The Creative Writing MFA Handbook (Second Edition) Now Available for Immediate Shipping

[NB 11/20: Just wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to see this].

The Creative Writing MFA Handbook is now available for immediate shipping from Amazon.com. You can get it here.

I can confirm that it's available because I ordered a copy myself from Amazon.com to make sure everyone would be able to get it (my original pre-order was, probably like many of you, unexpectedly pushed back a couple weeks ago), and it's the real deal: my tracking number shows that the shipment has left Des Moines and is due here in Iowa City by November 20th at the very latest.

There'd been some delays with the book coming out, but now it's out and selling like hot cakes, apparently--among the top 10,000 sellers (among all books) on Amazon.com, which if you've ever tracked these things is freakin' amazing. There are several million books available on Amazon.com.

As many of you probably know, one of the new aspects of the second edition is Chapter 3, a chapter I'm thrilled to have had the chance to write, which is (also) a long one: 30+ pages. It contains brief profiles of fifty programs (with information on class sizes, acceptance rates, and all that other hard-to-find information), funding rankings (featuring 60+ programs), a master Poets & Writers poll (nearly 300 respondents), a comprehensive tiered ranking (the first master ranking of MFA programs since 1996), special lists of new and upcoming programs...etcetera...

As I asked on Poets & Writers: What more could an MFA geek possibly hope for?

Given that most programs (with a handful of exceptions) have January 1st through February 1st application deadlines (i.e., their deadlines are a month and a half to two and a half months away) hopefully the book can still be helpful to applicants during this application season. Really, though, given how much of the book is just about surviving the MFA (wherever you go, whoever you are), I don't think its usefulness is by any means exclusively time-sensitive.

Hope everyone's doing well and keeping as much of an even keel as possible! For what it's worth, I'm going through the exact same thing as everyone else: right now I'm applying to a bunch of PhD. programs, and it's awful. Just awful.

Washington University at St. Louis

David Schuman of Washington University at St. Louis has some updates for us. Thanks David!


First off, thanks to Tom for giving us this opportunity to get updated information to prospective applicants, and to Seth for posting about the changes we recently made to our website. Here at Wash U we sometimes feel, as Chris Arnold does about Purdue, that our program is a well-kept secret--maybe too well-kept! So I'm very glad to clarify our funding and teaching opportunities here.

Because of our selectivity and size, we are able to offer all our new students full and equal financial aid. For first year students, this has come in the form of a university fellowship which provides a complete tuition waiver plus a stipend sufficient for students to live comfortably in our relatively inexpensive city. We also provide full and equal funding to all of our second year students in the form of a Teaching Assistantship which, again, includes a full tuition waiver. To earn this assistantship, our students teach one section of an introductory creative writing workshop in their genres each semester of the second year (two sections total). Here are some more details.

For the First Year

Awards consist of scholarships, which cover the cost of tuition (for 2008-09, $36,200 for 2 semesters of 12 units each), plus a University Fellowship. The stipend for 2008-9 is $17,940. In addition, women should consider applying for the Mr. and Mrs. Spencer T. Olin Fellowships for Women in Graduate Study. Olin fellowships are awarded university-wide, so competition is keen. The award in 2008-09 carries a stipend of $21,735 and, if performance is satisfactory, it is renewable for the length of the degree program. Additionally available is The Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship Program for students who would contribute to the diversity at the university. This is a university-wide competition and offers full tuition scholarships plus a stipend of no less than $26,000 per year. Except for the Olin fellowship and The Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship Program, there is no special application form for applying for financial aid.

For the Second Year

Support for the second year consists of a tuition scholarship and an assistantship to teach sections of Fiction or Poetry Writing 1. The stipend for a teaching assistantship for 2008-09 is $17,850. Prior teaching experience is not required. The teaching load is one section of 12 students in each semester.

In the past we've also been able to offer generous funding for the summer between the first and second year and we are working to ensure that we can continue to do so.

You can learn more about us on our website:

http://artsci.wustl.edu/~english/writingprogram/

If you have any questions about the Writing Program at Washington University in St. Louis, please contact me at dschuman@wustl.edu.

David Schuman
Assistant Director
The Writing Program
Washington University in St. Louis

The Future of MFA Funding in Tough Economic Times

Julianna Baggott, Assistant Director of the Creative Writing Program at Florida State University, writes in with this of-the-moment response to a recent NY Times article: "Tough Times Strain Colleges Rich and Poor"

Julianna has kindly reached out to this blog community in recent months--perhaps forecasting a trend toward more transparency and accessibility to program information in the MFA application process. Have a read!

In Reponse to the NY Times Article

I read it and thought immediately of all of you.

Let me preface by saying that I've never suggested that anyone go into creative writing for the money, and I never will. That said, if you're passionate, I don't know that there's any good time to defer a dream. In fact, maybe, in light of the job market, now is a good time to slip under the umbrella of graduate study, to reemerge when the market rebounds... one hopes.

I think that everyone here at Florida State is very aware of trying to protect our graduate programs and, in particular, TA lines. I would be surprised if that weren't true of all well-respected programs. What's more, in discussions here, amid all of the talk of the economic crisis, suggestions have actually come up to take a specific look at creative ways to try to boost stipends, cutting in other areas. As long as we're cutting, we may as well think about cutting strategically!

Toward the end, the article in the NYTimes states that "Given the current climate, some say, colleges need to re-examine all of their economic assumptions." Maybe I'm just an optimist, but this is an opportunity for universities to make difficult decisions. Some of those decisions might actually end up benefiting creative writing programs, which have grown exponentially on a national level in the last couple of decades and continue on an upward sweep.

Of course, you all have to look long and hard at the funding (as well as cost of living) of the here and now. You shouldn't have to defer a dream, but you also shouldn't have to get heaped in debt for one either.


-- Julianna Baggott, Assistant Director, Creative Writing Program, Florida State University

Email Julianna with questions: JCBAGGOTT at aol dot com, or check out the FSU Creative Writing Program

Mailbag

What's up, future MFAers? It's been busy around here: semester in full swing, workshops, students, papers (both writing and grading), readings, and a lot of election excitement.

So it's time to catch up with everyone, now that things are quieting down a little and before the end-of-semester madness robs us all again of every minute to stop to collect our thoughts about things MFA.

Questions, comments, wild speculation, neurotic molecules of MFA-related mind chatter... Bring it all.

"How Good Is the Writing of Accepted MFAers...?"

That's a question that I hear often. Probably right after "Will I get accepted?" comes "Is my writing good enough to get me in the program? Is it good enough for me to be in the program?" and so on. So it occurred to me that current MFA candidates might want to link to webpages where MFA work is displayed. I'm not saying this is a perfect way to "gauge" one's writing (far from it), but it'll certainly give applicants some idea (or at least, it'll allow them to satisfy the insane curiosity all of us feel before applying :)).

However, I can't emphasize enough that these references shouldn't be used to respond to the above questions in a conclusive way. Why? At the very least because of these two reasons: for one thing, your work may have nothing to do with the work posted online by current MFA candidates, and yet the admissions committee may very well like your writing; then you're in and you have nothing to worry about; for another, I suspect (though this is sheer speculation) that those of us who post our stuff online don't turn in our very best work -- we "save" that to send to lit mags.

Still, with these qualifications in mind, it might be interesting to see what kind of work online MFA journals or MFA-related sites are posting out there. I'll get started by linking to Crate, the online MFA journal at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. (This is my second year here at UMass). Also, here's a blog where Rachel Glaser, one of my fellow UMass MFAers and an excellent writer, posts her work.

Let me warmly encourage other MFA candidates to post links to their program's work in the comments section!

Vote today, then run your own election

While America is voting in a major presidential election, I’ve been holding my own campaign. I’ve been asking my writing peers to look at my poetry portfolio and cast their ballots. Why? Because, America, I am undecided. I cannot figure out which poems to include in my MFA writing sample.

I went by own vote last year, without much outside help, and I doubted my ticket until the last minute for every application. Now that I’ve looked over my old files saved on my computer, I’m not sure I made the right decisions. Plus, I have about a dozen new poems to consider this time around.

So, I’ve decided that in order to maintain what little sanity I have left, I can’t do it by myself this year. I need to give the power to the people.

There are a lot of issues at stake: Some schools ask for 20 pages, some ask for 10. Others want a specific number of poems, usually around 10-15, but have no page limit. Then there are the unmentioned rhetorical dilemmas – do I send poems that are similar in style, or diverse? Should there be a common theme? What about placement – newest to oldest or lyrical to narrative? Longish to short?

Here’s my process: I’ve been handing over portions of my portfolio to people I trust. I give them a week or so to get back to me with their choice of Top 5 or Top 10. When all votes are gathered, I’ll set aside everyone’s favorites and choose from that collected stack my Top 10, and let the rest stay cozy in a file folder on my desk.

Then, if there’s time, I’ll go back to a couple friends and ask them to order them to their liking. If there’s no time, I’ll set the order myself based on flow of voice, sound and/or subject, with the weakest poems sandwiched in the middle. Then I have to use my own editorial eye to weed out the ones that shouldn’t be there. I don’t want to have too many poems that are alike, but I also don’t want to be all over the place.

If it sounds nerdy, it’s because it is.

But will my election work? I hope so! Actually, I’ve already gotten some feedback and I’m starting to see some common choices among my peers, which is a relief.

One thing to note: my published work isn’t necessarily my fans’ favorites. Hmm.

The hardest part thus far: Getting suggested edits to poems I thought were finished. Do I have time to make revisions? Should I ignore them? I don’t know!

The best thing(s): Delegating tasks to other people does take some pressure off. Not to mention, the positive comments I’m getting back on my work from people who matter to me (friends, professors, workshop buddies) are boosting my confidence this application season. So far, based on my peers’ reactions, I’m guessing that most of my writing sample will be made of newer poems. This is also comforting because it means I’ve grown as a writer in the year since I last applied. Hmm…now if I could just tackle that darn statement of purpose…

What are your tactics for making your best MFA writing sample? What are your concerns and questions about choosing your best work? Professors and people who have read over applications and/or grants, what advice do you have? I know you all are not poets, so speak up for the prose people, too.

Rebecca Brings us Creative Writing Companion.com

Do check this cool site out! -- Tom


Hey Tom,

I really appreciate your blog as well as your book, which helped me in my process of applying to MFA programs. I was doing most of my applications while managing a bookstore during Christmas season and I know I would've been banging my head into a lot more walls if it hadn't been for your help.

Partially inspired by your site, I made my own website, http://www.creative-writing-companion.com which has, among other things, a lot of MFA information. I'd love it if you would take a look at it and consider linking to it. I would, of course, be happy to add a link back and a pitch for your book, which, with my enthusiasm for it, I think I could promote well.

Let me know what you think,
Rebecca Taylor

Hawaii should be calling MFA applicants.

Hawaii has it all. It's a tropical getaway with beautiful sandy beaches. Additionally, active volcanoes keep these islands growing. There's just one problem. This surfers' paradise has no CW MFA program. The University of Hawaii at Manoa offers the M.A. and Phd. That's it. Where is the darn MFA for serious writers? It's a hard pill to swallow. What's up with the Aloha State?

A Sea Change in MFA Funding Information

I just wanted to mention to prospective MFA applicants that, in response to the recent article on MFA funding in Poets & Writers, countless MFA programs have changed their websites in order to better (and with greater specificity) detail their funding offerings. I note this partly to commend those programs for doing so, but as importantly to let current applicants know that returning to MFA websites you've visited in the past will in many cases yield new information. Programs which have, are, or will soon be updating their websites include: Penn State University, Virginia Tech University, Washington University at St. Louis, University of Illinois, Florida State University, Louisiana State University, Southern Illinois University, University of Mississippi, University of Houston, Purdue University, and many others.

I'm thrilled to see that we are (as I'd hoped) entering a new era in the field of MFA study, in which applicants are able to make informed decisions about MFA programs on the basis of data provided directly (and publicly) by the programs themselves.

Mailbag, October 20th

We're nearing the end of October, and application season is in full swing. Let's check in another mailbag.

A Brief Clarification on Purdue MFA Funding

Seth's excellent Poets and Writers article was accurate in noting that Purdue's $13,000 stipend is especially generous given the low cost of living in West Lafayette. Hopefully, I can shed some light on Purdue's teaching and service opportunities. One of the reasons that Purdue's program has been a well kept secret until recent years is that we are not as explicit as we could be in advertising that all of our students are guaranteed to teach at least two sections of Introduction to Creative Writing.

The program does indeed offer four funded editorial and administrative positions: Editor and Chief of Sycamore Review, Managing Editor of Sycamore Review, Visiting Writers Series Coordinator, and Assistant Director of Creative Writing. These are not in lieu of teaching responsibilities, but are rather opportunities for students to earn more money while also earning valuable professional development experience.

Our website could certainly be clearer, and we are in the process of an update and redesign, with the goal of providing more transparent information about our teaching and funding, while also working within the boundaries of our department at large. At present, The English Department's Graduate Studies Committee requires that all graduate programs advertise their funding as a flat $13,000 annual stipend (plus full tuition waiver). The committee's reasoning is that they want TAs to leave as much time as possible for their academic and creative work, and therefore don't necessarily encourage teaching more than one class per semester. While the MFA program's teaching opportunities are an exception, and the opportunity for earning up to $19,000 does exist, our program still has to follow the guidelines of the department, and advertise the minimum stipend.

Lastly, Purdue does offer a variety of $18,000 fellowships through the College of Liberal Arts, but these fellowships are distributed among several departments throughout the College. They can either be a substitute for or a supplement to a Teaching Assistantship. The MFA admissions committee automatically applies on behalf of admitted students for any fellowships they might qualify for.

As always, many thanks to Seth for navigating hundreds of labyrinthine program websites to uncover those programs that offer their students what they are looking for: Funded time to write, and the opportunity to teach creative writing. Thanks to his hard work, applicants have become better consumers and programs are now more aware of how vital it is to provide as much information possible.

If you have any other questions about the Purdue MFA, don't hesitate to reach me via the blog, or at cfarnold@purdue.edu.

Chris Arnold
Assistant Director of Creative Writing
Second year MFA fiction writer
Purdue University

How to Draft a List of Programs to Apply To

Proposal: The 3-Easy-Steps-and-You're-Done Method

1. Analyze programs on the basis of their Immutables. These are aspects of MFA programs that essentially remain unchanged over time, and therefore present the most reasonable, rational, and reliable bases for your decisions. Immutables include (ranked by importance, most to least, to the average candidate):

a. Location
b. Funding (+ Cost of Living)
c. Type of Degree (M.F.A. vs. M.A.)
c. Overall Reputation of University
d. Duration
e. Teaching/Editing Opportunities (Or Availability of Non-Teaching Positions)
f. Size of Entering Class
g. Emphasis on Studio Versus Academic Work
h. Student/Teacher Ratio
i. Opportunity for Cross-Genre Work
j. Non-traditional Core/Graduation Requirements
k. Age of Program
l. Association of Program With Desirable English Or Creative Writing PhD. Program

Note: 75% of the programs on your final list should meet all or nearly all the requirements you set as to Immutables.

2. Analyze programs on the basis of their Slow-Moving Variables. Slow-moving variables are aspects of MFA programs that may change slightly from year to year, but only minimally. Often these variables are not "known absolutes" (meaning, they are often variables that can only be, at best, estimated or seen only in "snapshot"). Slow-Moving Variables include (ranked by importance, most to least, to the average candidate):

a. Reputation of Program Overall
b. Reputation in Genre
c. Acceptance Rate
d. Aesthetic Bent*

* This is almost never a known absolute, despite persistent rumors to the contrary. It is not recommended that this be used as a factor in formulating a list of programs. Generally speaking, if a program is willing to admit you, they're also willing to aid you in furthering your aesthetic vision--whether the program's faculty, generally speaking, shares it (in their own writing) or not.

Note: 50% of the programs on your final list should meet all or nearly all the requirements you set as to Slow-Moving Variables. What this means is that if, for instance, your "target acceptance rate" is "5 to 10 percent," half the schools you apply to should have listed acceptance rates in this range. The other half of your list can include schools both above and below your desired level of selectivity (though it's certainly best if the remaining schools are divided 50/50 in this regard).

3. Analyze programs on the basis of their Quick-Moving Variables. Quick-moving variables are aspects of MFA programs which are likely to change from year to year, sometimes dramatically, and which therefore should not be given as much weight as other variables in your decision-making process. Often these variables are "qualified knowables" (meaning, they can be known, but are difficult to quantify and/or comprehensively research). Quick-Moving Variables are (ranked by importance, most to least, to the average candidate):

a. Faculty (Assessed By Student's Personal Admiration of Same)*
b. Student Satisfaction (Based on Broad Trends)
c. Quality of Visiting Faculty (Assessed As Program's Ability to Draw Admired Visiting Faculty)
d. Success of Recent Graduates (Awards)
e. Success of Recent Graduates (Job Placement)
f. Non-standardized Funding Opportunities**

* Due to high turnover rates among faculty at many if not most MFA programs, this must be considered a Quick-Moving Variable. You don't want to be the student who heads off to Program X--say, halfway across the country--only to find out that Professor A (who you adore) has just moved to Program Y (nor do you want to see him/her depart Program X in the midst of your time there). Likewise (see below) you don't want to presume that you'll like or enjoy/profit from working with Professor A just because you enjoy his/her writing. Great writing doesn't always translate into great teaching, in part because not all great writers are particularly invested in also being great teachers.

** This might include new or pending endowments, fellowships, internships, or postgraduate opportunities.

Note: 25% of the programs on your final list should meet all or nearly all the requirements you set as to Quick-Moving Variables.

[4.] Finally, while not formally a step in the process, it is important to avoid any consideration of Random/Speculative Factors. These are aspects of a program which are either random or purely speculative, and which therefore cannot be accurately predicted. For instance:

a. Average Age of Current Students
b. Receptivity of Program to Applicant's Demographic
c. Strength of Alumni Network
d. Attractiveness of Program Graduates to Particular Postgraduate Fellowships
e. Perceived Ties Between Applicant's Work and Work of Faculty*
f. Program's Roster of Famous Graduates From Well in the Past
g. Student Satisfaction (Based on Fewer Than 3 Anecdotes)
h. Directly Relating Perceived Writing Skill of Faculty to Their Supposed Teaching Skills

* If you can accurately assess whether or not your poetics are informed by precisely the same assumptions as your prospective professors, you probably don't need an MFA.

[5.] Needless to say, an applicant should catalog all his/her Personal Factors well in advance of completing the three steps above. No method for selecting MFA programs can possibly conceive of all the personal considerations that may (logically or otherwise) disqualify certain programs from certain applicants' long-lists or short-lists.

For data on these factors, see The Suburban Ecstasies.

MFA Funding

My lengthy article on MFA funding, from the current issue of Poets & Writers, can now also be found online.

Confessions of a Teaching Assistant

Kelly Ferguson has written a terrific article about the life of the MFA Teaching Assistant. Please do check it out. -- TK


Like most hopeful writers applying to MFA programs across the country each year, I considered funding a priority. A series of "careers," ranging from enoki mushroom farmer to rock drummer, had given me plenty to write about, but no time to put words on paper and no room for debt. While I ultimately wanted two years during which to write—the top priority for any MFA student—I wanted to do so without piling up student loans. So, rather than fire off a loan application to Sallie Mae, I applied for a teaching assistantship at my graduate school of choice.

What Are My Chances?

A good discussion topic from David:

how do you know if you're good enough to be seriously considered for the schools you want to get into? How do I know what my chances are for the schools on my list? Or is it a crap shoot for everyone (as long as we're competent writers, of course)?

I understand the difficulty in determining something as subjective as writing talent, but we should all have a good idea of our own ability, right? How else can I make an informed and balanced decision regarding which schools I apply to?

From the schools' end, you can evaluate historical selectivity and funding packages (a determinant of selectivity) to determine your statistical chances of getting in, but how does one evaluate one's own writing ability against the current of other applicants?

Tory Adkisson, MFA Blog Contributor

Tory Adkisson is a senior at UCLA, embroiled in a mini-literary culture he would have never thought existed given the city’s predilection for wheatgrass shots and ugg boots. He is an English major with a creative writing concentration who has used his caustic wit and charisma to wheedle his way into two more poetry workshops than he should be technically allowed to take, given the three workshop maximum for his degree. Tory is also highly neurotic, which explains why he already has a preliminary writing sample, a fourth draft of his statement of purpose, letters and forms distributed to his recommenders and GRE test date he is finding less and less interest to study for. As a frequenter (approaching fixture status) of UCLA’s Armand Hammer museum, Tory has been exposed to a variety of contemporary poetic talent over the last four years—including W.S. Merwin, whom he saw as a freshman and inspired him to take poetry a lot more seriously than he had been.

Recently, Tory has decided that he will probably only be applying to ten schools because, all things considered, two of the schools just aren’t places he could really see himself living for two to three years. In order to accommodate the ridiculous amount of money he is being forced to pay by various programs, as well his own school and ETS, Tory is stretching all of his tutoring sessions as long as he can and volunteering for office work he despises. But he’s okay with that, since all great artists must sacrifice for their work. His dream is to eventually live in the Bay Area to hang out with those cool, eclectic gays he’s heard so much about.

Among Tory’s MFA Blog related interests are: looking for programs who will pay him a little money and provide him with a room of one’s own, clarifying that his age in no way inhibits his dedication and degree of maturity, connecting with other literary types as we plot…ahem…hope for the future, stalking threads about program prestige, program size, and who is and isn’t a good teacher, and sharing his experience interning for a literary magazine, which he did last summer.

MFAs and the Economy

CLM writes in with these discussion questions...

With global market-economies sliding, would it be fair to reassess the value of an MFA degree? Has funding been cut for MFA programs in the past when these situations arise? Furthermore, What other jobs could one procure besides academic positions with an MFA, and are these jobs available now with financial meltdown so widespread? Respectfully,

Marvin Ferraz, MFA Blog Contributor

Marvin Ferraz is a senior at UC Berkeley, where he majors in history and minors in creative writing. He plans to apply to MFA programs this Fall and is even taking this semester off to focus exclusively on applications. During this time, he has been trying to integrate his varied experiences into a cohesive Statement of Purpose. Namely, he has tutored English and Psychology extensively, and has sojourned at UC Riverside--the only UC to offer a Creative Writing major. There, he is proud to have studied under the tutelage of Gayle Brandeis and Dwight Yates, who saw him through the completion of his first novel, which is making the rounds.

Current interests include: compulsively checking this MFA blog, blinking at a blank Word document as he contemplates an SOP that won't write itself, and trudging through the 2007 Barron's tests for the vocab master list. By way of being a productive contributor to this blog, he plans to compile a list of all the MFA programs that encourage contact with current students. So far, he has contacted students from a few programs and has found the interaction illuminating.

In addition, he also wishes there was some way for prospective MFA students to get in touch with one another. A MFAspace! Indeed, he is surprised that the UCR CRWT department is comprised of hundreds of students, yet so far he has only met one other person applying to MFAs. He understands the value of a peer reviewer, particularly one going through the same, drawn-out process as he. As such, he encourages correspondence, if you would like to exchange advice on writing samples, critical essays, SOPs, etc. Reach him at mferraz @ berkeley dot edu.

Most of all, he wishes you a splendid day!