Next week, I’ll be headed to Seattle for the annual AWP conference. If you don’t know that acronym, it’s the Association of Writers’ and Writing Programs, an annual gathering of thousands (often over 10,000) writers, teachers, publishers, etc. Virtually everyone is a writer, but we all wear a number of hats. I’ll spend most ofContinue reading “Meet me at #AWP23”
Category Archives: MFA application
Ranking MFA Programs in Creative Writing
It’s that time of the year again — the time when writers everywhere get serious about looking for an MFA program. It only makes sense, with many application deadlines coming due in December or January, if you want to be in an MFA program a year from now, you’ll want to get serious about lookingContinue reading “Ranking MFA Programs in Creative Writing”
Advice on Writing Letters of Recommendation for the MFA in Creative Writing
Advice on writing the letter of recommendation: don’t sweat the adjectives, but do give plenty of specifics.
Celebrate National Scholarships Month by Searching for One
I’ve recently received a notice about Sallie Mae’s scholarship search tool for graduate scholarships, so I wanted to mention it here. Finding funding for grad school can be a challenge, unless your program is fully funded. Having a search tool like this could be a game-changer for some. Their $20,000 Bridging the Dream Scholarship wouldContinue reading “Celebrate National Scholarships Month by Searching for One”
Three Questions for MFA Applicants
It is that time of year when those who are deciding whether and where to apply to an MFA program in cretive writing are busy preparing their applications or deciding where they will actually apply. Whether you’re in the final stages or just getting started, here are three questions I think you should ask yourself.Continue reading “Three Questions for MFA Applicants”
Do You Need an MFA to Be a Writer?
This morning WordPress showed me a link to this post: You Don’t Need an MFA to Be a Writer by Roxanna Coldiron. Though I direct a low-residency MFA program, I couldn’t agree more. I liked the post, but there was no way to comment, so I decided to write my response here. In her post,Continue reading “Do You Need an MFA to Be a Writer?”
MFA Applications Advice 2020
Over the past five years, I’ve been writing advice for MFA applicants. Here’s my latest post and links to more.
The MFA Writing Sample: How long?
Sometimes the best advice is the most practical advice, so with that in mind, I want to revisit the MFA Writing Sample to ask a question about optimal length. Those of us who teach undergraduate writers often make paper assignments that are 5-7 or 8-10 pages. In those cases, hitting the minimum is required, but toContinue reading “The MFA Writing Sample: How long?”
MFA Writing Samples
May I just say that one of the tasks I most look forward to this time of year is reading the letters and writing samples from applicants to our low-residency MFA program? I know we won’t be able to accept everyone, but I open each file with a sense of promise and hope. For thoseContinue reading “MFA Writing Samples”
How to Prepare to Apply for an MFA Program, Part 2
So you’ve been writing, revising, reading magazines and books (as I suggested in Part 1 of this series), and you feel like you’re ready to start the application process. How can you navigate the difficult journey to an MFA? Fortunately, there are a lot of resources that can help you choose a program and figure outContinue reading “How to Prepare to Apply for an MFA Program, Part 2”
Kendall Dunkelberg 