do a bunch of stuff and then you do it and they say, "Well, we're not going to take it anyway." [laughs] Someone who is invested is what I mean and wants to get in there with you and take responsibility. The level of seriousness and commitment to the work, I think is a great reason to go and that's a good reason you would find it there if you're looking for that. I will stop there.

Heather Hughes: Hi. [chuckles] I'm going to talk only from the student perspective because that's my perspective on the MFA. I want to talk a little bit about how I came to an MFA and how I decided to do an MFA and specifically why I went into a low-residency program. Low-residency programs have really burgeoned in the last 7 to 10 years in a way that they didn't exist as an option before. I'm somebody who comes from a working-class family. I'm the only person in my immediate family who graduated high school. No one in my family, we didn't have a word for first-generation college students when I was an undergrad so I didn't know that that's what I was.

I didn't know how many things I didn't know about how to go to college, because I was such a good student all through my life that I didn't know that college was actually about a whole lot of things that are not academic at all. In fact, those things are I think, even more, ramped up in the graduate study that the academics are one component but all of these other pieces of being in a graduate program are equally important, and in some ways, possibly more important than the academic components, especially for writers. I didn't know any of those things even after graduating from my undergraduate program.

I still didn't know that I didn't know those things because I didn't know I hadn't missed out on those things at all until much much later in life. I was an English and a journalism major. I had been talked out of being a creative writing major by my family because it was not practical and there are no jobs in that, which is a very working-class family attitude to take. I think there are probably people in this room who know what that's like, either personally or from friends. I always thought it wasn't for me and then I eventually got really claustrophobic about not feeding my writing life and not feeding my academic life further.

Because I work in a university, I got a totally separate master's degree. While I was doing that master's degree on the very very cheap, thanks, university, I was feeling even more as I was doing this very serious academic writing and working on a thesis and doing that research. I was feeling even more that gap in my creative life and that I wasn't doing that work anymore, and how important it was to me as a person to be doing that work.

I entered my final year of my master's program where I was writing a bilingual, 100-page thesis in Spanish and English, and decided that if I didn't start doing creative work, I was going to go crazy. Even though I had always said, I was never going to do an MFA, I had done a short workshop course with Steven Cramer, that was the founding director of the Lesley program.

I really respected what he had done there and the structure of it and the professors that he had attracted to the program. I went to an info session, and I just said, "You know what, I'm just going to send in the application and I'm not going to think." If I get in, I'm just going to go even though it's completely insane to work full time and be in two graduate programs at the same time. I just said I'm going to do it and I did [laughs].

I overlapped those two things, which I don't necessarily recommend, but that is a thing that an MFA and particularly a low-residency MFA can do. It can fit around the rest of your life, both in terms of time and money, it's very flexible to do a low-residency MFA. Because it can fit around the rest of your life, I didn't have the struggle that I saw so many of my friends who did full-time MFAs have which was figuring out after graduation, how to go back to work and then also be a writer, because as much as people talk about the preciousness of that bubble of the MFA and doing nothing but writing for that time, that was never a viable option for me.

I could not have ever done that and I would not have felt safe making that choice. Personally or financially, the risk would have been too great for me. The fact that low-residency MFA programs exist, and are robust and have great faculty and great students, allowed me to do something that I would have not imagined possible for myself, then allowed me to keep doing the work, because I had this foundation of, "Well, I'm already juggling everything." [laughs] I'm just going to keep juggling everything, which I think it answers, in some ways is part of what an MFA both can and can't do for you.

The biggest thing that I will say to close out my remarks is also in that overlap of both what MFA can and what MFA can't do for you. I wish I had gone into my MFA program with much more targeted and very specifically articulated goals and ideas about what I wanted out of it, instead of that broad conversation that Janet was talking about, about why do you want an MFA. A lot of us would say, to be a better writer, to meet other writers. They're all true and they're all good answers. They're honest and they're things that we need, but there's a lot of other answers underneath that, that I wish I had dug into more.

An MFA can't do those other things for you unless you articulate them for yourself, but it can get you toward those other goals and those more specific goals, I think if you do.

Danielle: After I speak, we're going to open it up to your questions and comments. I attended an MFA program at NYU. I was 30 years old when I decided to apply to an MFA. I've been writing most of my life actually since I was in second grade and Mrs. O’Brien asked me to write an essay on Harriet Tubman, but I was not somebody who called myself a writer.

When people asked I said, "Yes, I write, but I'm not a writer." But at 30 years old, I decided to take myself seriously as a writer and allow myself the moniker and once that happened, really wonderful things started to come to me, like people who told me about fellowships that I could apply to which I did and got. This is just before I applied to the MFA. Applying to the MFA program was a part of naming myself as a writer and that naming really changed my life. I attended a traditional MFA program. I went to classes once a week, or twice a week. That's the traditional model, there is the low-residency model that Heather mentioned, that the Lesley program is, which I think is also a super model.

The low-residency MFA, for example, can allow you to continue with your life, though you'll have a more intensified one. You won't have to move or take up residence at or near a university. You can continue to have a family and full-time work. Low-res programs tend to appeal to what are called non-traditional students, often older students. They accommodate people's lives and faculty are custom to adult learners, working with adult learners.

What an MFA program can do for you also is give you the critical language with which to speak about literature and the arts, the analytic language. It helps you to develop these analytic skills or hone them. Language to talk about art, culture, cultural trends, global trends, historical trends, and movements as a result of the work, the critical work that you're doing in the MFA program.

Part of why I attended the program was so that I could write but also so that I could develop the critical language with which to defend my work in the world. Here I am a black woman, writing texts that may not have been when I was in my own MFA program 15 years ago. [laughs] May not have been as popular on the critical landscape. I needed to be able to defend my work, I needed the skills, the tools, to be able to know how to talk to people who might not be able to see the work as having a particular value. That for me was an important part of attending, why I attended an MFA program.

Work in an MFA program is not divorced from what's taking place in the world. You're reminded of the challenges in the world because MFA programs are microcosms of the world. The dynamics that play in the world exist in MFA programs, you bring your isms to it and your colleagues and your peers and your faculty members bring their isms to it. You're going to have to like work all of that stuff out and you work it out through the writing and through the discourse, through the critical work that you do.

The MFA program or MFA programs give you an opportunity to, while you're dealing, raffling if you will, with the issues that make their themselves into the program. They also give you the opportunity to make work that can ultimately change the world. It's a large statement but think about your favorite books or works of art, books that have changed your life. Can anybody name one?

Participant 1: Of Mice and Men .

Danielle: Yes. Of Mice and Men , right. Other texts, yes?

Participant 2: [crosstalk]

Danielle: Hold on. There were two people speaking, quick. Yes, up front. Yes. nice and loud, please.

Participant 2: If on a Winter's Night a Travel er

Danielle: Okay. Then back here.

Participant 3: Like in sixth grade [inaudible 00:19:25]

Danielle: Okay, right. Other texts that have changed your life, yes?

Participant 4: The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Danielle: One more time, please.

Danielle: Yes. Junot Diaz. Yes. For me, Toni Morrison's Beloved shifted my life. The other texts we want to throw up there that have changed.

Participant 5: [unintelligible 00:19:52]

Danielle: Yes, absolutely.

Participant 5: [inaudible 00:19:58]

Heather: Yes.

Danielle: Okay. All right.

Participant 5: You read his essays [unintelligible 00:20:02] . We get a lot of that.

Danielle: All right. An MFA program can give you the space and the tools you need to make the books that change the lives of people in the world, that change culture. That's what an MFA can do for you. Janet mentioned the community you can find in MFA. I'll echo, I'll reiterate that. You'll find community among your peers in your areas. Our program at Lesley happens to have six concentrations, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, writing for young people, writing for a stage and screen, and we have this wonderful new concentration called graphic novels and comics. You'll find camaraderie among folks who are working in your concentrations but then across the concentrations as well.

You will find community with your faculty members and also among the writers whose works you read across time and space. Writers who inspire you, blow your mind, piss you off so much that you have to write the response text. You'll learn about the local and broader literary landscapes and communities, you'll learn about residency opportunities to which you can apply and of which you get taken care of if you're admitted for two weeks in the woods of New Hampshire, for example. You'll learn about calls for work, fellowships, literary prizes. You will confront your fears and limitations and overcome them, we hope.

You will find fear, and fire, and water, and air. That's potent me now in MFA program. I'll stop there and we'll take comments and questions.

Janet: Can I just say one thing about community?

Danielle: Yes.

Janet: Do you mind if I just talk a little bit about that because it's so huge? When I was thinking about preparing the panel, I was like, "Wow, when I did my MFA, it was 15 years ago, and the world has changed quite a bit especially the digital world." I was thinking about how many communities there are online and places where people are getting together and workshopping and sharing such information. I think one of the reasons people love MFA is it is this totally analog experience. There's nothing like the feeling of actually being with people and leaving a workshop together after some really interesting craft discussion and just going to lunch and talking craft. You meet people who are speaking your language.

Again, it's a pretty rare thing that you provide for yourself but that person to person experience I found very, very precious. Just the other thing that I was thinking about is just how we all need each other. I find that I have to have people doing this in my life to pull me forward because there are days where I'm just like, "Oh, God, it's going terrible, or it's going great for me and not great for her." We need to pull each other through I find and you find those people sometimes in an MFA program. I also wanted to say you can find your rivals. Rivals? It sounds like, "What's that?" But I think healthy rivalry can be really nice too.

You find people who are doing what you want to do, and they lead the path and you're probably leading the path for somebody else. Again, it's just surviving in the arts I find very difficult. Financially, emotionally, finding the time and the energy to do the work, especially if you have jobs and families, and finding people who- like I have a colleague, and she's really the only person that I can call and talk about sentences. We were just talking about no one can use independent clause well anymore. It's so geeky but that's our language. We're prose writers and I wouldn't have found her probably anywhere else. Finding your people is I think just so valuable. Don't you think?

Janet: We're going to ask you if you have a question to go up to the mic and speak into it.

Participant 6: Just some practical information about maybe what an average low-residency schedule looks like. Like the year how long does it take in a range of cost? Thank you.

Danielle: Typical low-residency programs are the same length as traditional programs so about two years. Some students take three years to go through them. We have two residences during the year at Lesley, one in January and one in June of nine days a piece and so our faculty and students work on or engage in workshops, seminars, panels, and so on during that nine-day boot camp if you will. Then they engage in long-distance learning during the course of the semester. That's what our low-residency program looks like and it's not unusual. Costs are going to depend on the institution, of course, and some institutions have scholarships. We have scholarships. Students apply for financial aid or can apply for financial aid as well. Have I answered all the questions?

Heather: There's also two other kind of financial things that can be folded in or not folded in with low-residencies, which is where you're going. Travel is, I think, almost never included, except possibly there are some low-residency MFA programs now that have an international component and I think some of those are folding the travel in because the whole entire group is traveling. Usually, travel costs are something you have to bear yourself for the residency periods. Where the residency is what the institution is will determine also whether or not you are paying a room and board or what type of room and board.

If you are, for example, out in the woods of New Hampshire, you're essentially staying on campus and you're paying a dorm rate to stay on campus and that's part of your tuition and all of that. Lesley is here in Cambridge. I live in Somerville so I got on a bus and went to class and went home and looked at my dirty dishes at the end of the day and was very sad about that. I also often had other students in the program both while I was there, and after I graduated staying with me so some people were not having to pay a housing cost at all, or took me out to dinner, which is a pretty modest housing fee. That's something to bear in mind with low-residencies that there's another little financial component to them.

Janet: There's definitely a cost involved. I have heard people make arguments like, "Why would you get into debt if you're going to live an artistic life because you're not going to make a lot of money?" That is valid I guess. Most people I know even very accomplished writers are teaching at least or doing something else to make some money. I think it's very hard to make a living just writing unless you're Stephen King or something or Toni Morrison. Everyone has their own level of comfort with that and money but it's a tough one, because you may get into that doing this, but the value of what it could bring you could very well be worth it. I always think money is money. You can always make money but to really find something of value, that might be with you your whole life. That's how I tend to think of it but it does cost.

Danielle: There are a few MFA programs that cover student full tuition. They're extremely competitive.

Janet: Residency, right?

Danielle: Residency, yes.

Janet: Yes, there is that option. Do they require teaching?

Danielle: Some of them do.

Janet: Yes, you're right.

Participant 7: My question was, you talked about things that you didn't know about college life that factor in even more so at the graduate student level that's beyond academics, and I was wondering what kinds of things?

Heather: Well, on academics/other level, I didn't realize how important things like office hours with your professors are. I never went to office hours because, in my head, that was a thing you did if you were like, "I don't understand the material." It wasn't a thing you did just because it's valuable to have that connection with your professor and for them to know you as a person. I just didn't have that model in my brain in any way, shape or form and nobody ever told me. I didn't do it.

I was even older than Danielle, I was 34 when I started my MFA and I still feel like I didn't take advantage of my mentors to the extent that I could have because I never quite- I took more advantage of them, certainly, but I just never learned that language for how to approach people in those ways. It always felt like I'm taking up their time or like they have better things to do and I'm a good student. I think people who go to graduate school are often people who just like the school in some capacity.

In some way, maybe you're good at a niche thing or you feel like you're good at most of it, but you're a good student. I never learned that kind of a thing. I didn't network with other undergrads very much. Partly that was about, I was working full-time even as an undergrad and so actually the bulk of my friends from undergrad are people that I worked with, not very many people in my classes or the dorms I lived in. My friends came from my work life, even if they were in the same university as I was, they were still my friends from work, we didn't overlap really in our study lives.

It really was when I went into an MFA program that I, even though I was not on campus with my fellow students for more than a couple of weeks out of the year, we were constantly in touch. I went in as a poetry concentrator. I know the poets who were in my group very well. I knew all the poets who were in different semesters. They call them cohorts, Lesley cohorts very well. I also knew a lot, there was a lot of what Danielle was talking about cross-genre interplay. I don't know how much of that happens in a residency-based program, because I do think you spend more time in the incubator of your genre when you're on campus with those people all the time, but certainly my experience of a low-residency was a lot of cross-genre pollination which I really wanted and was a valuable thing to me, and that I would not have thought to seek out on my own. I hope that answers your question.

Participant 8: Hi. That's actually part of what my question is about. You talked about the concentrations that exist in your MFA program. Poetry, fiction, screenwriting. What advice would you give to writers who want to work cross genre, cross-medium and is there space in these programs to do that?

Danielle: It's a great question. I'm going to ask Janet to speak a little bit. I think it's doing the work in the critical component of the program allows you to do the cross-genre, yes to do that cross-genre work, and I think many MFAs allow you to take critical courses. Some of them have you remain within literature. Our program has this very wide interdisciplinary studies component, and I think maybe one or two others have that, so I'm going to punt it to Janet.

Janet: As Danielle said, our program at Lesley does have a space built in, so you are actually completing credits for three of your four semesters in something that is not your major, your main concentration. We have a wide variety of opportunities to do cross-genre work and that's exactly what a lot of people do in their interdisciplinary work. You can also do other things like study pedagogy, you can do publishing courses, do internships. There's a wide variety, but we do have a lot of students doing cross-genre and it's a great opportunity to do when you're studying.

Some students will take cross-genre throughout their studies and have a minor almost and just complete a whole second work in another genre, and that is available if you want to do that.

Danielle: One final comment too, is to find faculty members who have a great understanding of the flexibility of the genre that they're working in. I think of a book like Claudia Rankine’s Citizen, which is a genre-bending text, although many would categorize it poetry. Not that Claudia was working on that text while she was an MFA student, but I imagine if she had been, she would have been in poetry, but with the support of faculty who got what she was doing to allow her to do that prose poetry visual work that she was doing. Finding the faculty in programs who can support the kind of work that you want to do.

Participant 8: Thank you.

Janet: Thanks.

Participant 9: Hi. My question relates to networking opportunities that you guys maybe had in a grad program or an MFA program that you might not have had. in-- I've done undergrad creative writing but I didn't really feel like I got a lot of networking opportunities out of that. I was wondering if you could maybe speak to specific experiences and then for Danielle specifically, I was wondering as a fellow non-white writer if you felt like you've got ever pigeonholed into very white spaces in those kinds of instances. I see you.

Danielle: I had to fight my way out of them.

Participant 9: That was just like a follow-up, but generally I'm wondering specific opportunities, but I'm just curious if you could speak to that also specifically.

Heather: Who was the first question?

Janet: Should we start with the small question? [crosstalk] No, it's a good question.

Heather: I guess I would say, when you're in a grad program, the stakes for everybody are a lot higher. Undergrad is very easy to say, even if it's your major, it's not the real thing you're doing. I think that networking is just very different in grad school because everybody is pretty serious about what they're doing. What that seriousness looks like is different for everybody, so I don't want to paint it as if there's like one way to be a serious writer in any way, shape, or form. Everybody who's there is taking it really, really seriously. In that sense, the networking is different. I think grad programs are aware that students need those opportunities and try to actively create them.

Almost any traditional residency or MFA program has things like reading series and often there's internships or students are working on literary journals or something like that where they're interfacing with a lot of different authors. This was unrelated to my MFA, was related to other coursework I did separately, but I interned at Agni for a while, and that put me in touch with a lot of people, and then professors. Even professors that I never studied with.

One of the fiction professors at Lesley two years ago said, "Hey, a friend of mine is starting an online journal and needs poetry readers, do you have some free time? Would you be interested?" Just because we had sat in the dining hall and had a meal together a couple of times, and he was like, "I think you're all right." Those kinds of opportunities come up and professors know that their students are serious and they know how seriously you take your work and they're looking for ways to involve you.

Janet: Cool. We bring agents and editors to campus. Some programs have different views about that and don't want you to think about publishing, but we used to have these big publishing panels at our residencies and they were tough because it was just this far away panel and they'd all be saying how hard it was to get published and everyone would just leave depressed. We started and we changed it up so that now you get to sit in a room with an agent or editor and read some work aloud and get some instant feedback. Just to personalize it and to start a conversation about craft and your writing. Often it comes, like Heather said, through peer opportunities later offering stuff.

Danielle: When I was going through my MFA, I did have the feeling of #MFA is so white.

Danielle: That label sort of emerge much later or more recently but what I did do was network with faculty members. While I was in the MFA program, I was also working with faculty members in Comparative Literature and Africana Studies. People like and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o who wrote, Decolonizing the Mind and Kamau Brathwaite and Paula Marshall, who was in the creative writing program. Well, sometimes I didn't find always understanding among my peers. I could find connections to my teachers and so that was a way of networking.

After I emerged from my MFA program, there have been more people of color going through MFA programs. I think that has cracked things open a bit. There's more of an experience among writers of color- the MFA experience among writers of color. Networking with those folks who are either in MFA programs, in your program or in other programs that you can connect to and people who have gone through the experience to connect to.

Participant 9: Cool. Thank you.

Danielle: Sure.

Participant 10: I also, sorry, have two questions. One is a little bit of a follow-up. I was wondering if you could speak to the critique that some MFA programs have a tendency to produce homogenous writing and then after that is a little different speaking about going through an MFA later in life rather than right after Undergrad. How you think that experience differs as a writer and for your growth?

Danielle: Critique of MFAs making homogenous writing.

Heather: I've had a lot of fields.

Danielle: Okay. Alright.

Janet: You've had a lot of what?

Heather: I have a lot of fields.

Danielle: All right. Go for it.

Heather: I'm going to say something that I think is a controversial statement to make as somebody who's deeply in this ecosystem. Because I'm not only a writer, I work in publishing. Although I don't work in fiction or poetry publishing and I'm in a literary journal world. I'm in a lot of different writing hats. Maybe it was true 20 years ago when MFA programs were really blowing up a little bit in like the '80s, the '90s, from what they had been which was a handful of programs and very small ones that they were producing a lot of samey, same writing. I think that speaks more to at that moment historically, who the populations as both students and teachers of those programs were. Which is very samey-samey. I think we all know who the samey-samey is. [laughs] As Danielle just said, that's changed really dramatically and it's constantly changing.

There are demographics that are tied to that. Here's a component that's tied to both parts of your question. Low-residency MFAs, I think are awesome because there's a lot of people in them who are not coming-- There are people who are coming right out of undergrad but there's also a lot of people who are not. I was at Lesley with people who were 22 and people who were in their late ’70s at the same time and all across the spectrum in between.

That said, the people who were on the older end of that spectrum for very clear material reasons in the US are basically white people. The people who are of younger age groups, not so much. It's a much, much broader group of people in that sense so I don't think MFAs are really churning out homogenous writing and I think a lot of that is because MFAs are not homogenous in the ways they used to be. They're simply not. There are more women. There are more black, brown, indigenous. Lesley has a lot of international students. People fly from all over the world actually to come into Lesley.

Someone in my cohort was coming from Mali, so it was not homogenous in those senses. What I do think is still very homogenous is publishing. When we talk about the products of MFA programs, we're often not talking about the things that people are writing who have just received an MFA. We're talking about books that have been published by people who are known to have obtained an MFA somewhere and the people choosing those books actually are often the same people who were choosing books in the '90s.

Those jobs have not turned over that much and there's not that many of them. The people who are as selling and marketing those books are a very homogenous group of people by and large so that's not an answer you're going to hear a lot of people give to that question but I think it's a big factor.

Danielle: Well, I think yes. This is very interesting and there's a lot of ways to look at the question. Like the same kind of writing, like churning out the same kind of story or the same kind of writing. Even craft wise, so speaking of it even craft wise, workshop is the model, is the MFA model of pedagogy. It's not the only model there is but it's the one that's dominant here in this culture.

It's a group of people getting together and that can be really great when you come up with ideas that are like better than one person could come up with and you figure out somebody's story but it's a lot of voices in your work and it really does force you to be more clear about your work and what you want to say and what is your vision. Very funny, I have a friend who is a graduate of MFA [chuckles] and she got into the program and her submission manuscript was about a dog.

I think it was King Arthur's dog or something and the director was like, "We want to accept you into the track, you can't write about dogs." [laughs] She's just like, "Okay." Then went to workshop first semester, submitted a story about dogs. It wasn't the novel about King Arthur's dog but it was a story and it had dogs in it. Now she's a dog handler and she'd been doing it for like 20 years.

Like often the writer can't speak in a workshop, which you can feel different ways about that [chuckles] but everybody went around and it was all like, "Oh my God, like you don't know dogs." [laughs] Everyone was getting down on her about this dog thing and she was just like, "Oh my God." She was just very confused because it was her material. Everyone's like, "Don't do dogs." [laughs] Now she's like making money writing about dogs.

Danielle: It's actually becoming her thing and so I felt a little bit sad that she had been guided in some ways not to be like, "How can we help you do what you want to do? Okay. Maybe if going to do dogs you can't be sentimental or you can't necessarily go to King Arthur." I don't know but they didn't really work with her as well as they might have I think and she came around to it because she was solid and you're just going to write what you got to write about so you stay with that. It was funny though. Additional questions? Thank you.

Participant 11: Actually, it's a weird follow-up because I have a real, was it like, were you getting that from that article that came out a year ago or two that was about the Iowa city workshop and stuff like that and how that flattened literature. It was this long article about-- Actually, it was all these things that just made me connect to my mind. Is there currently a culture of like negativity? There's a lot of this culture of negativity thing that's in a lot of fields. Like I work in nonprofits and there's this like bring down idea of culture and community culture of you have to critique everything, you have to find the negatives and take out everything out of there and stuff like that. You have to break down silos.

Is there that culture currently in MFA programs because it's like you have different things like pigeonholing and things like that? We want you to write this way or this way or we're looking for this and this like currently in publishing. Is there in MFA right now, there's this like we're looking for this and you have to be like this and this and this or not can accept you, or is there now more of stratification or acceptance of different ideas then more so than in the past?

Janet: Great question, yes.

Heather: It's a deep question. We know it's good when you just are having a pause.

Speaker 3: It's funny. There’s a Mr. Rogers quote, the guy that wrote the book that I was reading, he was saying that about our culture right now that we're so in conflict with each other. That's what's going on right now. I think then after that we all went coocoo a little bit, we are trying to get on campuses, what happens is that science is trying to stop people who [inaudible 00:51:20] these people and then everyone is picking on everyone, it seems like the people in who are already want to be in power. It seems that's the problem...

Danielle: It hasn't been my experience that there's a general culture of negativity associated with MFA programs. I think the work we do is work that that takes place, is work of critique. There's that to consider. I also think that we're experiencing a really exciting moment in contemporary American literature. We're hearing voices we would have never heard 30 years ago, 50 years ago, maybe even 25 years ago. There's such a richness and a great diversity in contemporary lit that I'm buoyed by that. I don't feel that it is negative. I don't feel a culture of negativity associated with literature today.

Janet: Reading workshop I tend to really try to facilitate and guide students towards a yes and. I think it's Pixar. They talked about how they critique. Critique can be a bunch of negative stuff, and that's really tough. You don't really listen when it's just all a bunch of negative stuff. It's about building up the work and looking at the value of the work and what is it trying to be, and then having this more positive. I'm seeing that this isn't working, but this is and this is. I try to have this building on constructive critique. It doesn't become just a wrote, let's just analyze it to death and break it down and criticize everything.

Sometimes students will tend to just go there because it's an easy place. The person before them said this in the workshop and they just thing repeat it and it's a negative that goes around the circle, and I'll stop that. It's like we've got to just build this too. We can't just say a bunch of negative stuff if that makes sense. I think that's rude.

Heather: Yes. I would agree and say at least within MFA I don't think there's a culture of negativity or negative critique. I think there is a strong culture of critique and that it's actually benefiting the MFA landscape overall, although your mileage may vary in any individual programs. Programs should be really well researched for those reasons. I do think there is resentment in larger parts of the culture about some of the ways that voices are being heard, that have not been heard previously. I think poetry is really ahead of other genres in this. I think the way you know this is because you can time your watch by like how long it's going to take for the next person to write to the Washington post about how poetry is dead.

Heather: Really what they mean is very specific poetry is dead. They mean, they're not opening up a poetry book and finding the next Auden. It's like I really like Auden and Auden is great, but we don't need to keep perpetuating 7,000 Audens. What I want is Claudia Cortez and Eve Yeung, and Dennis Smith, who's somewhere around here doing something awesome today.

Also, I want those people. I already have Auden. I don't just want more Auden, but there are people out there who really only want to read Auden for the rest of their life and are actually mad that there are people out there who are not just making more Auden.

Danielle: On this note, we're going to try to end on a note of positivity.

Janet: Yes.

Danielle: Thank you for having attended this session. I want to wish you all the best in your MFA seeking journey, in your writing lives. Feel free to contact the Lesley MFA program if you're interested in thinking about talking to us about low-residency program and of course, there are some wonderful MFA programs here in the Boston area and beyond. All the best you and thanks for coming out.

Heather: Thank you audience.

Danielle: Thanks, guys.

Heather: Awesome questions.

Announcer: Thank you for listening to Why We Write and a special thanks to the Boston Book Festival and Studio 125 for the excellent recording. If this discussion has piqued your interest, find out more about our MFA and creative writing program at lesley.edu/podcast. That's L-E-S-L-E-Y. Why We Write is taking a break for the holidays and January and we will return in February with new shows.

In the meantime, if you've enjoyed the podcast so far, please tell a friend and rate and review us on the podcast platform of your choice. It really does help other people to find the show.

University of Notre Dame

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MFA in Creative Writing

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The Notre Dame MFA in Creative Writing program combines generous, attentive focus on student work with active, engaged pedagogy. We believe that an MFA is more than a credential or two years paid writing time, but rather an active, cooperative process of growth and exploration that relies as much on peer-to-peer relationships and mentoring as it does on individual initiative.

Our vision of the MFA is a holistic one, in which community, craft, experimentation, dialogue, study, reflection, and teaching all contribute to self-directed learning.

Since the program was founded in 1992, we have emphasized recruiting a diverse, international body of students. We welcome and encourage diversity in terms of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, economic background, nationality, immigration status, ability, and disability, as well as in aesthetic approaches, genre, and vision.

Our faculty represent a rich array of ethnic, economic, linguistic, and national backgrounds. They have distinguished themselves in a variety of genres and media, and teach from their expertise in both traditional and innovative practices. 

As an admitted MFA student you will receive a full tuition waiver, a fellowship providing a full stipend, and a health insurance subsidy, as well as teaching, editorial, and publication experience . 

The Creative Writing Program encourages applications from undocumented, international, and non-traditional students. Our application deadline is January 15.

 “It's difficult to overstate the impact that the Notre Dame creative writing program had on my life. I entered the program at age 22, terrified, hoping I could somehow hold my own in workshop. I left with a stack of papers that got me an agent that got me a book deal that became a movie and more books, because Notre Dame gave me the time and community and just enough confidence to chase what I'd been otherwise convinced was an unreasonable life. My mentors at Notre Dame showed me what I did well, but more importantly, they taught me my shortcomings, and that awareness has guided just about every sentence I've written since.” —Tom Coyne ('99)

Have questions about the MFA in Creative Writing? Contact:

Roy Scranton Director of Creative Writing Associate Professor of English Email: [email protected]

Paul Cunningham Creative Writing Program Manager Email: [email protected]

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EveryWriter

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Should I get an MFA in Creative Writing?

January 14, 2023 by Richard 11 Comments

If you love writing, an MFA might be the way for you to go, but there are many things to consider. In life, there are no guarantees, but taking the risk might keep you writing. The truth is, you never know. Before signing up for your MFA in Creative Writing, here are some things to consider. Student Union, where many MFAers sleep.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

If you are considering pursuing your MFA in Creative Writing, here are a few things to keep in mind. Creative writing programs are bombing now, but it may not be your best idea.

Circle of Writers

You will be around people who write. You will be around experienced writers. Having access to professional writers is generally a good thing for writers. The more people you know who read your work, the better you write most of the time. You’ll have other people around you to motivate you. Do you need it? Do you crave a community of writers?

More Time to Write

You’ll have more time to write. Most MFA programs are studio programs that focus on writing. We are not talking about an MA in English. We are talking about studio creative writing programs. These are programs that give you time to write. You spend most of your time meeting deadlines for writing and then workshopping what you’ve written. A writing program might work if you need to get away from your busy job and life to write and have no refuge.

Literary Writing

You’ll have training from literary writers. It’s good if you are interested in literary writing (meaning you write the fiction of life). I’m about to say something that will get me in trouble with you, but if you are most concerned with story-telling and have few details about how the story is told, you probably will not like academic courses. Literary writers get into the nooks and crannies of writing. Not to say that genre writers do not focus on language—literary focus on how the story is told. If you are not a “micro” writer, you may not enjoy it very much. There is always an exception to the rule. Some MFA programs do offer paths in genre fiction.

You MIGHT have access to literary agents. Literary agents watch some MFA programs. These programs usually produce good writers, and agents monitor the programs for writers they can represent. Iowa and Arizona are at the top of this list. The list of good programs is constantly changing, save that Iowa is always on top.

Better Writer

It will help you in your writing, or better stated: it will help you understand yourself better to become a better writer. After all, becoming a better editor is one thing, but becoming a better writer-storytelling- having your style is different altogether. An MFA program will teach you about language. It will also allow you to learn more about yourself as a writer. It will give you time and support. It will not magically improve your writing just by stepping into the program. Could you do this on your own without the program? Yeah, many others have. Many great writers have sought out writing circles and have yet to attend university.

It will allow you to teach at a university or in a writing program or go on to get your Ph.D. An MFA is ideal if you are interested in teaching at a university. This especially applies to poets. Poets generally find it hard to make a living writing poetry, so teaching is one of the best options.

There are other ways.

You can get a lot out of simple workshops. If you do not want to teach writing, you might not need an MFA. You do not have an “academic” interest in language and don’t necessarily care about the literary world; I would say you might want to sign up for a couple of workshops. They have workshops in every major city from time to time. Look for them in writer’s magazines (classifieds).

Bad Influence on Your Writing?

Some people say MFA programs are a terrible influence on your writing. They mean that most programs do not focus on a particular genre (other than literary). Writers need to remember that each genre in writing has its quirks and niches. Science fiction, romance, and mystery writers may have different goals in their writing. Working with writers who focus on the genre you love will do you more good than going and getting an MFA. When choosing an MFA program, one thing you should remember is the professors teaching the courses. If you like their writing, they will help you the most in your writing. If you think they are boring, why bother going into the program?

Every genre has workshops and seminars where great writers from that genre attend and teach or even read your work and comment. There are online courses where outstanding writers in a genre teach. These are much more valuable than going to a general MFA program. Get involved. Get in a workshop.

Being in an MFA program will not “hurt” your writing. It will change your writing and may not tailor changes to the genre you love. You can use what they teach you, but why not learn and work with someone in your area of the genre?

You will buy primo credits at a Master’s level at a university. You will spend between $7000-$15,000 a semester (or more, depending on the school). The degree could cost $30,000-$100,000. Each degree and university are different, but make sure to look at the cost before you enroll. Many MFA programs do have stipends and assistantships where you can teach to get your tuition paid. If you are one of the unlucky ones who do not get an assistantship, you are looking at a steep bill for your writing degree.

No guarantee

MFAs are like any degree you get in the humanities; there is no guarantee. It might not get you a book deal. It might not get you published. It might not even get you a teaching job. Many MFAs had gone right back into the field they were working in before they got their MFA. Yes, you can do the work, pay the money and spend the time and you still need to get a job related to writing. This happens in every field, but you have to remember the jobs associated with report writing tend to be few and far between in many parts of the country. Only some people can get a job, and it is possible to go through all the steps and remain in the same spot you’re in right now.

  Ask yourself the right questions. Don’t let others discourage you. Don’t let anything stand in your way. If you want an MFA degree, you shouldn’t let anything stop you. Many writers do very well with a creative writing degree.

Updated 1/14/22

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About Richard

Richard Everywriter (pen name) has worked for literary magazines and literary websites for the last 25 years. He holds degrees in Writing, Journalism, Technology and Education. Richard has headed many writing workshops and courses, and he has taught writing and literature for the last 20 years.  

In writing and publishing he has worked with independent, small, medium and large publishers for years connecting publishers to authors. He has also worked as a journalist and editor in both magazine, newspaper and trade publications as well as in the medical publishing industry.   Follow him on Twitter, and check out our Submissions page .

Reader Interactions

October 26, 2014 at 2:53 pm

Still confused on whether to get an MFA.

January 31, 2015 at 9:48 pm

I am Just as confused- I write mostly poetry- so do I benefit from getting a MFA or not-

Elaine says

February 17, 2015 at 3:17 pm

After reading several different opinions on the value of earning an MFA in writing, I have concluded one really needs to determine motivation. I think those motivated by intrinsic rewards will gain the most value from this type of degree.

Nina Annette says

May 5, 2016 at 5:28 pm

What do I do? I think an MFA would be a great way to meet other writers and intellectuals, to refine and challenge my writing, and to have meaningful discussions on books, essays, and more. I’m a philosophy and politics undergraduate, as I love debating and discussing both theoretical works and real-world problems. I am not in school to become a millionaire, but I also know that I need to be practical. I literally have no idea what I want to do, but I think the MFA in writing might be a worthwhile opportunity, especially since many can be worked around jobs. Maybe I can get funding, but if not, is it a worthwhile opportunity?

Bob Gray says

August 11, 2016 at 11:04 am

RUN as fast as you can from these MFA programs. There are no jobs with this degree. IF it is not FREE to obtain the MFA, do you want to spend years paying off debt for a degree that provides no job opportunities. My son did just that. Now he is filled with regrets. It is NOT a worthwhile opportunity. It is not an opportunity for anything except postponement to the real world. Earn a degree that will get you job offers and pay your bills!

Noah Mead says

November 15, 2016 at 2:13 pm

William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, Jack Kerouac, just to name a few writers who did not have an undergraduate degree let alone an MFA

legfan says

March 22, 2017 at 4:50 pm

Unemployed english major here. Taking business classes right now, hopefully get into mba and business world so i can affored things i want. With the economy like it is, better off waiting until you are 60 to write, it is hopeless. Business is dull, but think of all the interesting things you can do with a financial foundation. No good evidence in this article to get an mfa. Id rather go and study books because at least its analysis.

Every Writer says

March 23, 2017 at 6:36 am

I want to make it clear that I’m not trying to point our reasons to get an MFA in this article. I’m simply letting writers know the possible benefits of this degree. It makes me happy to see the comments on this article. When I wrote it, the one thing I wanted people to do most was really think out if an MFA degree is right for them. They should know the risks, but I believe it’s attached a lot to the ends.

So if you get an MFA, and the time you spend give you all the time and support you need to write a great book, you do, and then become a successful writer, would you regret your MFA?

On the other hand, if you never writer or publish a book, never become successful, then yes, I think you would regret the money you spent. That’s how it is with any degree though. If I train to be a rocket scientist but then become a plumber, do I get mad at myself for wasting money?

MFAs ARE a stepping stone to jobs, but they are jobs in teaching. For instance, many many poets cannot make a living off their writing…poetry just isn’t that popular, so the MFA moves them to a PHD track, that gets them a job teaching while they write. It’s just one example.

I do not push for or against MFAs.

March 23, 2017 at 7:47 am

More to think about:

I looked these up quickly, but you can do more extensive research if you like. Pulitzer Prize winners for the last 5ish years:

2016 Viet Thanh Nguyen PHD English 2015 Anthony Doerr MFA 2014 Donna Tartt MA English 2013 Adam Johnson MFA 2012 no award 2011 Jennifer Egan MA English 2010 Paul Harding MFA

Poetry 2016 Peter Balakain BA/MA/Phd (BA, MA English I think!) 2015 Gregory Purdlo MFA 2014 Vijay Seshadri (? Teaches MFA) 2013 Sharon Olds PHD English 2012 Tracy K. Smith MFA 2011 Kay Ryan BA, MA English 2010 Rae Armantrout MFA

Did this very quickly…on the fly…please forgive and POINT OUT TYPOS.

October 12, 2017 at 6:12 pm

Every Writer,

Donna Tartt did not get an MA in English.

crazy roll 3d says

January 6, 2023 at 1:01 am

I think you should try.

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Some people are naturally gifted writers and storytellers. But no matter how great one’s innate abilities, every writer must hone their skills to take their writing to the highest level to achieve success. The University of Missouri–St. Louis offers a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing to help you do just that. In fact, our MFA graduates have published books in fiction and poetry, won prestigious awards and placed poems, stories and essays in hundreds of esteemed literary journals.

To apply to the MFA in Creative Writing program you must have earned an undergraduate degree and provide an appropriate writing sample: 10-15 poems if applying in poetry or 20-30 pages of prose if applying in fiction (roughly two stories or novel chapters). The curriculum includes 15 hours of workshop classes, 12 of which must be taken in your genre (poetry or fiction). Additional coursework includes Form and Theory (writing craft seminar), Literary Journal Editing (reading and evaluating submissions for Boulevard magazine) and an MFA thesis.

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7 Creative Writing Careers You Can Get With an MFA Degree

Creative minds gift beauty to the world around them. Artists in every field give people the opportunity to appreciate the thoughts, emotions and stories that connect people across the globe. However, the field of fine arts is traditionally regarded as highly competitive, which can be discouraging to some aspiring artists.

But despite the competitive reputation of the field, an MFA in Creative Writing is one of the most versatile fine arts degrees in the field, offering those who are passionate about writing plenty of opportunities in countless industries. Because the world will always need talented writers, an MFA in Creative Writing can be put to use almost anywhere.

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Across languages, the history of human experience lives on through words. 

Words always have been and always will be one of the most important means of connecting people intellectually and emotionally. The passion to unite people through the written word is a unique one that deserves to be honed.

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In other words, the world needs storytellers; if you long to tell stories, whether in the form of a novel or a newspaper, consider joining a community of storytellers in an MFA program. An MFA in Creative Writing will prepare you to use your creative writing abilities for any career you might pursue.

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So you like writing, and creative writing is needed in a variety of fields. But what can you actually do with an MFA in Creative Writing ? Explore just seven of the many options for a creative writer below.

Ever dreamed of seeing your novel on a shelf at the local bookstore? An advanced creative writing degree can help you fulfill your dreams of becoming a published author . Be a novelist or a poet, of fiction or of nonfiction, and share the words you craft inside your head with the world around you. 

2. Screenwrite

Bring your stories to life on screen. Whether you like creating plot, characters or script, you can use your creative writing skills as a screenwriter. Screenwriters create content for shows and movies and imaginatively translate the written word into a visual piece of art.

Is structure your forte? Do you enjoy digging into the details of grammar and style in writing? Help other writers better their writing by being an editor. Editors surround themselves with pieces of writing in all forms, readying them for publication . 

Want to help other people accomplish their goals of being a published author? Look into a career as a literary agent . Literary agents help aspiring authors navigate the overwhelming world of publishing.

Some creative minds find their strength in the world of nonfiction. Those with a natural curiosity for the real, current world and a gift for research can go for a career as a journalist. Newspapers, magazines and various online publications need people who want to gather information and report on world events.

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If you like sharing your opinions, providing perspective and having your voice heard, a job as a columnist might suit you. Columnists can write for all kinds of media, specializing in writing articles on a specific topic or interest .

In the age of rapidly advancing technological communication, skills in writing might lead you to be a social media specialist. As a social media specialist, you can help brands build community with the public through creating and managing a brand’s online presence.

A Quick Look at the Job Outlook for Writers

Jobs for writers and authors nationally have a stable market . Across the country, creative writing job openings grow at a steady rate of 4 percent per year with about 142,800 positions available at any time. The job growth rate increases for writers working in marketing ( at 10 percent ), technical writers ( at 6 percent ) and those working in broadcast media ( at 10 percent ).

In the Los Angeles area alone, writers can find careers among thousands of job options . The versatile, secure market for writing jobs gives creative writers space to grow in their talents and passions.

Why Earn a Creative Writing MFA at MSMU? 

Los Angeles, California is a hub of creative minds. Home to the film hotspot of Hollywood and nationally famous papers like The Los Angeles Times, writers who find their passion in anything from screenwriting to journalism find themselves in a community of creative writers in Los Angeles. 

And, Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles sits right at the heart of it all.

A MFA in Creative Writing gives students a broad education on the craft. The Mount gives students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge in a specific area of study within the creative writing field by offering two certificate options in its MFA in Creative Writing program:

Latin American/Latinx Creative Studies Certificate (LALCS): Dive deep into the heritage of Latin American and Latinx cultures. With an LALCS Certificate, students study the rich artistic traditions of Latin American and Latinx cultures from the Caribbean and Southern, Central and Northern Latin America, especially across different genres of writing. Students will learn from faculty with expertise in a variety of literary and writing backgrounds and be able to immerse themselves in Latinx culture through studying abroad in Cuzco, Peru. This certificate prepares writers to think critically about and be engaged with the world around them

Writing for Media Certificate: Learn about how essential diversity is in all forms of writing. In MSMU’s Writing for Media Certificate program, students take courses in screenwriting, podcasting, cinema studies and more, to gain well-rounded knowledge of the writing field. Students also understand the value of appreciating and representing voices from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds in media. A diverse set of teachers and classes help students produce robust portfolios of work over the course of the program that they can carry with them as they enter their careers.

Pursue Your Creative Writing Career at the Mount!

The world wants to hear your stories.

At Mount Saint Mary’s University, students can pursue their Creative Writing MFA on campus, online or a mixture of both. Over the course of this interdisciplinary program, all candidates will complete fifteen credit hours in writing workshops, several electives in literary theory, the humanities and film and create an original creative writing manuscript in a selected genre. Students will graduate prepared to write in all fields and qualified to teach writing at the college level.

If you want to dedicate your life to telling stories of any kind – fiction or nonfiction, in sentence or verse, in print or online – a Creative Writing MFA could be your next step in sharing your voice with the world.

Write your career story starting at the Mount. If you are interested in MSMU’s Creative Writing MFA, apply now , request more information , or attend an info session .

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Over the years many more internationally acclaimed writers have made the Program their home, including Mary Gaitskill, Richard Howard, Howard Moss, Linda Gregg, Adam Zagajewski, Daniel Stern, David Wojahn, Edward Hirsch, Alan Hollinghurst, Mark Strand, David Wagoner, Philip Levine, Charles Wright, Claudia Rankine, Kimiko Hahn, Mark Doty and Ruben Martinez.

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Monday, July 2, 2012

14 reasons (not) to get an mfa in creative writing (and two reasons it might actually be worth it).

• Get a marketable skill (Nope.)
• Improve your job prospects (Not listed even once)
• Earn more money (This is actually debunked in several places. You read that right. DEBUNKED .)
• Internships or professional opportunities (Not even mentioned.)
• The sheer pleasure of the pursuit of knowledge (Pfffft. What kind of nerd goes to school for this?)

• Genuinely increase one's chances of publication
• Undoubtedly improve one's writing

Okay take a breather.  Maybe grab a snack. 

The question isn't if it's useful. The question is if it's WORTH IT.

40 comments:

Huzzah! Huzzah! HUH-zzah!

Did you know this blog is advertising a creative writing degree, on the sidebar. LOL>

Yeah, the robots that crawl my site just see key words. They don't always know WHAT I'm saying about various things. But I have nothing AGAINST MFAs. Just with people getting them for the wrong reasons

I wish I'd read this before I spent $35,000 and three years getting an MFA so that I could compete with thirty applicants for every teaching position in the country. Most useless piece of paper ever.

I have a friend who's really glad she did it, but none of the reasons are pragmatic ones, so at least you are in good company. :-/

This is shockingly frank and distressingly accurate. Thanks for your honesty even if it stings. I teach Creative Writing in an MFA program and the misconceptions my students have is appalling. I wish I could make your article mandatory reading prior to their enrollment.

That's a totally cool idea, but if you do that, will you make sure the URL is visible at the bottom of the page you print out and/or have them read it here at the website. My instructors used to print out stuff and the printer cropped the bottom so you couldn't see where to go if you wanted to find more from the writer.

Ouch. True....but OUCH.

There are good reasons to get an MFA, but I think 99% of the students aren't doing it for one of those reasons. :-/

Came here from your recent letter to the MFA student. Man, you've nailed the problem. Music and theater--those MFA's make sense and they can get you hired in an orchestra or troupe. But Creative Writing....just useless.

God I'm glad I read this before I made this choice. I'm not saying I won't still get the MFA but I'm glad I read this.

You're welcome!

Thanks-- you just saved me two years and twenty grand. If we ever meet, the coffee's on me (Dunkin' Donuts; small black).

I'm not much of a coffee drinker. Maybe I can just get a couple of donut holes instead?

Damn. You just seriously tipped the scales on my decision. Thanks for saving me 30 grand--I'm going to buy a car.

Well just name it Chris (and try to have a threesome in it), kay?

Dude, you are hilarious. I have until Nov. 13th to make my decision. What's a douchebag like me supposed to do?

It's tough for me to say, having never read your writing, but my initial impulse is that if you are not burning to get one and absolutely sure that it's the right path, it probably isn't. I don't actually dislike MFA's. I just think they are too often undertaken as a "Don't know what else to do" next step.

This afternoon I withdrew from my MFA dramatic writing program after completing half of the credits. I'm going to get a certificate to teach language arts in middle school instead. Creative writing programs aren't all about creative writing. There are pretentious jargon-heavy academic readings and pretentious jargon-heavy discussions about postcolonial issues--all of which require hours of preparation. In addition, every semester I was expected to write a full-length script including no less than two rewrites. My writing was never, ever good enough for my professors. I should mention that I am a published writer (magazines, newspapers, online literary journals). I also have a published play for which I receive annual royalty checks. One of my scripts was recently chosen for a prestigious competition. Nevertheless, I never earned a grade higher than a B. Consequently, I've lost faith in my writing. Worse, I've lost interest in writing. I hope this is a temporary state. Furthermore, the future for an MFA graduate seems to be as an adjunct for community colleges--if you're lucky. In fact, only two of our program's recent graduates are teaching at a community college. But one of them had college teaching experience before he earned his MFA. Another had a temporary job at the post office. He's unemployed now. A fourth makes pizzas.You get the idea. The only guarantee that comes with an MFA is debt. Thank you for your article. I'll read it every time I question my decision to leave.

I hope you regain faith and interest in your writing. It sounds as though by every bellwether that matters you are capable and competent.

Chiming in unsolicited: would you be *satisfied* if your writing was "good enough for [your] professors"? Pointing out areas to improve your writing is their entire job. It's what you are (or were) paying them to do. Wouldn't you be irritated if you handed in a piece and they said, "Yep, it's great. I got nothin. See ya."

I've been toying with the idea of going back to school lately and your post has brought up a lot of important points. I'm not committed to the prospect of going back--in fact, reading a bunch of admissions requirements today reminded me what I disliked about my undergrad experience in creative writing. I do wonder what you'd recommend, apart from graduate studies, in order to be a part of a community of writers. I spent a lot of time abroad after graduating and feel a bit out of touch. That, and getting more opportunities for publication, were the motivating factors in thinking about going back to school. I'm curious what you have to say about the process of making connections with other writers.

Tricky. I'm not sure there's a really stellar answer. Connections with other writers are tough to forage even in a writing program. I have found some success in kind of going through the paces in your typical places and then forming "elite cadres" out of the folks you get on with who are actually serious about it. I have usually connected with one or two other writers in many of the online or local groups and those people have gone on to be part of a group who regularly send each other writing for feedback even after the original group petered out or ended.

I am currently going for an MA in Creative Writing, and I'm getting just as much (if not more) opportunities than probably an MFA degree could EVER afford, because it's a rounded approach in not just creative writing, but literature and rhetoric. In a sense, this makes me more marketable...do I want to get published? Sure! But I'm also wanting to teach and be well-rounded as a person. Thank you for this very informative article. :)

UC Davis has a lit focused MA in creative writing that I've given more than a cursory look. I really think that's the way to go unless you're absolutely sure about the kind of writing MFA's encourage.

Not Davis, specifically. I just mean the MA program. I think that's a good call you made there.

I just completed my MFA and my first manuscript through National University. I know many people will say I bought my degree and they are right. I spent every penny from my full-time teaching position to do so. My main reason for spending three and half years of taking challenging courses,spending $21,000.00, was to become a better writer, and complete the book that I had been procrastinating finishing for twenty years. I have no regrets. I will add $4,000.00 a year to my salary because I already have an MA. from UCSD where I obtained a B.A. in English Literature, two teaching credentials, one Administrative Credential and now my MFA in Creative Writing from National. I didn't consult with Google or anyone else before I enrolled in my program, I just did it. Do I think my 190 page manuscript is worth a damn? Hell yes I do, it means the world to me because instead of talking about how much I wanted to write a novel I actually completed one. Will it get published? It was not my intention to pitch it anywhere besides the garbage when I thought I couldn't do write another page but I have no intention of trying to get it published. It wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell but it's still mine, and it took revision, upon revision, upon revision to complete it but I love writing, and I would do it over in a heartbeat. I am really proud of what I accomplished and I encourage anyone with the desire to pursue a degree in writing or any other discipline to go for it. It certainly won't hurt your resume.

I'm actually tremendously glad you like what you got out of an MFA. If you are happy then that's really all that matters. Certainly just following your passions is what more people should do. But a lot of young writers (especially the kind Googling the question of an MFA's utility) would be wondering if $21k and 3 1/2 years would get them any further than cultivating their own discipline. That's a pretty large investment to approach with the idea of "couldn't hurt." Most people are going to want to know exactly how much that kind of time and money COULD help. Which is why I wrote the article. Lovely to hear about folks who are making it work for them though. Thank you!

Thank you for the civility of your response. So many writing forums espouse such negativity that I simply shake my head and move on. It is a tough decision and I am extremely grateful and fortunate I was able to make the decision and to benefit from it. However, with regard to your reference to younger students note, I would like to add that from my perspective, the MFA is even more beneficial because they are young and can have that much more writing experience behind them. It certainly is a big cost and investment of time but well worth it. That's why I responded. There were many con comments and I thought it would be nice to add some pros to the comments. Again, many thanks for the response. :)

It's always good to get the other side. I'm glad you wrote it! Someone wrote in on the Mailbox asking for reasons TO get an MFA a few weeks back; you might appreciate that reply. It's not as popular of a post though, and it is probably harder to find. http://chrisbrecheen.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-mailbox-is-mfa-worth-it.html

I know this article was written a couple of years ago, but I'd like to thank the author - it's great food for thought, and the fact that most of the 'cons' are making me sigh with relief tells me that, as an on-the-fence potential student, it's not something I really want to do. I'm completing an MA in Writing in the UK, where I have always lived, and was persuaded a few months ago by a couple of teachers that I should apply for an MFA (or even a PhD) in the US, because a) I would have a chance of getting in and b) unlike the UK, funding is something that actually exists. I have been torn for months. I would like to experience a new culture and have 'time to write' (something that has come out the mouths of all my teachers), but lots of things have been putting me off, too. Mainly, that I don't want to be one of the many people I know who have been clinging on to institutions for as long as they can, trying to get their foot in the door as a teacher, but avoiding the real world and not actually writing anything. I also hate the snobbishness that I've read between the lines on quite a few MFA websites. If I manage to make a name for myself writing, it will probably be in YA fiction, which is not something that a funded programme seems to approve of. By 'allowing myself time to write', I would in fact be pulling further away from my real interests out of academic requirement. I think the scales really started to tip yesterday. I went into the city for an event in a bookshop, where an agent who has previously read your first three chapters spends ten minutes firing comments at you - e.g., 'You do *this* well, and it will be your USP, but cut *that* scene and you have more chance of getting a reader to want to continue,' and so on. It was infinitely more helpful than anything I've learned in over a year in education, and it only cost five quid.

Getting an MFA paid for by student loans has basically guaranteed I'll never write again. I work 2-3 jobs to keep ahead-enough of the wage garnishment so I can keep a roof over my head (I'd need to earn 100k/yr to make just the MINIMUM payments on my loans, oh but wait, if I was making 100k/yr I guess I wouldn't qualify for the minimum payments...). My life has been a nightmare of instability, debt colletctor calls, no time to do anything but work shit jobs (and the ones you are qualified for with an MFA are all, basically, shit jobs, you're just flipping e-"articles" or disinterested tutoring students instead of burgers) since I completed classes in my 'pay-to-play" Ivy league program. This is easily the worst mistake of my life and I am sure it has taken several years off my pathetic tenure here on the planet already. Worst part is, I still want to write, even actually do maybe once a month when I get a free afternoon. But lets face it--48hrs/yr does not complete the novel. Or even many stories. Not that they get accepted anyway--it's clear my program accepted me simply because I could get loan money, not because I had much talent. Give it up, I know.

A lot of this is true, a lot of this is false. I only have time to speak to the latter. Most MFA programs, including the one I am currently attending, are fully funded. None of us are going into debt. You teach a composition course, work in a writing center, or in some other capacity work your way through. And it isn't just the tuition that is fully funded, we get a monthly stipend that pays the bills and affords a bit of spending money. Furthermore, most of the readers and writers I know are not so narrowly minded as you imply under the heading JOIN A COMMUNITY OF WRITERS..., we read just as much mainstream fiction as the other guy. In fact, I'm probably the only person in my program (including our Professors) who enjoy writers that are language based, experimental, etc. Also, my program is not a top ten program: I'm at a major state school. I do meet authors, I have met agents who read my work and met with me one on one. There are connections to be made through various avenues in an MFA program. Moreover, the idea that an MFA fosters a certain brand of fiction is horribly misleading. A lot of MFAs allow writers to explore different genres, and a lot of MFAs have people in them who are just like everyone else: they love to read fantasy, sci-fi, YA, as well as literary realism, etc. Getting an MFA for 20,000 dollars, but it has been my experience, and this is borne out by just the slightest bit of research that most programs provide funding. Poets and Writers rank the top MFA programs based on a myriad of factors, one being the cost, and anybody can peruse their scale and see that most schools provide funding.

Getting an MFA for 20,000 dollars may be steep*

Actually it's generous. Costhelper.com puts the national average (in the USA) at THIRTY grand. And fully funded MFA's are definitely the exception, not the rule. Glad you're enjoying your program, and found a good one! (Really I am.) The usual pedagogy in the USA makes yours the exception, not the rule, and you are WELCOME to take a cruise around the internet if you don't believe me. It's also been almost three years since I wrote this and the major cultural backlash MFA programs started getting hit with has caused a few to revisit their first principles. (Though not many.)

I noted a homophone error towards the end of the article -- "phase" in place of "faze" in the fifth paragraph from the bottom.

My low res MFA was more than thirty. Just saying. But I'm so immensely glad I did it because... http://www.rebeccagrabill.com/blog/2016/5/13/7-reasons-you-might-want-an-mfa

I’m actually just switching from a law degree to an English lit with Creative degree. I gave Law my best shot but I was fighting with myself the whole time because I knew it was Creative Writing that I really wanted to be doing

This sounds like a great reason to do it! (My mom wanted me to be a lawyer so bad.)

What Jobs Can You Get With an MFA in Creative Writing?

Author: Shannon Bowring Updated: January 31, 2023

So you took the plunge, endured the emotional upheavals and tough criticism of your writing, and took on student loan debt you’ll be paying off for years. Congratulations! You now have an MFA in Creative Writing. But what jobs can you get with your MFA in Creative Writing ?

How much can you expect to earn?

According to ZipRecruiter , as of December 2021, the average annual pay in the United States for a Creative Writing MFA is $73,613 per year. If this number seems optimistic, even unrealistic, it’s because it is. A deeper plunge into the report shows that annual salaries for writers actually range from $11,500 to $259,000. That’s a hell of a difference. We can only assume that the Big Bestselling Writers have claimed that top spot, while the rest of us aspiring authors are likely hovering far closer to that $11k range.

In other words, and I’m sure this is no surprise to anyone reading this, the majority of writers are grossly underpaid.

But I’m here to tell you not to lose hope. There are many ways, other than selling book s, to leverage that Creative Writing MFA to make a comfortable, if not lucrative, career as a writer .

If you’re a traditionalist

  Many writers go into teaching after earning their MFA in Creative Writing, often at the university level. The usual trajectory is to begin as an adjunct and then work one’s way up through the ranks to professor* , which ideally comes with a sweet corner office lined with leatherbound books. Typically, you need to have published at least one book to land the coveted position of teaching others how to write in a college or university.

If you want to teach, but not in a university

There are plenty of other ways to teach the craft of writing. If you’d like to work with writers but not within the world of traditional academia, consider offering your expertise as a writing coach, tutor, or adult education teacher. There are thousands of writers out there looking for someone to share what they’ve learned about the craft of writing and the business side of becoming an author. Seek out (or create) local and/or online venues where you can share what you have learned through your own experience. Having an MFA attached to your name will help writers feel you can be trusted to know what you are talking about.

If you are an online guru

Opportunities for good writers are continually expanding and evolving online. Countless websites and businesses are always on the lookout for talented content writers, copywriters, copyeditors, grant writers, and technical writers. (One good source for these remote jobs is Remote.co .) Having an MFA in Creative Writing can help give you an edge in this competitive market. One advantage of these jobs is that they are often flexible and part-time, which is great for those looking to keep their writing muscles fresh without making a lifelong commitment.

If you are That Person always correcting other people’s grammar

The world will always need quality editors and proofreaders . This career path can take many forms—you could work for a literary magazine , publishing house, or newspaper, or try your hand as a freelancer. Editing others’ work keeps your own writing skills sharp, with the added bonus of potentially bringing in big bucks: Depending on genre and level of editing, a freelance editor can earn anywhere from $36-$70 per hour. Sign me up!

If you are a rebel

You have an MFA in Creative Writing, so think creatively . Get involved with your local writing community and run writing workshops (a quick online search can guide you on how much you should expect to charge, depending on your format and attendance). Have a guest house on a beautiful piece of property you don’t mind renting out? Start a writing retreat or writing residency to give fellow writers a place to disconnect from their busy lives and work on their novels, poems, and essays. For an additional fee, you might also offer these writers one-on-one coaching or editing services.

A Creative Writing MFA isn’t a guarantee—but it is an opportunity

As an aspiring author , you must find a way to apply your skills as a writer and make them work for you . Many authors I know have shaped successful, happy lives for themselves by doing a variety of the jobs listed above, often more than one at the same time. The post-MFA life does not come with a guarantee of monetary wealth—but if you get creative and do the work, it is possible to create a writing life that is spiritually, artistically, and emotionally fulfilling. And isn’t that what real success is all about, anyway?

Though, honestly, I wouldn’t mind earning $259,000 a year.

*With the effects of the pandemic, and the slow but steady shift away from brick-and-mortar classrooms, this route of teaching in a traditional university seems to be getting more difficult. That said, the world needs great writing teachers, so if this is the path you want to take, please be intrepid and find a way to do so. You are the unsung heroes; teach away, teach away.

Recommended reading

Here at Aspiring Author , we love recommending bestsellers and fawning over hot new releases. On this real time recommended reading list, you will find a list of top rated books on the publishing industry, craft, and other books to help you elevate your writing career.

The Author's Guide: Writing Your Business Plan: Learn How to Publish a Book and What You Need to Know Before You Start Your Writing Career

The Yellowstone Affair

Mythmaking: Self-Discovery and the Timeless Art of Memoir

By the Seat of Your Pants: Secrets of Discovery Writing

14 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book

About the author.

Shannon Bowring

Related articles.

Why You Need an MFA in Creative Writing

How Long Does it Take to Get an MFA in Creative Writing?

15 Best Low Residency MFA Programs

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Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing

Master of fine arts in creative writing and poetics (low-residency).

Our low-residency MFA provides the structure, support, and professional development you need to take your writing to the next level .

Program Overview

Naropa’s Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing is designed for writers ready to hone their craft and earn their Master of Fine Arts degree through rigorous, cross-genre study. Students who can’t relocate to our Colorado Campus can acquire a quality asynchronous education with in-person residencies.

Whether you have a novel in progress, are preparing for a PhD program, or looking to strengthen your prose, poetry, and hybrid writing, our low-residency creative writing MFA program provides you with resources, accountability, and inspiration that fit your schedules.

Naropa takes traditional low-residency MFA programs a step further with our history of experimental and innovative writing, critical study, and cross-genre publishing. Our unique cross-genre online writing courses, generative residencies, and one-on-one mentorship provide students with a writing community, no matter where they live.

Cross-Genre Curriculum

Unlike other Creative Writing MFA programs, our low-residency MFA is open-genre. This means that writers can work in fiction, poetry, prose, non-fiction, playwriting, and hybrid forms throughout their degree program. Students experiment with narrative structures and forms that fit their unique voices. Writers develop their unique style, critical ear, and vast knowledge of contemporary trends across literary genres.

One-on-One Mentorship

One-on-one mentorship and small online writing classes help writers develop their style, refine their editing skills, and publish their work. Each writer dedicates their final semester to a thesis manuscript. Working one-on-one with their thesis mentor and workshopping with classmates through written exchange, students finish their MFA with a completed manuscript in the genre of their choice.

Generative Residencies

Every semester, our Low-Residency MFA students gather in Boulder, Colorado, for enriching and energizing residencies. MFA students meet one-on-one with mentors, enjoy master classes with guest writers, attend readings, and bond with writers. Residencies also overlap with our spring and fall symposiums, providing students with a rich 4-days of community and inspiration. Each academic year culminates in a week-long writing intensive at Naropa’s Summer Writing Program. This annual festival brings over 60 artists, writers, and thinkers to Boulder, for workshops, readings, panels, and professional development.

Quick Facts

• Fifteen annual days of residency in Boulder, CO
• Open-genre curriculum
• One-on-one mentorship with accomplished faculty
• Unique Experimental Approach
• Participation in the Summer Writing Program
• Cohort model developing a strong sense of community among MFA students
• Several Scholarship and Financial Aid Opportunities
• Applications open for August 2024

Program Format

Naropa’s Creative Writing MFA is a rigorous, generative, low-residency two-year program with 4 writing residencies in beautiful Boulder Colorado. The program combines asynchronous craft courses with on-campus residencies. 

Annual fall and spring residencies allow writers to connect with other writers and faculty , deepen their craft, and participate in symposium readings and panels with other MFA students in Boulder, CO. Spring and Fall Residencies run from Saturday through Tuesday during the Spring and Fall JKS Symposiums.

The summer residency immerses writers in a full week of the Jack Kerouac School’s world-renowned Summer Writing Program . Here, students attend workshops, lectures, panels, and readings by numerous visiting writers to hone their craft, make connections, speak on student panels, and prepare for the next step in their writing career.

Course Spotlight

Craft of writing: rooting in the archive.

This course delves into the Naropa University Archive and its rich offerings to explore traditions, movements, and/or schools of writing that inform or extend the aesthetic vision of the Jack Kerouac School toward mindful writing. Possible recent historical examples include New American Poetry, the Beats, San Francisco Renaissance, the New York School, Black Mountain Poetics, the Black Arts Movement, and Language poetry, among others.

Degree Requirements

Unlike many online creative writing MFA programs, our asynchronous classes build community through writer-to-writer feedback and a structured curriculum.

Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing Requirements

26 credits of online asynchronous craft courses.

Students work one-on-one with a mentor, exchanging packets —consisting of letters, bibliographies, contemplative reflections, creative manuscripts, and critical essays—throughout the semester.

• WRI-631E Craft of Writing: Rooting in the Archive(6)WRI-648E Craft of Writing: Contemplative Experiments(6)
• WRI-678E Craft of Writing: Cultures & Communities(4)
• WRI-735E Craft of Writing: Contemporary Trends(6)
• WRI-755E Craft of Writing: Professional Development(4)

6 credits of MFA Thesis

6 credits of MFA Thesis (faculty mentorship on a book-length creative manuscript)

4 credits of the Summer Writing Program

Two eight-day summer residencies are completed at Naropa’s Boulder campus. Choose two of the following:

• WRI-751 Summer Writing Program(2)
• WRI-752 Week Two Summer Writing Program(2)
• WRI-753 Summer Writing Program(2)

4 credits of fall and spring residencies in Boulder, CO.

• WRI-789WE Fall Residency(1)
• WRI-791WE Spring Residency(1)

Why Choose Naropa?

Strong writing tradition.

Founded in 1974 by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman, the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics encourages experimental forms across genres , pushing for innovation inside and outside the classroom.

Career Readiness

Whether a student plans to teach, write, edit, or work in publishing, our low-residency program provides the framework they need to develop their professional skills alongside a vibrant and supportive writing community.

In-house Publishing

The Kerouac School’s student-run Bombay Gin literary journal publishes work from promising students and distributes it nationally through Small Press Distribution. Students interested in fine-craft letterpress printing can learn at Naropa’s Harry Smith Print Shop and Kavyayantra Press.

How this Program Prepares You

Professional dossier.

Graduates from our low-residency Creative Writing MFA emerge from the program with a solid record of written work . The pieces that make up their dossier are workshopped with peers and perfectioned with guidance from their tutor.

Critical Analysis

You’ll emerge from the program with critical analysis skills that go beyond reading between the lines of a written work. The program will teach you to recognize the role of intersectionality in the literary arts, looking at the wider spectrum that surrounds a piece, and identifying bias, assumptions and stereotypes.

Unleashing creativity

Our workshops, classes and Summer Writing Program encourage students to harness their creativity by exploring experimental forms . Low-residency students receive on-on one mentoring to help them develop their creative writing skills to the fullest, as well as feedback from their writing community, be it online or during their residency.

What You'll Learn

Highly developed writing craft.

Hone your voice in every step of the writing process.

Skill in Critical Analysis

Learn to discuss literary works through a variety of critical lenses.

Contemplative Writing Practice:

Use your writing practice as a tool for self-inquiry and discovery.

Social and Cultural Awareness

Recognize the role of race, class, and gender in literary history and works.

Career Preparedness

Graduate with a publishable manuscript and/or professional dossier.

Career Opportunities with a Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing

• Lyricist: write words for songs, matching melody and rhyme.
• Poet: use language to creatively express emotion, ideas and experiences.
• Proofreader: check written work for errors and inconsistencies.
• English Teacher: teach at the postsecondary level.
• Author: craft and publish original material.
• Editor: review and improve written work for publication.

Hear from a Graduate

Jackie henrion, faqs about the low-residency mfa in creative writing, what is a low residency mfa in creative writing, why choose a low residency mfa creative writing program, how long does it take to complete a low residency mfa in creative writing, how is naropa’s low residency mfa in creative writing different from other programs, what types of funding are available.

Funding includes the Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, and Anselm Hollo Graduate Fellowships.

The fellowships are awarded annually to three incoming MFA Creative Writing and Poetics students (residency program). Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, and Anselm Hollo fellowship recipients will receive full funding (tuition and fees), plus an additional $5,000 scholarship as well as a $4,500 stipend. Fellowship recipients may not simultaneously hold a Graduate Assistantship.

Additionally, partial funding is provided for students who have applied for and been offered graduate assistantships with the Naropa Writing Center.

Visit our Graduate Scholarship page to read more about funding, fellowships and scholarships for the Low-Residency Creative Writing & Poetics MFA and other degrees.

Learn More About the Program

Connect with your counselor

Olivia phipps.

Graduate Admissions Counselor

• [email protected]
• Schedule an Appointment
• Attend An Info Session

Ready to Apply?

Admission requirements.

Naropa University values both academic excellence and critical self-reflection . Our application process not only evaluates academic performance but also candidates’ openness and willingness to engage in contemplation.

Learn more about admission requirements and the application process for our Low-Residency Creative Writing MFA.

Graduate Students

Prospective students who have completed an undergraduate degree are welcome to apply to Naropa. When applying, candidates must submit a transcript of their undergraduate coursework, a statement of interest, a resume, two letters of interest and a creative writing sample. They may also apply for financial aid at this stage. Discover all admission requirements.

International Students

If you obtained your undergraduate diploma from a non-US university, we require additional documentation to review your application. Learn how to apply to Naropa as an international student.

Costs and Financial Aid

Naropa University students have access to several financial aid opportunities and scholarships – over 75% of our graduate students receive some sort of financial support to pursue their studies. Use our calculator to estimate your tuition, housing, materials and other costs.

Undergraduate Scholarship Opportunities

Interested in our Low-Residency Creative Writing MFA?

Read our blog or listen to our podcast, heartfire festival returns to naropa university, episode 92. andrew schelling: writing as a spiritual practice, womxn of naropa celebrates national poetry month, summer writing program from the archives, together in spirit, student support and resources, academic support, online student support, career services, financial aid, accessibility, related programs, mfa in creative writing, ba in creative writing and literature, request information, plan a visit, about naropa, events & community, user information, support naropa.

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Naropa campuses closed on friday, march 15, 2024.

Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed Friday, March 15, 2024.  All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. All online and low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.

Based on the current weather forecast, the Healing with the Ancestors Talk & Breeze of Simplicity program scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday will be held as planned.

Staff that do not work remotely or are scheduled to work on campus, can work remotely. Staff that routinely work remotely are expected to continue to do so.

As a reminder, notifications will be sent by e-mail and the LiveSafe app.  

Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors.  Naropa University trusts you to make thoughtful and wise decisions based on the conditions and situation in which you find yourself in.

MFA Degree Program

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing provides studies in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, along with a variety of options for either a studio degree in Creative Writing, or a degree combining work in either the Department of English or other departments in which course work, or independent study, seems particularly pertinent to the student’s creative thesis. A book-length thesis of publishable quality is required; it will be directed by a member of the MFA faculty. The MFA requires 48 graduate semester hours, with a 3.00 grade point average in all graduate courses.

Admission Requirements

• An overall minimum grade point average of 2.75 at the undergraduate level.
• An official undergraduate and if applicable graduate transcript sent to Graduate Admissions.
• A portfolio of published or unpublished writing samples in the applicant’s chosen genre (at least 20-25 pages of fiction, 10 poems, or 25 pages of nonfiction), demonstrating a potential for development to a professional standard of writing, should be submitted to the English Graduate Office along with two letters of recommendation and a cover letter stating the candidate’s choice of genre and reasons for pursuing the degree. The writing sample will be evaluated by a committee of MFA faculty. The committee will recommend admission of those applicants with the highest demonstrated talent.
• Students who wish to change genres after being accepted in one genre, even if they are already registered and enrolled in the program, must submit a new portfolio of work in the new genre and be approved by the MFA faculty for admission in the new genre.
• Bachelor’s degree in English or if BA is in another field, twelve (12) semester hours in upper division literature or creative writing courses with a minimum grade point average of 2.75 in these courses.
• Deadlines: for best consideration apply by March 1 for the following fall semester admission and October 15 for following spring semester. Applications may be considered later but prospective students applying by those dates have first priority.

Any applicant who holds an MA degree in English may apply up to a maximum of 24 semester hours in English earned for that degree toward the MFA degree, with the approval of the graduate coordinator. A student’s advisor will insure that the combination of MA credits and courses taken in the program has appropriate breadth. Credit previously earned at another institution must be presented for evaluation not later than the end of the student’s second semester of enrollment.

Program Requirements

All students must fulfill the 48-hour degree requirement from the Core Requirements in section 1 in combination with one area of specialization under the Additional Requirements in section 2: the Studio Option, the Literary Studies Option, The Creative/Professional Option, the TESL/TEFL Option, or the Cross-Disciplinary Option.

Core Requirements

Writing workshops and forms courses.

A total of 6 courses (18 hours) required:

Four Workshop courses, at least three of which must be in chosen genre:

• ENGL 7601 - Creative Nonfiction Wkshp Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7602 - Fiction Workshop Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7603 - Poetry Workshop Credit Hours: (3)

One Forms course in chosen genre:

• ENGL 7470 - Forms Creative Nonfict Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7471 - Forms Of Fiction Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7472 - Forms Of Poetry Credit Hours: (3)

One Cross-Genre Course:

For Poetry Students

• ENGL 6610 - Creative Writing/Translation Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7602 - Fiction Workshop Credit Hours: (3) for poets

For Fiction and Creative Nonfiction students:

Cross-genre course.

ENGL 6610    may serve as a cross-genre course if the focus was on a cross-genre, but the student must submit a portfolio of cross-genre work from the course and get written approval from the Creative Writing Coordinator.

Creative Writing Colloquium

At least two sections of ENGL 7900    must be taken (6 hours).

NOTE: Students should familiarize themselves with the Thesis/Dissertation Preparation Guide before starting to write.

• ENGL 7996 - Thesis Credit Hours: (1-6) (3 hours)

Comprehensive Exam

A Comprehensive Exam based on a reading list formed by the student and the student’s thesis director.

Oral Review of Thesis

Although it is not a core requirement for the degree, all students receiving a Teaching Assistantship must take ENGL 7003    either before they become a teaching assistant or during their first semester of teaching. It is included as an alternative course in each of the options for additional requirements below.

Specialization Requirements:

Studio option:.

7 courses, 21 hours, chosen from the following:

• ENGL 7475 - Literary Publishing Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7485 - Lit Arts Programming Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7604 - Creative Writing Wkshp Credit Hours: (3)

Students may take, as an alternative to replace up to 3 of these courses, an equivalent number of other courses (of 3 hours each) from other disciplines within the Department of English (this includes ENGL 7003   , which is a requirement if the student receives a Teaching Assistantship). Note: as stated in the course descriptions, ENGL 7475    and ENGL 7485    can only be counted for a maximum of 6 hours each toward the degree requirements.

Literary Studies Option:

7 courses, 21 hours, made up of the following:

At least 9 hours of Literature Courses

At least 3 hours of theory of writing and english language/linguistics courses, selected from:.

• ENGL 7020-7049 - Special Topics in English Credit Hours: (3) through
• ENGL 7003 - Thry/Prac Tchng Comp Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7501 - History English Lang ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7511 - Survey of Linguistics ** Credit Hours: (3) through
• ENGL 7517 - Discourse Analysis Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7531 - Theory and History of ESL ** Credit Hours: (3) through
• ENGL 7537 - Issues in Second Language Reading ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7590 - Appl/Theory Linguistics Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7801 - History Composition Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7805 - Foundations of Writing Studies Credit Hours: (3)

Literary Editing

Up to 6 hours of

Literary Arts Programming

Forms courses.

Up to 9 hours of

Creative/Professional Writing Option:

At least 9 hours of professional writing courses:.

• ENGL 6618 - Document Design ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 6619 - Web Design/Online Writing ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7013 - Wkshp Hlth Care Writing ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7014 - Wkshp Public Hlth Care Writing ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7806 - Resch Meth In Writing Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7807 - Wksp/Govmt & Corp Wrtg ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7808 - Wksp/Sci & Techn Wrtg ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7809 - Technical Editing ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7818 - Collaborative Writing ** Credit Hours: (3)

Note: Up to 6 hours of ENGL 7811 - Internship Prof Wrtng    may be counted toward this requirement. All internships must be pre-approved by the coordinator of the Creative Writing program along with another professor in the student’s primary genre.

Up to 6 hours of:

Tesl/tefl option:.

• 15 hours in the Certificate Program in Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language (TESL/TEFL), including 12 hours in the certificate core:
• ENGL 7530 - Field Experience and Practicum in ESL ** Credit Hours: (3-6)
• ENGL 7531 - Theory and History of ESL ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7532 - Principles of Skills Assessment ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7535 - ESL Grammar ** Credit Hours: (3)

3 elective hours selected from:

• ENGL 7533 - Methods/Techniques of ESL in K-12 ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7536 - Issues in Second Language Writing ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 7538 - Cultural Issues in ESL ** Credit Hours: (3)
• ENGL 6533 - ESL/EFL in Multicultural Settings Credit Hours: (3)

6 hours of electives in English, Creative Writing, or Foreign Languages

Cross-disciplinary option:.

Up to 9 hours of English courses from any discipline (includes  ENGL 7003   )

At least 12 hours of courses from another department: Art, History, Journalism, Theater, Foreign Languages, or other department in which course work, or independent study, seems particularly pertinent to the student’s creative thesis.

Up to 9 of the 21 hours may be fulfilled by independent study in another department and/or internship hours, but all cross-disciplinary courses/independent studies/internships must be pre-approved by the coordinator of the Creative Writing program along with another professor in the student’s primary genre. Internships must be of a nature that will allow the student to participate in research that will form the basis of the student’s thesis.

Although taking all 12 hours of the cross-disciplinary minimum in only one other department is not required, it is recommended that the student focus primarily on one area or else have a clear rationale for fulfilling the 12-hour minimum in more than one cross-disciplinary area.

Retention Requirements

Upon entering the MFA program, a student chooses an advisor in his or her concentration. The advisor will monitor the student’s progress toward completion of the degree. Each semester the Graduate Studies Committee will examine the academic progress of all students for retention in the program. If a student receives either two C’s, one D, or one F grade in any English graduate level course, that student will be subject to review and could be dismissed from the program. In order to remain in good standing, all graduate students must maintain a 3.0 average in all courses. Students who are on academic probation for two consecutive semesters will not be allowed to continue in the program.