It's only been a few days since the last mailbag, but as we near 1,000 comments, it seems like a good time for a fresh one.
Congratulations to those who've heard good news from programs, and best wishes to everyone still waiting. Remember, it's still very early.
1,073 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 601 – 800 of 1073 Newer› Newest»@ Christine,
Actually, I ended up not submitting the rest of my applications when I found out I was in at Vermont (though I did finish them!). Vermont was always my number one choice of all the low-res schools, so I figured...why waste the application fee? The only other low-res application I sent out was to Stonecoast, and if I hadn't heard from Vermont I would've sent out applications to Bennington, Warren Wilson, Lesley, Pacific, maybe Antioch (I actually strongly dislike Antioch so I was on the fence about them), and if I hadn't heard from any of those schools, I was going to send out applications to Goddard, Spalding, and Pine Manor College. It was pretty lucky all the application dates were so far apart, so I could plan it out this way to try to save money.
I'm in fiction as well -- love poetry to pieces, but can't write it to save my life. If you still want to swap, I'd be more inclined to say yes because you're not my genre. :P I'll think about it until I get out of work tonight.
@ Laura T,
Not twins, sorry. I was born the 26th...always one of the babies of the class. That's super nifty that you have the possibility of moving in with your boyfriend if you go off to a program -- I'm already living with mine, and I hate hate hate the thought of long-distance. (He's applying to NYU and MIT for grad school, but since getting into MIT is like winning the lottery, I'm just going to pretend he's staying in New York until it's absolutely necessary for me to freak out.)
Job-wise I'm extremely lucky. I wanted to go to school for a double major in English and music but somehow my parents brainwashed me into the idea of "practicality" just long enough for me to apply to an intense business school. So I had a miserable undergraduate experience, but the trade-off is that now I get to be out in the corporate world, stressing out about doing humongous reports in excel, but paying rent. Also since I graduated a semester early, I probably had a lot less competition in my job search. Not sure I'd have such a good job now if I'd graduated at the normal time.
Originally I thought I might only work temporarily until a program started (if I chose to enroll in a traditional program), but that idea got tossed a long time ago...if I do a traditional program now, I'll for sure be juggling classes against my work schedule. That could get very messy. And overwhelming.
I get what you're saying about writing more when you're in a workshop. I think that kind of happens to me too, but I also strongly suspect that if I develop a really close relationship with a professor who is mentoring me I'll work even harder, because slacking off under him/her will make me feel bad, whereas in a writing workshop, slacking off just damages your reputation and sometimes when you're stressed enough you might just learn to not care about that...
Wow. Sorry for writing such a humongous post, guys!
Kind of a side note but still on the low-res topic: Vermont told me they allow the option of only enrolling every other semester.
This is extremely appealing to me for several reasons: It basically extends my MFA experience from 2 years to 4 (assuming I'm disciplined enough to keep working hard when I'm away from the program for half a year). It also makes the program more affordable for me, and it makes it easier for me to keep up with my at times overwhelmingly intense job. I could dedicate my six months of time off to writing, writing, writing, without the stress of short-term deadlines, and then dedicate my six months IN the program to editing what I wrote, doing whatever reading/lit-crit the program requires, and then go back to writing, writing, writing, etc.
Do I sound crazy here, or does that sound like a decent idea? Can anyone point out any flaws in this hypothetical plan? I need to know if I'm being delusional about this...
Smiling,
It sounds fine to me. Sewanee's recently-minted program is summers only, and I've talked to a couple who really love that arrangement. Both get to teach during the year and then work on their MFA in the summer. It'll take them 4-5 years to finish depending on whether they choose to do their theses concurrent to their coursework.
It's really all about what works for you. If you're going the low-res route, take the path that works for you. That's the point of low-res, to meet you halfway to the life you're already living.
@smiling raindrops - I'd be interested to hear your opinions on Antioch, and maybe chat a little about what we each know about Vermont? I'm about to head out for the weekend but send me an email if you are up for a chat. guarino (dot) christine (at) gmail (dot) com.
Happy weekend everyone!
Jessa's right--
Happy, this is a little birdie bringing you good news. It's already flown out the window, so you probably can't ask it any questions until it chooses to stop by again, but remember the news was good news, so don't let it make you freak out. It's supposed to do the opposite. Just repeat this to yourself:
That was a good email. A good email. a GOOD email.
Then breathe deep. Now congratulate yourself for (obviously) sending in a good writing sample.
Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute. There's still time for other interpretations than a grand conspiracy on the part of Wyoming staff to "avoid mass hysteria" by being "coy."
Dreux -- I have to wonder if you're joking with that hypothesis -- because it is kind of ludicrous.
Suppose whomever emailed HappyGoNowhere is merely in charge of mailing out packets to those they've accepted. Suppose he/she inadvertently got ahead of the official notifiers in working down his/her list of people to mail.
That seems more reasonable than the idea that they tailor their decision notification process to their idea of how applicants may be "feeling" or how a community on the internet might respond.
"They're aware of how anxious their applicants are" -- that doesn't mean they give a damn, nor should they -- they're professionals and are ostensibly looking to work with professionals, not wannabes given to fits of the vapors over rumors.
Seriously. We all know that we think more about them than they think about us.
In related news, I'm selling tin foil hats.
Lol, what the hell just happened here?
In support of Dreux, I don't really mind his posting style. It mixes things up beyond:
"I hate waiting"
"I hate waiting too"
"Me too"
"Yeah"
"I like cats"
"I also like cats"
"No way! Dogs."
"Dogs, sometimes my girlfriend too"
"I hate waiting, but I like cats"
"Go figure"
To me, Dreux's crankitude is a welcome addition, as are his/her seemingly arbitrary prejudices against 1. rust-belt haters, 2. long-distance relating, 3. us, 4. the Facebook generation, aka us (we're on a freaking blog, lol).
We need our resident Andy Rooney/Abe Simpson!
I prefer to think of myself as Hans Moleman. Bewildered and angry. Abe Simpson is too lucid.
Happy,
please tell us what genre you are in. And congrats if it's what it looks like it is!
I understand Dreux's argument, and kind of agree with it. Granted, I don't think that we, as applicants, should necessarily abstain from posting when we get notification--but I can certainly see its ill effects.
For example: when I see that somebody else got into a program that I applied to, I sort of freak out. Truth is, I might very well still get in there, but I can't help but panic. That's not on the program, it's on me for checking this thing. And I agree that the programs themselves probably don't like that.
@ jamie: HA! thanks for a much-needed laugh. :)
I don't think anyone on this blog is like this but what mild friction there has been reminded me of this clip:
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1926079
Hopefully those of you avoiding work like I am will appreciate the opportunity to procrastinate.
Certainly a place to ask any questions having to do with the process. Ps, just out of curiosity, are most people in the same boat as I am; was funding the number one requirement? I only ask because now, as I look for applying next year I notice quite a few changes in the funding arena and wonder how that will cause the applications to change... haha, okay maybe talking next year apps is a bit soon. Sorry.
Hey Tarn,
I think Seth has pretty consistently demonstrated that funding is very, very important to applicants.
That said, other stuff will always come into play. Iowa will always get lots of applications based on its prestige, despite a tiered funding system that doesn't sit too well with most potential applicants.
Essentially, if your school has something going for it that very few others do (Iowa's rep, WUStL's faculty, Brown's penchant for experimental writing etc.) to a certain degree you might find your applicant pool is somewhat immune to fluctuations in funding. But with those very few exceptions, the rest of schools will probably see big changes in their applicant pool based on the kind of funding package they advertise.
Personally, the only reason I read this blog is to find out if people have heard from programs I applied to. I want to know any and all news. If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't read this blog all the time.
@Rugbytoy
The best thing about hair is that is grows back! I also tend to do rash things with my hair when tense, or otherwise preoccupied.
Though, I would not recommend dieting til anemic. It is a good idea to find someplace to manifest your anxieties in the meantime.
I picked up Dante's Inferno in hopes that a good old fashioned poem will keep me busy. In truth, it just reminds me of what my poetry is not, haha. Oops.
I say shave your head/dye it pink/get it permed. Do whatever your creative heart desires ;)
I find Dreux's posting style abrasive (eh, it's the internet) but I do agree on the point that in general, one should be careful about posting things other than official acceptances, just as a matter of professional courtesy. In fact, had I been Happy, the first question would have been fine to post; the response maybe should have been kept under wraps until someone announced an official acceptance. If you haven't got your official acceptance, for whatever reason, that means the program isn't ready to go public with its decision, and it's just a matter of respecting that.
But I'm not the boss of anybody and it's just a question of etiquette, no huge faux pas.
That said I think Happy's in, and congrats on that!
I'm in poetry. I only applied to three schools; Wyoming being my top choice.
Apologies if my last post was in poor taste. I would want to know if someone else got that e-mail and I did not. My intent was not malicious.
Mostly I'm just really freaking out now....
Has anyone else heard anything from Wyoming today?
It did not in any way seem that you were posting in bad faith, so don't worry about that.
People have heard from Wyoming poetry already, if I'm not mistaken. So Wyoming fiction applicants can stop holding their breath, and Happy I would say you can crack a beer, but save the champagne for your official notification anyway. It sounds like it's coming by snail mail next week.
Hi all,
Iowa does not have a "tiered funding system." It is a fully-funded program. While some fully-funded Workshop students may make fractionally more than others, it is only because incoming IWW students (because there are so many of them: 50) get assigned to a variety of different departments for TAships (General Education Literature, Rhetoric, Creative Writing) and some students (a small number) are funded by Project Assistantships or fellowships. But no one falls below the definition of full funding. As to the second year, the Workshop has a now-explicit policy that says no one will lose funding between the first and second years -- it's just that a small number of students may see increases in their funding due to, variously, a) switches in departments, b) assignment to an additional teaching section (in addition to one's usual sections), c) an increase in one's % appointment (e.g. from 1/3 to 1/2), or a fellowship. It is no more "tiered" than any program -- which is most programs -- that offers appointments in different departments, or in different percentages of appointment, or offers "topping up fellowships" to some but not all students. The phrase "tiered funding system" was used by Tom in 2005 (Tom Kealey) to describe a system in which some students get full funding, some get partial funding, and some get none. That's what that term means. In a system where all students are fully funded -- as is the case at Iowa -- slight variations in full-funding levels do not (by definition do not) create a "tiered funding system."
Just wanted to clarify. Hopefully this isn't, actually, turning anyone off to Iowa, as Dreux suggested, because the "tiered funding system" issue was cleared up completely in the second edition of The Creative Writing MFA Handbook (2008). I imagine the only folks confused about this would be those with the 2005 edition who have not read this blog or those with the 2008 edition who have not read this blog carefully enough (or simply long enough).
Best of luck to all,
Seth
When you're right, you're right. I definitely have my well-worn copy of the 1st edition of the handbook on my bookshelf, hence my mistaken impression of Iowa's funding system. Thanks for clearing that up, Seth.
I knew that was coming!!! Thanks Seth!
Poets were supposed to hear from Wyoming early this week, but I haven't heard of anyone outside of cnf actually getting a phone call/email/letter...?
Well if you're the first to hear, Happy (and who knows, some people don't post here), then that just means you were that good.
@Happy - did you try emailing or calling the program admin, something like:
Can you clarify if this chapbook has any relationship to my admission status (which I am unaware of)? Please pardon any presumptions, but I am understandably nervous/excited and just want to be entirely clear on what this item is.
---
Others, is this a terrible idea? I don't think it will get Happy nixed - s/he is not applying to the Soup Nazi, after all.
The e-mail was from the program admin. My frenzied response...trying to veil the frenzy...asked about the chapbook in regards to admissions. And I haven't heard back.
Appreciate all the kind, thoughtful responses in the interim.
Anyway, I'm thinking about little birds and I'm thinking... cautiously...very very cautiously ...this is a good sign.
I hope I don't have to wait until next week for snail mail.
Aaaaand my phone is finally operable again. Here's hoping Syracuse and UIUC have both been desperately trying to reach me ;)
Well, short of obsessively calling them, that's all you can do!
Keep it together, Happy! I'll cross everything I can on your behalf.
@Happy
I appreciate your asking about this chapbook thing. It seems confusing.
I recall a post last week or the week before that involved a certain someone saying they received an e-mail with a vague implication that he was one of the finalists. Many asked for details - and it turned out, his e-mail was the same as everyone else's - all materials were received and he was in the pile with the rest of us, alas, no better, at least, not yet. Irony? or what?
You could contact the administrative assistant, (or whoever their contact person is) being that this is Friday. I think your confusion and anxiety are understandable, and I don't want to see you fret over the weekend.
It's a very unusual notification.
You're probably all familiar with this site, but the characterizations make me chuckle every time I recognize one of them on a forum--
http://redwing.hutman.net/%7Emreed/index.htm
Plus, it's good for wasting a few minutes. :D
Cheers!
Leslie, I also agree with Jasmine! Acceptance or not, there is no bad reason to visit the country! And I'm so glad your family is continuing the tradition and sharing the love!
And Jasmine, I'm so with you on the 'friends' making up most of your great experience. There's something about the country that makes not only the Irish so damn hospitable and charming, but all the folks who visit there as well! There's magic there, for sure.
Blog folks, anyone know about the Jacob Javits fellowship? It looks like we were supposed to apply by October 2009? Even before we knew if we got accepted or not?
well, i hope it ends up being good news for you, Happy. sending good vibes.
I am so glad I don't have any pesky acceptances to deal with this weekend! And - to all the program directors who are following my posts - if you're getting nervous that another school might offer me more money and you just HAVE to call over the weekend, please observe a complete blackout for the following schedule for both Sat and Sun. Thnx!
http://www.filmforum.org/films/ran.html
Hello all.
I've been lurking in the background for the past couple of months and thought I'd introduce myself.
Applied to six programs in fiction:
Brown
Wisconsin - Madison
Arizona
Oregon
Maryland
North Carolina - Wilmington
Starting to go crazy with the waiting. Happy to know I'm not alone.
Does anyone know if most programs will let you know if you're being granted a teaching assistantship when/if they call w/an acceptance? Or does that typically happen after the acceptance?
@smiling
You happen to be among many who applied to trad programs. Since the low-res application process is staggered and spread out over the year, you won't see as many right here right now. There's obviously a market for the low-res program, so you're not alone in seeking out that option. I've read that they have the advantage of having a high concentration of top faculty, since they are able to pull faculty for PT positions while they have their year-round obligations elsewhere.
I considered the low-res option and chose the trad program for immersion, community, opportunity to relocate, teaching experience and workshop experience. (not in any particular order.) I guess the most important reason is that I prefer working with people face-to-face. As we've seen on this blog, it's very difficult to understand someone's intent when communicating by internet.
If I remember correctly, at least some of the programs allow prospective students to visit at designated times during their two sessions. Why not go see a few? An MFA is a big investment. With the number of applicants, the trad programs can't offer visits, but they do for those they have accepted.
It's perfectly appropriate for Happy to call, but it's also reasonable to expect that they won't be any more forthcoming at this time than they already have been. You're likely to get a response like 'We really loved your application. We'll be mailing official decisions on Monday.'
And as far as this being a very unusual sort of communication to receive, I'm willing to bet it's really not all that rare for programs to send out some friendly feelers to people they'd like to admit. Just to be sociable.
And while it's certainly possible that someone who received that kind of communication could later fail to gain admission, I'd say it's probably pretty unlikely. It would be pretty inconsiderate to send out that type of stuff without being pretty sure you'd like to have this applicant at your program, so I'm sure the adcom folks try to avoid doing that.
@smiling
I meant that most of us on the blog applied to trad programs - not that you did. duh.
@Ashley
So far, the word is that they do tell you up front. Tom Kealey's book indicates that if it's something they haven't told you, you can ask. And even negotiate.
I don't know about the friendly feelers thing. Why wink when you can just walk up to someone and say hi? It seems strange. Then again, maybe it happens all the time, and I've just never heard of it. I know if it happened to me, I'd ask the adcom, politely of course, to stop f*cking around and tell me what's up. I already jump every time the phone rings. But it's always my mom.
Morgan, I'm sure that would be pretty much everyone's first impulse. And I'm sure they'd follow through on that. My guess is that if they're sending out friendly greetings to likely admits, they're very close to making some official decisions (perhaps in some cases waiting for the grad school to weigh in? This would certainly apply to state schools).
So if you demanded to know where you stood, they'd probably just let it ride for a couple days and then call you to give the official acceptance once they got all the ducks in a row.
this has to be the longest amount of time between posts in mfa blog history...it's like that last piece of pizza that just sits there because no one wants to grab it...ok, i grabbed it.
How do people feel like their writing is going as they wait to hear back from programs? Is the stress hindering you, or are you escaping into your work even more?
I for one sat down to write this morning and at first just felt like my hands (and brain) had been turned into wet fish.
Today seemed wicked quiet, notification-wise.
Though maybe people have heard and are waiting a bit to share.
Got a big fat nope from UC San Diego today. Not too deflated, though. Just wanted to let everyone who may have applied there know to be ready today!
I'm working on a play/performance piece, something I haven't done in years (instead I've been focusing on short fiction), and I find going to a different form liberating and fun. I'm loving it. I love theater and movies, so that's part of the fun. Whether I do anything with it, hide it, or destroy it is anybody's guess, but I'm definitely moving with it. Plenty of ideas - just trying to get down the words and put it all together.
I'm going to be away from the computer for the day so I'm just going to go ahead and wish Happy congratulations!!! if the email said "congratulations" then i don't think there's anything more to be read into it. perhaps they messed up and thought they had notified everyone already, or who knows.
i was accepted on monday for CNF and got that same email about the chapbook.
happy, i think you have reason to be happy (not that I really know, i just figure by the time you get this sorted out, i'm adding my congrats!!)
hope that's not in poor taste!
@Jarsh - Those SoCal b$@#$%rds! Stay in it! Chin up!
jarsh,
so sorry to hear, bro.
what genre? and were you notified by mail, e-mail, what?
tell meeeee
this is the first of my schools to say somethin' and i feel not good.
@ Jarsh
what is your genre? was the notice via email or post mail?
I applied in poetry.
Jarsh -- Sorry to hear that! Glad you're not too sad about it. I applied to UCSD too. What other schools are you waiting on? How/when did you hear from San Diego? Forgot that it's three hours earlier in California... I thought I was safe for the day!
Oh good point other people asking about genre. I second (third?) that question. I applied in fiction.
@ Jarsh -- PS. Was just glancing at your blog. Love the "Diabetic Coma" valentine's day cupcakes. UCSD clearly doesn't know what they're missing out on.
@Pema D
Thank you very much! Congratulations on your acceptance in cnf!
Knowing you received the chapbook e-mail and have been accepted makes my heart race. All I can do is wait for something more official...it might be a very long weekend.
@Jarsh
Chin up! It's just one school.
@Jarsh - Sorry to hear about that one program. But wishing you luck in landing somewhere that you really like!
@Ruth - Writing has been a bit tough. I have really enjoyed trading fiction samples with other posters here. While it's possible (even probable) that people are just being polite, the positive response has made me feel a bit better about the writing sample I submitted.
That said, I set aside a number of non-writing projects to get these applications done on time (or close to on time) so I've been catching up on those. Now is probably as good a time as any to get back to serious writing, though. Thanks for the reminder!
Cheers!
@Happy
It's likely the email was sent to you by mistake. It sounds to me like you were accepted and they accidentally sent you the email before you got official notice. There's a small possibility that you just flat out got the email by mistake.
I don't believe there are any coy games being played here. Institutions just don't work that way generally. If they don't want word to spread then they would have accepted you and then told you not to tell anyone, so no worries on posting your news here.
Totally agree with Sam on this one.
for the others waiting to hear from wyoming, i wouldn't read to deeply into this chapbook either. who knows what's going on in their office, it's probably chaos. my fingers crossed for everyone.
@jarsh, sorry to hear that... stay up
I've been gone for a few days. Just sayin' "Howdy, I'm back!"
@WT
The genre vs literary fiction debate is about as tired and as fruitful as a debate about politics or religion. But just like politics and religion, genre vs. lit fiction is still interesting and worthy of discussing.
Just got in from work, where I missed a call from an 615 area code (Nashville), only to Google it and discover that it is a scamming number that I can't call back. I applied to Vanderbilt.
So fuck telemarketers. That's all.
@Laura
I was wondering why there seemed to only be 4 Laura's here instead of 5. :) Welcome back.
@Sam
That terrifying possibility, mistakenly sending the email to me while my application sits in the not accepted pile, is what will keep me awake tonight...
Little Poet - I hate those stupid fake calls! I had a wrong number today from a 303 area code. Bastards got my hopes up for nothing!!
Happy, what's your email? I have something for you.
Thank you everyone who traded samples with me, it was very helpful! A lot very talented writers out there who will certainly be hearing from some schools in the future. Hell, I even talked to someone who graduated from a high school in my district! We had mutual acquaintances! Small world.
Echoing Kaybay, I have to say that I've come across some really kick ass samples. A lot of diversity definitely. Out of curiosity, what is everyone working on now? Or are you mostly reading?
I actually wrote a short story recently that I'm proud of, based on what happened in Haiti last month. I'm going to try and send it out for publication. I have still yet to have anything published anywhere, but it doesn't hurt trying. It's a nice distraction too, sending out your work.
I'm happy that ideas for stories are finally coming back to me. When my brain is occupied with other things, I tend to not have a lot going on up there in my noggin, but I've had a lot of inspiration, even with my mind being perhaps too preoccupied with MFA stuff. That's good at least :)
@Wandering Tree and also @ruth the sleuth,
you both asked what people are working on now. Honestly, I haven't really been able to write during this time. Something about feeling like "not a writer" -- something about my fears I was going to get rejected from all my schools.
So I've been developing some story ideas, writing out some notes on things I want to work on, doing a little revising of stuff I already wrote.
But -- after getting accepted at UCF yesterday -- one of my first thoughts was, "I want to WRITE!" -- and I finally feel like I can. So I am excited :)
@Lauren :) :) :)
WT, I'm going to be working on the same piece I have been (the writing sample I used was the opening sequence), which is still pretty early in its development. How about you?
As for reading, I've started packing up my books and come across a bundle that I've been meaning to read. First on the list is McPherson's Hugh and Cry.
Cheers!
I have five short stories on the docket and I'm revising a novella. I imagine all of this should keep me busy well into summer. After I "finish" and start sending out all of these, I'd like to put short fiction on the back burner for a little while and focus on longer work.
As far as reading material, I just got back from a bookstore trip. I'll be tackling The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, The Ice at the Bottom of the World by Mark Richard, and The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa.
Invisible Cities is great. The Corrections is in my stack for the next couple of months. :)
@Charles
Sorry for the delayed response on Nina Simone and Cat Power. Your CD player is choice. I have one song by Cat Power - "Crossbones Style" from the soundtrack to "Searching for the Wrong-eyed Jesus" that somebody mentioned on this blog recently. er-hem It's a great song and now I'm back to listening to the whole CD. Will check out the Nina Simone cover. Which CD? (Or I can look it up.) Thanks for the suggestion.
Just thought I would give a little input on where I applied?
Texas
Michigan
Indiana
Wisconsin
Syracuse
Louisville
Georgia State
Eastern Michigan
Has anyone heard anything from these schools?
Do rejections typically go out before or after acceptances? And how to both come (phone/email/mail mail) ?
Thanks, and good luck to all!
@phil
I believe people have heard good news from IU (in fiction) and Syracuse (in poetry)--but someone please correct me if there is news I missed.
And, typically, acceptances come before rejections.
Phil,
Poetry acceptances have been reported at Syracuse and Wisconsin is supposed to notify late next week (fiction). If you go to Seth's blog, you'll see how people have been traditionally contacted for acceptances. Obviously rejections by phone aren't done - that would just be mean.
http://sethabramson.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-data-bank-cw-mamfaphd-application.html
I was just rejected from UCSD by email. It was one of my top choices too.
I'm off to drink wine and sulk.
Hi Everyone,
I've been a lurker here for the past week or so.
Wandering Tree, you inspired me to write. I'm glad I'm not the only one who hasn't read The Corrections yet. In fact, it's up next on my reading list. So we're awesome about that.
I'm a fiction applicant to these:
Brown
Iowa
Cornell
UVA
Indiana
Vanderbilt
Michigan
UT Austin
Wisconsin-Madison
Alabama
Syracuse
I don't have a plan b if I don't get in.
I have a cat named Scotia Jones, and a girlfriend who's moving with me (not named Scotia Jones).
I have been in and out of a long distance relationship but I don't think my experience there has anything to do with anyone else.
I think the message about the chapbook was actually a crucial hint which explained everything about the television series Lost.
Ok I think that sums it up. Did I miss anything? Oh, and I'm turning 33 on the 19th and I feel pretty good about that.
@Mostly Swell
The song's on an album called "The Covers Record." As you might guess, the songs are all covers. Wild is the Wind is one of my favorites, but Salty Dog, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Troubled Waters, Kingsport Town... nevermind, I'm just going to end up listing all the songs. They're all delightful, haha. Very mellow.
Chan Marshall and Nina are my absolute two favorite female vocalists. Nothing like smokes and drink to age a voice.
Coincidently, I just picked up Invisible Cities, too. I devour Calvino. Starting it next. Just finished Didion's Play It and a couple pages left of The Stranger. Also reading snippets of Age of Wire and String by Ben Marcus. I've started checking off titles that should have been read years ago.
@Rosanna,
I'm so sorry, that is a bummer, and wine sounds like the perfect response to a rejection letter/email...Keep your chin up, I hope more acceptance letters are making their way to you as we speak!
@WT (or anyone else...)
Why the heck can I not access Seth's blog??!! I went on it once, about a week ago, to check out the list of past response dates from my programs, and have not been able to get on it since (says the blog was discontinued and is no longer available). Haha someone please help me, I am desperate over here!
sarah,
use the links that were posted on this blog, a couple mail bags ago.
Thanks Morgan, found it! Phew, now I can breath...(yes, I know, I sound completely pathetic right now.)
I know that a lot of people are saying that they don't want to look at their sample, but is anyone scrutinizing their writing? Trying to figure out all the ways that it might be read?
Just to reiterate the general theme: Waiting is frustrating. I feel like a teenage version of myself who is being ignored by my crush.
@ Happy
Congrats! I think it will turn out to be an acceptance, especially if you're the only one who got that email. I'm also glad you posted that here. That's why I come to this blog--to find out who's heard from what schools not what tatoos someone has.
In related news, I wish there was a way to collapse a person's comments when they post too much of the same crap they always post.
A little too dense?
Oh, I'm talking about you Dreux.
I'm sorry. I should have written
@ Dreux
for you to get it. Your posts are usually malevolent and full of crap, but to criticize someone who comes here to ask WTF about an email he got from a school. UM, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THIS BLOG IS FOR. Not for your diatribes on your body parts or your innuendos or your extensive workshopping history, unsolicited I might add, or all the other bs you post.
I apologize to everyone else for the personal post. I just felt it had to be said.
Rosanna & Jarsh - sorry about the rejections. It just means you were meant to be somewhere else, though that still doesn't make it easy to hear. That's the advice I'll be giving myself when I don't get accepted.
A. Aster - thank you for the chuckle. I'm glad your girlfriend and cat have different names.
I won't be taking it personally, Riah. You can keep your vitriol.
I think Happy's only sin is taking leave of her senses. Everyone seems to lose perspective when it comes to this stuff. Just take a step back, pretend you're a normal human being again for all of five seconds, and the meaning of the email she received becomes clear: it's VERY probable she's been admitted.
Additionally, it becomes very clear that the school doesn't wish to disclose that in the form of an official decision.
It's not rocket science and I'm also totally sure that Happy would have been able to deduce it herself had it not been for the sort of mild/temporary hysteria a lot of people here seem to undergo when it comes to anything MFA-related.
@Happy
It's really early. You're closer to good news than a lot of people here including myself. So take heart! Even if it's a mistake, there will be other schools. (I'm assuming you applied to other schools.)
And Happy, I'm still glad to share some information with you that might put your email in perspective, but would prefer to do it via email, just for discretion's sake.
@Dreux,
Since you appear to be totally hysteria-free, I (as well as probably everyone else here) would love to know your secret.
@Umlrenic
I am extraordinarily neurotic when it comes to writing. My brain will often get stuck in holding patterns just wondering what people might think when they see my work. If you find yourself in the same boat, my advice would be to forget about it completely. Don't look at your samples and don't let anyone give you any feedback on your writing until it's over. That's what works for me.
Unfortunately, this coping mechanism is also connected to my writing, and right now, because of this coping mechanism, my writing is really slow. But it would be even slower if I were obsessing about it.
I just try to be a little more calm about it because the other choice isn't a better one. I too would like to know when certain programs have notified, but within reason. I don't really care if I know the instant something comes up -- that just strikes me as a little much. However, if there's information out there stating that my top choice programs have probably sent out all their initial notifications, that's something I'd like to be aware of.
In the meantime, I'm trying to keep my head out of the clouds. The disappointment of not getting into one of my schools will be hard enough without inflated expectations that resulted from my over-obsessing about every detail that emerges on the blogosphere in the interim.
A. Astur,
A girl with a name like Scotia Jones would be way too cool for school. I'm picturing a girl with a cello in an indie rock band in the Northwest. Vegan of course and an avid cyclist.
Anyone else disappointed in the lack of acceptances noted today?
I got nothin' on Wyoming. If I did I'd be giving out my PayPal address and charging for it, haha.
@Abbie: God, yes. And now we presumably have to wait until monday...oy.
@WanderingTree: are you sure you don't mean "annoying"? :P I live in Portland and can't even leave my house without running into four or five girls like that. To wit:
http://www.sharingmachine.com/ubersearch/ubersearch.php?search=velocipede&searchtype[]=content&searchtype[]=link&searchsite[]=MTTS
Yep. I still don't know anything about what's going on at Wyoming, though.
I know it. I feel like it's a joke. A very sick joke. This...waiting game process.
Ruth,
Yeah, I suppose they are sometime annoying (and often directionless). Although I've observed that people like this don't realize they fit ever so neatly into a certain category and constantly complain about why they never meet interesting people or you know, have a life outside of drinking pbr at the local dive every day (perhaps with Tao Lin's latest in their retro messenger bags). I think we've all been through this phase in some form or another and probably still have social circles that blow off birthday parties to go to Smiths/Morrissey listening parties.
@ Sam
I see what you are saying and I agree that obsessing is a trap for the mind. However, thinking about this has also helped me to critically encounter my own work in an extended, focused way. It is sort of illuminating, in a tedious and painful way...
I seem to recall some old-timers saying weekend notifications do happen. Anyone back me up on this, or am I just imagining things?
And perhaps some committee stuff that should have gone on today got pushed 'til next week due to weather. Isn't the southern mid-atlantic region getting a Snowmageddon right now?
On the news in Virginia, they are calling it Snowtorious B.I.G. :P
Anyway, yes, historically there have been some weekend notifications, usually on Saturdays, though most notification calls come during the week.
Cheers!
@Wandering Tree
Yes! I'm picturing that same girl - white dreads, nose piercing, tattoos about her father - only instead of a cello, it's a synthesizer, and she is the one who plays the Weekend Edition theme song on NPR.
I'm going to think of that every time I hear that song now.
@umlrenic
If it's working for you, then that's great. Personally, I'm going to wait for all of this is over before I do the heavy analysis of my samples.
i haven't written a word in two months...on one hand, once i send everything off, i'm just tired and don't want to look at my work, and on the other, i have been back at work for the last month, teaching 6 composition classes (101 and 102) and one contemp. am. lit. class, and yes, 7 classes are a mofo, but they do take up a fair amount of what would be supercrazyworrytime. that's a nice long sentence
I just wanted to share that if your UCI online app status does not acknowledge a paper rec submitted on your behalf, this does not necessarily mean you're missing it. Their online system only tracks digital recs. Courtesy of a very polite reply from Lynh Tran.
Okay, everyone, I am off to battle some snowy roads and get myself home. I'll check in tomorrow. Be good, boys and girls. No fighting ;)
Drive smart! (slow)
@Dreux
Providing you with my e-mail really would be taking leave of my sensibilities, I think. Thanks for the offer though!
@WT, I too have been reading Calvino's Invisible Cities, along with everyone and their mothers.
In terms of writing, I put all my fiction on the backburner--I'm too anxiety-ridden to write coherent prose. Consequently, I'm producing some crazy poems that I'll be submitting to journals shortly.
(It's Zuleika, btw.)
Your loss, enjoy the tenterhooks.
@Mostly Swell
What's the link between you and Dreux?
Not sure if anyone else here is into wine, but I'm sipping on a beautiful old bottle of madeira that is almost good enough to take my mind off the acceptance/rejection prospect. :D
Cheers!
@HGNowhere
What island are you on?
@ Frankish - That sounds wonderful! I'll have to make do with my bottle of Charles Shaw...
@Frankish
I can never turn down a glass of Pinot Noir. I like Merlot, Tempranillo, Syrah, and some Cabernets. To be honest, I can enjoy any red wine especially if it's served at cellar temperature or a little chillier. For some reason, I just don't like drinking any liquid at room temp.
I'm not too familiar with Madeira. Is it anything like Spanish wines?
Madeira is a fortified wine, a little like Port (but it's a white wine, whereas port is red).
Pinot and syrah are among my favorites. And I agree about cellar temperature. I like my whites around that or a bit cooler and tend to serve reds around cellar temp and let them warm up in the bottle/glass.
Ah, wine....
I see your pinot noir and raise you a chianti. I'm a fan of Two-Tone Farms (it's the hip division of Berringer) and Viansa (both Napa area outfits).
@red
ah! my god i miss my two buck chuck
any wine you can buy a 12-bottle crate of for $24 is fine by me
...exposing myself as one of the younger members of this crowd, probably
It's just cruel to talk about wine when I am still sitting in my cube at work. wahhhhhh. Poor little me!
@Mostly Swell
The island where you post this:
Dreux has left a new comment on the post "Mailbag, Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010":
And Happy, I'm still glad to share some information with you that might put your email in perspective, but would prefer to do it via email, just for discretion's sake."
strikingly similar to Dreux's offer to share inside info via email...?
No matter.
I'm drinking whiskey tonight!
HGN,
He was just pasting what I wrote to goad me into sharing said 'inside info,' which is not really as exciting as you two both think it is, but would probably make you fairly confident of your admission to Wyoming.
Anyway, if you want it, just give me an old email address or something and check it for something from me tonight or tomorrow.
@dreux:
I would be thrilled to view whatever information you are referencing.
brandiwells @ gmail dot com
It pertains specifically to HGN's slightly odd email, and hence is a one-time special offer to ease HGN's mind only. =\
I'm pretty insane...so much for sensibility...I want to be confident:
happygonowhere11 at yahoo dot com
(please don't send me some virus that will crash my computer, please)
anyone still up for trading fiction samples? i'm going bonkers. send me stories plz.
yesyescherries (at) gmail (dot) com
Still up for trading fiction samples
sequoia@alumni.grinnell.edu
Careful, I hear Dreux is the Gormogon. Either that or Pynchon's trolling account....
@ Frankish, just opened a bottle of Seven Deadly Zins.
Cheers.
Re: Wine
Anyone like spiced wines? I just had my first glass this holiday season and really enjoyed it.
@Frankish
I didn't realize Madeira was a fortified wine. I could never get into port for some reason.
HGN,
No virus involved. Hope it helps.
@charles: this 30-year-old still enjoys some two buck chuck every now and then! (well, i think it's actually $3 here ... and surprisingly, i didn't pick up any on my quick trip to TJs after work.)
sipping on a glass of pinot noir right now, though i'm more of a cabernet gal.
that being said, i'm actually more of a beer drinker. i always say that i enjoy cheap wine and expensive beer. there are so many great craft beers out there i can barely keep up. anyone else a beer lover?
Definitely a beer lover here! Already scoped out the local breweries of my could-be-new homes! I've been doing pretty good with having calm nerves....until I read Happy's post, and now I'm nervous about Wyoming.
Since no one else got that post, I would be very very optimistic about your position, congragulations!!
(@beedeecee) yes! i am so with you on the expensive beer/cheap wine thang. cheap wine tastes like cheap wine aka heaven. especially when you're drinking it straight from the bottle. not that i do that. cheap beer tastes like watered down saliva. and microbrewery stuff always has fun names and higher alcohol percentages, which is usually how i make my decisions.
that being said, when i'm occasionally treated to expensive wine, i can certainly appreciate the difference.
and i'm definitely a cabernet girl, although i can be forcibly shoved in other directions.
swear i'm not an alcoholic
and thank you to everyone who sent me writing samples! can't wait to read stories, i'll get back to you soon with mine
Just tried a pretty cool beer called Pliny the Younger (by Russian River Brewing company, I think). YUM!
totally agree with this sentiment: "and microbrewery stuff always has fun names and higher alcohol percentages, which is usually how i make my decisions."
these people make some of my favorite beers: three floyds, goose island, great lakes, new belgium, unibroue, half acre, sierra nevada ... hmmm. that's all i can think of for now, though there are likely many, many more. but i can be counted on to finish my fair share of miller high lifes in a pinch or a hipster bar. truly the champagne of beers.
i've never tried any beers by russian river brewing company, frankish. i'll be on the lookout.
Hi everyone. Off-and-on lurker this application season, but this is my first timing commenting.
I've been out of school for a few years and now that my fiancée is graduating it was time to apply. I've applied to a whopping 20 schools. Applying next year just isn't an option I want to consider. My fiancée is a wiz-bang organizer and has taken care of all the forms and logistics; I just had to write. I couldn't have done this without her! We're getting married April 17th -- yes, intentionally set after the deadline. I'm taking her to Paris for the honeymoon :)
I applied, in fiction, to:
University of British Columbia (already rejected!)
Brown University
New York University
San Francisco State University
University of Alabama
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Sarah Lawrence College
Stony Brook Southampton
Virginia Commonwealth University
West Virginia University
Texas State University
Boise State University
The New School
Minnesota State University Mankato
University of San Francisco
Old Dominion University
Bowling Green State University
Eastern Washington University
Minnesota State University Moorhead
McNeese State University
and thinking of adding Florida Atlantic University, assuming my recommenders can get me an extra letter before March 1st.
Good luck, everyone!
(As for drinks of choice, mine is beer and my fiancée's is wine.)
Thoughts?
It's a working draft.
S.
Late night e-mail from Wyoming...I'm in, officially, in poetry. Apologies from the director and from me to you for the earlier confusion.
WOOOHOOOO!!!!!
Congratulations, Happy!
congrats, happy! been waiting all day for this news :)
Congrats, Happy! I bet you're happy now! :-P
@HappyGoNowhere
Congratulations!!!! That's great news. Glad you got it tonight and don't have to deal the confusion and additional anxiety over the weekend.
@Seth
I started reading this manifesto. It's really meaty! I'm looking forward to reading it during daytime hours. What sort of feedback are you wanting? I haven't read enough to know if you stated within the piece where you intend to publish this. For example, is it for the blog site, a trade journal or for the general public? Who's your audience?
and an official congrats, happy! such wonderful late-night news. :)
Congrats to all who have been accepted so far to Wyoming, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, and Indiana. Gosh, I'm jealous.
Re. Deux -- I don't know why many are so upset about his posts. I don't find them offensive. Of course, I have this incredible gift of being able to abstract my online persona from my real persona. I can't seem to muster the energy to take anything personally on these blogs and forums.
My phone has been ringing like crazy, but no one leaves messages. Damn them.
I'm currently reading Francine Prose's book on Reading like a Writer. Excellent. When I'm not reading Francine, I'm reading George Eliot's Middlemarch. I want to finish Margaret Atwood's Blind Assassin. I don't know why I stopped reading after 100 pages.
re: beers
Magic Hat anyone?
Hi MS,
It's for the blog -- though certain of these ideas, if not in/with this kind of diction, I'll be wanting/trying to publish in print sometime in the future.
I guess I'm just wondering whether this seems like an interesting and plausible take on what the ongoing MFA phenomenon "means" to/for the national writing community?
Be well,
Seth
@WT:
i want so badly to like #9, but i just can't get into that one for some reason. and unfortunately, that seems to be the only variety of magic hat i ever see. (then again, i think i may have had lucky kat at some point, but i don't remember much about it.) i'll have to make more of an effort to try the others.
what is your favorite?
I'm a Guiness drinker through and through; I'm kind of a stob about it without meaning to be because I [generally] never liked the taste of beer. There are exceptions, some S. Adams, Amberbock, and, of course, many Czech beers (Staropramen, Pilsner Urq., Kozel), but I usually stick to Jameson whisk[e]y; it's stout enough to warm me up but it gives me more of a clove-cigarette-type buzz that soothes the senses.
Although I'm big into ports, too. In SC you can get this really cheap, local (southern NC) port-type wine that's made with Muscadines, and another from Scuppernongs. It is amazing, plus it still packs a 12% alc. punch.
That last sentence sounds like I'm describing a MMORPG character's stats.
Congrats on all the acceptances, and a hardy toast (or ten) to all future ones!
wow; SNOB, not stob
@Seth
I really enjoyed your essay, and I couldn't agree more. I feel too out-of-my-element, too overwhelmed (and truthfully, moved) by the essay, to think straight enough to offer any suggestion, other than that I think you should reconsider utilizing more paragraphs, and occasionally shorter sentences, to provoke readability.
Much of this essay is so surefooted and truthful that it ought to put an end to MFA criticism. Note: I do say 'ought to.' Nonetheless, it's an incredibly prescient understanding of the MFA and its importance not just to the individual (though that of course is there) but to the history of art.
Required reading for all applicants of our generation.
And by 'applicants' I really meant 'writers.'
@ Happy
Congrats!
NM
@ Seth
Love the manifesto. Inspired stuff. Thank you for that.
NM
Nick,
Just wanted to say that I finished the first season of Homicide, and I think it's brilliant. I can certainly see what you mean about L&O turning Belzer into the most annoying actor ever to hit tv.
To anyone else, if you're into theatre at all, check out the show Slings & Arrows. It's a Canadian show that ran for 3 seasons from 2003. It's got Rachel McAdams in it, but other than that I can't recall any other people I've seen before. It's about a theatre company in Canada, and really talks about commercialism in art/theatre in general.
Re: alcohol
You all are quite the sophisticated bunch. Personally, I don't touch wine or beer, but am fully dedicated to copious amounts of cheap tequila and Appleton Farms Jamaican rum. Delish.
Congrats Happy on the official acceptance!
Congratulations, Happy!
@ Happy, congratulations!!
@ Ian, wow, 20 schools! (or possibly 21) You're one of the only other people on here who included Stony Brook in their list. I applied there too (in poetry). Seems to be a little-known program that I can't find a whole lot of information on (beyond what's on the website), but that looked interesting anyway.
@ Happy! Great news after a long afternoon. CONGRATS!
@ Seth, I loved the slow crescendo of your manifesto. There should be a soundtrack you can click on for background music. I found it reminiscent of William Wallace rallying the troops or Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech, and at the end--just like in Jerry Maguire, when he's fired from his agency, plans to start his own and asks: who's coming with me?--this made me want to stand up and say: I am.
Good stuff. Important stuff. And it connects a lot of threads re: the MFA that even those of us who've put a lot of thought into the degree and what it means (personally, politically) wouldn't necessarily weave together.
@Seth, your manifesto is rousing and inspiring. I'll comment more on it when I have the time (...ah, the pertinence of what you say - have full-time job, must write on Saturdays, and the laundry and washing up will do themselves...) BUT - thought you might be interested in reading this article from this weekend's LA Times by Dani Shapiro - a far grimmer take on the same landscape you survey:
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/newsletter/la-ca-endurability7-2010feb07,0,5302903.story
Sample quote: 'I have taught in MFA programs for many years now...MFA students...are embarking on a life in which apprenticeship doesn't mean a cushy summer internship in an air-conditioned office but rather a solitary, poverty-inducing, soul-scorching voyage whose destination is unknown and unknowable."
Yikes. I rather prefer your vision.
She also says there are only 4,000 serious readers in America? Once again, I prefer your vision of various and flourishing artistic communities everywhere. I do agree with other parts of the article (about over-emphasis on publishing, and various other things) but they're beside the point right now - it was just reading her pessimism vs. your hope on the same morning that got me. True, we've heard similarly depressing words a hundred times before, but just for the sheer value of timely contrast with your manifesto, it's worth a quick glance.
@Eli -- Thanks so much for posting that link.
geez, 4000 serious readers? i haven't the time now to read that article eli but that seems a little low to me.
small anecdote: while reading a biography on soren kierkegaard, i was shocked to learn that at the time of publishing there were typically around 500 first editions of kierkegaard's works. seems absurdly small to me.
@ the little poet who could
YES! I'm glad you loved Homicide! That show really hits its stride a few seasons in. It starts off a little early-90s-cheese and goes through brilliant to just a tad post-brilliant in the span of its 7 seasons.
And, re: Richard Belzer, YES! John Munch was such a lively character in Homicide--always wisecracking and spinning conspiracy theories (though this is kind of Crosetti's territory in season 1) and pining over women and being sort of the comical side of doom-and-gloom (with Frank Pembleton being the serious side, perhaps) and just generally being an animated sort of figure. It just guts me to see how Law & Order: SVU gutted him of all that good character stuff, so that nowadays on SVU (and, well, ever since the beginning of that show) all he ever does is ask "where were you on Tuesday night?" and occasionally, though infrequently, make an ex-wife comment.
Belzer may live on, but R.I.P. The Interesting John Munch!
Damn you, Dick Wolf! Damn youuuuu!
NM
I may have an inappropriate crush on Junch Munch.
Congratulations Happy!!!
I'm so glad there was at least one acceptance yesterday. I, seriously got an adrenaline high when I read the blog early Friday a.m. and saw SO MUCH happy news. None of it was for me, but I kinda felt like it was good news for me. Do you know what I mean? On some level, I feel personally invested in the regular posters' success.
So these rejections from UCSD are hurting my spirit a little. So thank God for Happy's acceptance! Or I would've been seriously ailing this morning.
My pleasure, Jennifer! But Jason, as for the low number of serious readers (that's just one dude's statistic, so I'm not going to pay it a huge amount of attention) and such associated doom-laded naysaying - there is tons of this everywhere and I've always felt that Seth is rallying against it with a more positive vision (hurrah!). So the LA Times link is only a contrast - the other side of the coin - as opposed to being, in any way, the way things are. Also, that Kierkegaard anecdote - only 500? Um, i guess old school publishing and distribution models sucked.
Happy - congratulations! Enjoy your Wyoming-ised weekend!
Seth, you are spot on about the incredible opportunities the MFA affords us - and I agree with Farrah's Jerry Maguire analogy! - but I'd personally appreciate another sliver of attention given in your manifesto to the fact that such patronage is only for a limited window of time. We need to remain clear-eyed about the fact that there's no golden ticket to a lifetime of doing this. I know most of us are very aware of this; I just think that it would be great to see more of a bridge outlined between the MFA years and one's future. The numbers of writers flourishing thanks to the MFA are of course undeniable, and you're right, it's turning into a total paradigm shift, but I feel you could also allude more to how the time one has during the degree to pursue art without distraction sustains and fertilises re-entry into the post-MFA, post-patronage world, and how important that is.
Some MFA students aren't going to stay in the world of CW/academe, and the benefit of the degree to their future is something I think you could expand on. Having had the time to dedicate yourself to art contributes to the, um, awesomeness of society as a whole, whether or not you continue to do so. It will integrate into and inform your chosen path - not necessarily, or solely, as a writer, but as whatever - a marine biologist, anthropologist, yoga teacher, ice-cream maker... The permeation of that creative learning and exploration into your life as you go and do whatever it is you do next, and come into new institutional frameworks, is so important and beneficial too that it's perhaps worth hammering home a little more.
Otherwise, tip top stuff!!
ps. excuse typos. as ever.
@Happy congrats!
@Trilbe, it makes sense to be invested in the success of the regular (helpful) contributors here ... they're already modelling the community we're all desiring in potential MFA programs, and we've many of us read samples from others here, so feel like we 'know' some of what matters to others as writers, some of the writing they are most proud of ... so seeing them have the opportunity to be in a writing community somewhere is really inspiring!
@Seth, there's a lot to think about in that manifesto! More substantive comments from me need to wait til I've read it a couple more times. I do wonder though about the commercial nature of some of the programs, i.e. the ones that will give you the artist experience if you pay for it (their unfunded programs) ... not all programs are funded, and your eyesight tends to be distracted by those that do, perhaps? Let me think more on this ...
@Eli, that writer's link you posted reads as 'sour grapes' to me ...
Any tips on dealing with a likely busy week next week? I keep telling myself that this whole thing's not "that big of a deal," that I have plan B's, that it says nothing about me as a writer, blah-bity blah blah... BUT, I can't help myself from getting worked about who might be calling/emailing when. Anyone have tips on relaxing and finding balance??? Aside from the many, many recommendations for wine/beer/cheap liquor :)
@kaybay,
maybe just keep busy, and keep off the interwebs/here/TSE ... that's been keeping my own stress levels down since Jan ...
So I've been lurking for a while, mainly because I've had nothing to add (I only applied to one school for family reasons and they've already notified), but I find this notion of increasing MFA writers fascinating, and I agree that it seems mainly hopeful (except when you're applying to the same program as everybody else).
I just wanted to say that I think in many ways we're creating our own market. I don't know that I can be dismayed by both the small number of readers and the large number of writers. Who reads literary novels, journals, and chapbooks? Writers do. Of course, no firm statistics on this, but wouldn't you guess the great majority of the people who read Zoetrope or Tin House are writers? I think chapbooks are purchased by fellow writers and the author's family.
Not to reopen the genre debate, but I used to belong to this writing group that claims to produce and sell more than half of commercial fiction annually. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't competition, but in general they are incredibly supportive because they know that their peers are also their readers...
@ kaybay . . . I've been wondering the same thing. And koru's advice is exactly right only completely unrealistic for those of us with addictive personalities and/or who are prone to obsessive and/or compulsive behaviors. I've had a few people say to me: why don't you take a break from that blog for a few days (or weeks). My reply: um, because I can't. And of course the kicker is that even though my schools are on the horizon of notification, with rolling offers and acceptances and waitlists, this could drag on for two more months. Unless someone starts a 12-step program for MFA applicants, I truly don't know how to make the waiting easier. And, for me, it is the waiting that's the hardest.
Good heavens, I disappear for a day and there are hundreds of comments. Forgive me if I have slighted anyone, but are there any acceptances from yesterday I may have missed? I also see that I have a manifesto to read, and that there has been a lively discussion on spirits. Did someone mention Bordelais? I'm very fond of wines - red and white - from the Bordeaux region, but, man, I feel rather silly ignoring the genuinely quality wines coming out of Spain. Also, Upstate NY doesn't spring to a lot of ppl's minds when one mentions American wines. But its Rieslings are particularly crisp and I've been surprised by some of its Vidals - fruity, but surprisingly unofficious. Though, honestly, I'm a spirits kinda guy (don't get me started on what the French claim is gin), and though I'm an island boy, have grown quite unfond of rum. Now, as I try to quell some drama on the domestic front, I will also try to hack my way through all this back comments. Cheers, y'all.
@Farrah
Yeah, that's exactly how I feel. On the one hand, I could avoid the blogs and be in the dark about who's getting accepted where (I mean, I either get accepted or I don't, finding out who's notifying and when has no bearing on me getting accepted or rejected). On the other hand, it's good to be in the loop. It's good to have an idea of where you stand with a particular program. Maybe I just give myself one hour a day to look at the blog. I don't know. The problem with that is that if I don't look at the blogs/comments, I would be thinking constantly about what could be going on. Ugh.
@ kaybay, exactly. This blog is a bell that can't be unrung. And I adore this community and I'm happy to share in the highs and lows of everyone involved. However, I'd hate to take up smoking again just to have a replacement habit that gets me away from the computer.
I subscribed to this blog for the supportive environment and to get to know my peers. While I love the warm fuzzy days, like we had Thursday, days like yesterday have more tension than I care to add to my life. I'm not sure how to navigate this blog when hostility prevails. Often, when I step back from a situation, I am able to get perspective, so I'm taking a break for a while. I wish you all the best and look forward to meeting several of you face-to-face in the near future.
Congratulations to everyone who has received an acceptance so far! Also, best wishes to anyone stepping away from the blog for awhile for stress reasons--I definitely understand, and I've been limiting my time spent reading all of your entertaining and informative comments.
Seth, I enjoyed your manifesto. I think the supportive environment of the MFA will have substantial effects on the artistic environment in years to come.
I agree with Eli that your manifesto would benefit from some attention to what comes after. I actually don't think the article Eli linked to contradicts yours--the author there is talking about the publishing environment as it currently exists, while you're giving a vision for the future. (This is based on no personal experience, only on what I've read on agent, editor, publisher, and writer blogs.) In general, and with some variations, the publishing industry doesn't do a lot to support mid-list authors over the long haul. I think small presses fill in somewhat here, but there's only so much they can do. My hope and grand vision is that we can reach a point where we support books with small but ongoing audiences and that we reduce the number of bestsellers and instead focus on supporting a broad range of authors.
re: What to do next week.
I'm thinking about running away next week also. Two of my schools start calling mid February, and I'm already in panic mode so it might do me some good to not witness anymore acceptances.
That kind of sounds selfish though. I should want to support everyone. My online MFA community <3
Into the great wide open...
re: The Little Poet Who Could:
Are you from SC? (I saw you mentioned SC in one of your posts). I'm in Columbia. Blah. Did you apply to Univ of SC? I did, and was just curious if there was anyone else on this blog who did too.
@Eli - Interesting article. The author has a good point, but some of the details don't track with my own experience. 4000 serious readers in America? I did a quick count, and I'm friends (or at least on a first-name basis) with almost 100 serious readers, and I am not (yet) in the academic or publishing worlds. That I would happen to know one out of every forty serious readers seems absurd.
Cheers!
@Seth
Thoughts on your essay:
I think the root of the more reasonable veins of criticism of the 'MFA revolution' is more that it is replacing the previous, well-debunked-by-you false narrative with another one. I think their concern is over the false narrative of access that the MFA is possibly starting to represent. There's that O'Connor (I think) quote: "People are always asking me if the universities stifle writers. In my opinion they don't stifle enough of them." To these critics' mind, it is at most irresponsible and at least not good for American letters to provide the illusion that a degree or a certain type of program is now as much the way to writerly fame and publishing as the locked-in-a-closet model of yesteryear was.
I don't know that I agree with all that. I mostly agree with Dean Young's essay in PW about how the proliferation of a creative community is a good, hopeful thing and about how no one can harm poetry by trying to write it. I know (as I think you probably do too?) that his teaching style, while sometimes rough, mostly reflects this. What I do think though is that you fail to address in your essay the one real negative consequence of the rise of MFA programs and MFA consciousness: it creates a situation where the MFA becomes the creative goal, and undermines the better understanding of the MFA program as a tool or period of possibility, rather than the end (or de facto end) in itself. The fact is, as I think everyone would agree, that even at Iowa, a person's relative success (creative development, growth, etc) depends more on the agency of the student herself than on the first-class instruction or program. Where the issue becomes complicated is on blogs like this. I think this blog is a generally good thing. But if you've been reading the personal stories and discussion going on here, you can see that the object of dedication is often the program itself. This is understandable, as it requires people like you to stop practicing law or other people to convince their husbands to move, etc. But it is also necessarily short sighted.
(contd)
Contd.
I am an MFA applicant too. I am really nervous too. But I think my experience with the Iowa Writers' Workshop as an undergraduate in Iowa City (that most MFA-anointing of all US cities) and the students (some of your peers) and faculty there taught me that progress and improvement with writing almost invariably comes from a commitment and devotion to one's art, more than from getting into Iowa by itself. I think the permission that admittance into an MFA program represents, while good-natured, is also a little false. Yes, if you're lucky, at the very least (as you very eloquently described), the MFA represents two funded years in which you can write. I also know the importance of having a guide or teacher while one writes. I just think the focus these days has shifted to admission and attendance rather than production. The stratification (enabled by multiplication) in the public consciousness of the MFA programs probably contributes to this. Sam Chang, the director of the IWW, and others have spoken before in interviews about how the MFA is sometimes misunderstood by the public because for many students it's simply a time when they don't have to be pressured by everything else, that they can simply think, and that consequently many don't even decide to be writers or professors or whatever. I don't think this is a good thing either. I think it is a symptom of what I'm talking about.
I don't think this means there should be fewer MFA programs or students. And I, as I've written here before, of all people think your work in bringing MFA information to the public is a very good thing. I just think that maybe we as a community should be trying to cultivate a more aware MFA applicant, one who understands that the most important truth about all of this is that an MFA by itself doesn't mean anything, as opposed to what you do with it.
I enjoyed your essay, and appreciated it very much. I just think the defensive stance that detractors of the MFA force us into taking might also be causing us to miss the more valid points in the middle.
Arna:
Well said.
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