UCLA's MFA-Preparation Courses

Hi Tom,

You were kind last spring to post an announcement about our MFA preparation course (and a number of your readers contacted me). This fall the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program offers two courses, one online and one on the UCLA campus, to help students prepare for graduate creative writing programs. Is there any chance that these could be mentioned on the blog?

Thanks again and all best,

Corey Campbell
UCLA Extension Writers’ Program
http://www.uclaextensionwritersprogram.blogspot.com/


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New Course
Graduate Creative Writing Programs: An Inside Look
747.25 English $75
The growing popularity of graduate creative writing programs has lead to more options than ever for writers seeking an intensive course of study. What are the pros and cons of considering a graduate creative writing degree in today's climate? What are the differences between an MA and an MFA and what is a PhD in creative writing? How do programs determine financial aid and how should that factor into your own decision-making? Our half-day program covers these and other questions and offers guidance on how to research and apply to the hundreds of programs available nationwide, including low-residency programs. Former UCLA Extension Writers' Program students who have gone to pursue graduate creative writing degrees give first-person assessments and advice.

Reg# U4605B
UCLA: 3114 Rolfe Hall
¤Saturday, 1-4pm,
October 11, 1 mtg.

Paul Mandelbaum, MFA, whose short stories have appeared in DoubleTake, Glimmer Train, Prairie Schooner, The Massachusetts Review, The Southern Review and others. Mr. Mandelbaum also has edited two anthologies, First Words and 12 Short Stories and Their Making,, and is the author of two novels-in-stories, Garrett in Wedlock (2004) and Adriane on the Edge (2005).

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Preparing for MFA Programs (Online)
X 464.1 English 2 units $375
With over a hundred MFA programs to choose from nationwide, it's often difficult to know which program might be right for you, how to be prepared for the arduous application process, and whether a full-residency or low-residency option is your best choice. This course addresses the process from the ground up. Guests from top MFA programs discuss their programs, and current and former students from both full-residency and low-residency programs talk honestly about what to expect in terms of workload. Equally important is the focus on your creative work, which is honed in bi-weekly workshops and via one-on-one rewrites with the instructor, with the goal of ensuring an application packet that is appropriate for your targeted university. Enrollment limited to 15 students. $55 nonrefundable.

Reg# U4148B
October 1-November 5
Tod Goldberg, author of the novels Living Dead Girl, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; Fake Liar Cheat, a finalist for the Nevada Arts Council Prize; and the forthcoming The Fix. Mr. Goldberg's book, Simplify, won the 2005 OV Books Short Story Collection Prize and was a 2006 finalist for the SCBA Award in fiction. He is the recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Creative Writing, 2005.