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MFA/MFYou
THE MFA EXPERIENCE:
Edward J. Kim (Poetry) shares his experiences as an MFA Writer:
While I was applying to grad school, I met another writer who told me I was wasting my time. A friend of mine is currently getting a book published without having gone to undergrad. Most all of the visiting writers I have met during my first year at UAF have an MFA. Who’s right? The most important aspect of an MFA program for me is putting yourself in a situation where you will have time to write, surrounded by a close community of writers. I’ve avoided writing communities because I didn’t like most of the writers I met during undergrad. I thought they were arrogant, condescending, and esoteric for the sake of being esoteric. While there is some truth to that, it also had a lot to do with my own insecurities.
The MFA program has helped me get over my insecurities (to an extent) and put myself into a writing community. I suppose it depends on what you want, but I like being in a small, tightly knit writing community, which is what I have found at UAF. We are all here to write and learn and help each other in the process. If I were in a larger, more cutthroat program, I might hate my life. When it comes down to it, as with most things, it depends on what you make of it, what you put into an experience has a large impact on what you get out of said experience. What’s important is knowing what you want.
Matthew Quinn Martin (Prose) shares his experiences as an MFA Writer:
I'm just about midway through my MFA experience and still feel very much in the "honeymoon" phase. One unique point about Stonecoast is that, as far as I know, they are the only MFA program offering a dedicated track in popular fiction writing. So it's nice to be at a place where concepts like "plotting" and "markets" are not dirty words.
One thing I love about the program is the low-residency factor. It's not without it's drawbacks, but the cycle of intense ten-day residencies––where the focus is all on you and your work––immediately followed by six month periods of self-directed writing and study, offers a solid grounding in the harsh realities of the writing life.
THE MFYOU EXPERIENCE:
Justin Evans (Poetry) shares his experiences as an MFYou Writer:
My degree is in history. It was a toss-up between that or English and I ended up choosing history because I didn't want to study more German to fulfill the requirement for a degree in English. I minored in English Education as a means to increase my certifications in preparation to be a teacher. When I graduated, I never had any thoughts of going to get an MFA. If I was going to get a graduate degree I wanted it to be in history or American Studies. As a poet, I felt I could learn about writing as I went along.
Since making that decision I have spent years of my life swinging between the extremes of MFA envy, resentment, and disdain. Lately though, I have settled into a comfortable relationship with myself as a non-MFA writer. I have come to accept my experience outside of academia carries with it a certain amount of credence a degree cannot give. For example, the army gave me some wonderful experiences like living in David Meyer (Prose) shares his experiences as an MFYou Writer: I’ve long debated whether an MFA was just a scam used by universities to make money off aspiring writers or whether it was the most important thing I could do for my writing career and I would be a fool not to do it. I long considered getting the degree, but ultimately geography decided for me when I moved to a city ( I think one of the most important things an MFA degree provides is an opportunity to focus only on writing for a period of several years. I have been able to do this here in Overall, I have no regrets though. I am glad to have gone my own way.
