spring 2015 m.f.a. update

Spring 2015 M.F.A. Update

The M.F.A. Application Process Explained AWP 2015 in Minneapolis: Things to See and Do

A Roundup of New Books from Recent M.F.A. Grads M.F.A. Program Spotlights

P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M

P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 1 534

In spring, college juniors and seniors begin preparing for life after college; they start thinking about jobs and wonder whether theyre truly ready to be done with school. For those who dream of becoming published writers, this might be the time to start thinking about whether, and where, they should get an M.F.A., and how to go about applying.

Its a big decisionone that can involve a significant mone-tary commitmentand certainly a big commitment of time: two or three years of classes, teaching, and writing, unless a writer goes the low-residency route, in which case the degree will be earned mostly by correspondence. But the choice to earn an M.F.A. can be a long-term lifestyle choice, a particular set of goals: to write enough fiction, nonfiction, or poetry to fill one book and then anotherto commit to the grueling years of work and rejection that make up a writers life.

In this M.F.A. supplement, we help students choose the right M.F.A. program and we walk them through the application itself. We offer tips on all parts of the process, from choosing schools to getting recommendation letters, and the application essays and writing sample. Its a lot to do, and weve asked experienced writers, some former M.F.A. students, to offer their insights.

Were also taking a good look at this years Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference, one of the yearly hubs of American literary life, a kind of BEA for the small press world. This year it runs from April 8 to 11 in Minneapolis, one of our most literary cities, home to a host of major indie presses, lots of thriving indie bookstores, and plenty of reading and literary culture. In addition to conference highlightspanels and readings of interest to publishing professionalswe

also offer a handy guide to places to hang out, meet up, and eat up in Minneapolis.

Writers are, of course, also readers, and writers interested in M.F.A.s are interested in successful writers whove recently graduated from M.F.A. programs. So weve also got a roundup of new books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from recent graduates of M.F.A. programs, for pleasure reading and hopeful dreaming.

What would a package like this be without a list? Weve also got a survey of exciting M.F.A. programs and their unique features. For more M.F.A. info, check out our online M.F.A. database at publishersweekly.com/mfa.

See you in Minneapolis!

S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 M . F . A . U P D A T E

A Literary Season

pring is when college seniors begin thinking about the future, and for some, that means applying to M.F.A. programs. In this M.F.A. Update, we help students choose the right program and guide them through the application process itself. We also look at the upcoming AWP conference, which has grown to include over 10,000 writers and publishers (large and small), as well as creative writing program directors, staff members, faculty, and students.

BY CRAIG MORGAN TEICHER

PW at AWP 2015 In MinneapolisIn MinneapolisIn MinneapolisIn Minneapolis

SPW will be all over AWP this year.Find us at the book fair! Booth 1436.Our panel, The Other Track: M.F.A.s in the Book Business, is on Saturday, April 11, at 1:30 p.m., in Auditorium Room 2, Level 1.

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MFA

http://creativewriting.colostate.edu

An in-depth look at the M.F.A. application process

BY JULIE BUNTIN

RChoices

and Voices

ufi Thorpe, author of The Girls from Corona

Del Mar (Knopf), was a senior in college

and touchingly foolhardy when she

began applying to M.F.A. programs.

I applied to John Hopkins, Iowa, and

NYU. I suppose I was not familiar with

the concept of a safety school.

Though she was eventually

accepted from NYUs wait list,

shed recently left New York City, escaping

a pretty torturous love affair, and couldnt

afford to return. The next year, slightly

wiser, she applied to five programs, writing

a separate personal statement for each.

Students at UNLC attend frequent campus readings.


keep track of supplementary materials, advise applicants to consider schools with great funding in remote locales, and encourage prospective M.F.A.ers to increase their slim odds of acceptance by applying far and wide. Tom Kealeys The Creative Writers M.F.A. Handbook (Bloomsbury), a comprehensive guide to tackling the M.F.A. application process, instructs writers to consider funding, teaching load, student-run publications, among other factors.

I wrote my applications like love letters, she says. Eventually, she wound up at the University of Virginia, where she studied with Ann Beattie and Chris-topher Tilghman (the latter was a par-ticular influence) and lay the intellectual groundwork for her first novel.

Choosing a ProgramM.F.A. programs have become as com-petitive as first-rate medical and law

schools (in some cases more), but many writers still choose where they apply based on a combination of intuition, ego, geography, fandom, and other circum-stances. Thorpes application trajectory, full of emotional asides and gut deci-sions, doesnt much sound like the kind of advice published on the Poets & Writ-ers Speakeasy (an online forum where applicants can exchange advice) or the M.F.A. Blog. There, youll find experts who suggest creating spreadsheets to


Students at UNLV chat with authors and each other at an author reception.

NYUs low-res program in Paris brings students into close contact with writers like Darin Strauss (l.).

M.F.A. programs have become as competitive as first-rate medical and law schools (in some cases more so), but many writers still choose where

they apply based on a combination of intuition, ego, geography, fandom,

and other circumstances.

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Jeffrey Alan Lockwood, an instructor at Wyomings two-year M.F.A. program, which enrolls roughly three to four stu-dents per genre each year, points out how programs look at applicants holistically. We do not use a standard or system-atized approach to weighting any element of the application. In fact, the elements interact in complex ways and cant be sensibly isolated into parts, Lockwood says. The writing sample is the most important element in most cases... but because all applications are read by two faculty, idiosyncrasies are moderated. Unlike law school, where a student with high LSATs and a perfect transcript would likely get into all her top choices, M.F.A. applicants sometimes get into the most competitive programs and are rejected from purportedly easier schools. Theres an element of blind luckof finding the right reader at the right time.

The ApplicationSo what are the boxes nearly all M.F.A. applicants will have to check off? Once they begin their application? In addition to transcripts and, sometimes, GRE scores, almost every M.F.A. program asks the following of its applicants: a writing sample thats around 30 pages (usually slightly less for poetry), a personal state-ment, and letters of recommendation. Some schools, like Columbia, also ask for a critical essay. Guidance regarding the writing sample tends to be rather hands off. Iowa asks that students submit

Like Thorpe, Matt Sumell didnt get accepted at UC Irvines competitive M.F.A. program (graduates include Joshua Ferris and Michael Chabon) until his second year of applying to grad school. When I first applied, I was bum-ming around San Diego and picking my schools based on faulty criteria: girl to guy ratios and was there good surf, he says. Following a round of encouraging rejections, he did what M.F.A. forums expressly suggest you do not do: he pes-tered faculty at the places where he was rejected for feedback. The following year, he was rejected everywhere again, except UC Irvine, from whom he received a let-ter, signed by Geoffrey Wolff, explaining that he was on the wait-list.

Though their strategies ultimately worked, both Matt Sumell and Rufi Thorpe do not advise proceeding as they did. Research is necessary, more so now than ever, with new programs appearing every year. Most schools have a wealth of

information on their websites. Online, prospective students can find out who is teaching and when (check closely, since some sites list emeritus faculty members who never actually enter the classroom), how much funding is offered, what the course structure is like (some programs are more academic than othersone tip-off is often how much importance a school places on the GRE), whether stu-dents are asked to teach, and the size of the student body. Some programs, like NYUs, offer live info sessions for appli-cants who can make it to campus. Would you go insane in Ithaca, N.Y., trapped under four feet of snow all winter, stuck with the same handful of writers for three years? If so, dont apply to Cor-nellthough for many, it has been a focused writerly utopia.

Meghan Daum, author of, most recently, The Unspeakable, applied only to programs in New York City. I wanted to go to Columbia. I didnt care, obvi-ously, if it was funded or not. Her M.F.A. experience and the debt it left her with taught Daum to hustle. I learned how to write for money, she says. That lesson would keep her afloat, and her thoughtful writing about moneynot having it and how she spent ithas become a kind of anthem for many young writers and readers. The takeaway is, per-haps, that applying to and attending an M.F.A. program is a major life decision, and no matter how prepared applicants are, there will always be a measure of unexpected fallout.


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rejection from Minnesota, he says. Two weeks later I got into Iowa and the Michener Center, which goes to show how highly subjective the process is.

An element of chance will probably always factor into the M.F.A. application process, in a way that it doesnt in other areas of study. These are writers were talking about, from the applicants to the faculty and often even the administrators. They are moved by empathy and by stories: the ones in the personal state-ment, the ones in the letters of recom-mendation, the ones in the writing sample, and the ones that unfold in real time, over the phone. Matt Sumell moved off UC Irvines wait-list for a reason that seems torn straight from a short story. When Geoffrey Wolff called one of the accepted students to inform them of Irvines offer, he overheard the clanking of dishes in the sink. As Wolff talked, the student kept washing the dishes, and Wolff got so annoyed that he hung up. Lucky for me, Sumell says, someone got on Geoffrey Wolffs nerves. And my life changed forever.

3080 pages, but no more than 100they do not explain how students are to format this work, other than that it should be double-spaced, and do not specify a preference for novels or short stories, traditional or experimental writ-ing. Browns Literary Arts Program, widely known as a hotbed for experimen-tation, obliquely notes that writers may bypass the double-spaced format if an alternative format is integral to the work. Reviewing these guidelines, the subtext emerges. M.F.A. programs are seeking talent, and they know that theres no catchall way to explain exactly what that is. Again and again, program administrators encourage prospective students to focus most of their energy on their sample. Peter Nelson, an adminis-trator at Brown, says that 99%100% of the decision is based on writing sam-ple. M.O. Walsh, director of the M.F.A. program at New Orleans University, agrees: The writing sample is the most

important thing. We are looking for vision and potential.

Letters of recommendation can come from writers who know the applicants work, former teachers, or other close pro-fessional mentors or colleagues. Maxine Chernoff, director of San Francisco State Universitys M.F.A. program, finds them important, but not overwhelmingly so: They help assure us that the applicant works reasonably well in an academic setting. Most importantly, the manu-script counts. Walsh places a somewhat higher premium on letters, and notes that bad rec letters can definitely throw up red flags. Well be living with these people for three years. If the rec letter says theyre problematic, thats a headache we can do without. Other peripheral materials, like GRE scores and past aca-demic records, are also typically valued well below the quality of the writing sample. They help shift around rank-ings and break ties, says Wyomings Lockwood. Personal statements that make clear that an applicant lacks colle-giality or interest in others will also count heavily against a person. In general, administrators seem to agree that factors beyond the writing sample become important in later stages of the process, once promise has been identified and a student is seriously being considered for acceptance.

Many prospective applicants who are daunted by the importance of the writ-ing sample and are struggling to choose the work that best represents them can seek out the guidance of professional consultants (like those at Sackett Street Writers Workshop or Grub Street), often M.F.A.-trained writers themselves, to help get manuscripts in tip-top shape. There are also a number of non-M.F.A. workshops (like the UCLA Extension Writers Program) where writers can get feedback before attempting to enter an M.F.A. program. Austin Bunn, a gradu-ate of Iowas M.F.A. program and author of the forthcoming novel The Brink, attended workshops in L.A. and a com-munity class in Queens led by Sam Lipsyte before applying to five schools, including Iowa. My first response was a


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Sara Novic, Girl at War (Random House, May)Novic entered Columbias M.F.A. program with a large portion of the man-uscript that would become her first

novel, Girl at War, already completed. For her, the novels structure was the biggest challenge. Her aha moment came during a meet-ing with Sam Lipsyte. I explained all the


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Spotlight on New Books by M.F.A. Grads BY JULIE BUNTIN AND CRAIG MORGAN TEICHER

e look at Sara Novics novel about a woman who

grew up during the Yugo-slav wars, Matt Sumells

collection of linked stories about a man dealing with his

mothers death, a collection from Austin Bunn that takes

readers over the edge, and more. W

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chunks of the novel, and Sam drew everything out on the back of a manila envelope, she says. After that, the manuscript really came together. The story moves back and forth between 1991 and 2001, following Ana Juric from her experiences as a child in Croatia during the Yugoslav wars, through her life as a college student in Manhattan, haunted by what she witnessed as a child. The envelope with Sams drawing still hangs over Novics desk, a reminder to stay the course when shes strug-gling with a piece.

Matt Sumell, Making Nice (Holt, Feb.) Alby, the narrator of Sumells debut, Making Nice, a linked collection of stories, is a screwup. Struggling to make sense of the world in the aftermath of his mothers death from cancer, Alby mostly pisses off peoplein one story he fights with his

sister; in another, he pushes his father off a boat. Sumell, who attended UC-Irvines M.F.A. program and has created, in Alby, one of the most memorable characters of the year, puts no stock in the argument that M.F.A.s homogenize writers. The governing principle at UCI was some version of zero-ing in on whats working best in a given story, and then encouraging the writer to do more of that; to hold a story to the stan-

dard of the best thing in it, says Sumell. They championed the unique, the exciting, and the alive. Sumells collection, told by the riveting, hilarious, and sometimes cringe-inducing Alby, is an example of just that.

Austin Bunn, The Brink (Harper, Apr.)Bunn considers his peers at University of Iowa the most valuable part of his M.F.A. experience. They brought their private can-ons, senses of humor, insane ideas for stories, and wild ambitions to the table, he says. They taught me invaluable lessons about

what to read, how to read it, and, in our disagreements, what mattered to me. They also humbled himand that, he says, was essential. Three of the stories in The Brink were born in Iowas workshops; its a collection that explores what happens at the end and what lies beyond it. Bunn engages numerous settings and styles in this debut (one story is set on the deck of a conquistadors galleon adrift in the ocean,

while another follows players in an immersive video game), and has drawn comparisons to Wells Tower and Kevin Wilson.

James Hannaham, Delicious Foods (Little, Brown, Mar.)Hannaham attended the Michener Center at the University of Texas, Austin, which, thanks to its competitive full-funding package (each admitted student receives $27,500 annually, plus tuition remission) and interdisciplinary focus, is one of the most

coveted programs. Delicious Foods has a bold premise, following a young mother and her son, though its narrated by the mischievous, irreverent voice of Scotty, a personification of crack cocaine. Hannaham creates a fully realized character out of the drug that threat-ens to destroy his protagonists, challenging traditional concepts of what a novel can be.

Meghan Daum, The Unspeakable (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Nov. 2014)This collection of 10 new essays was published last November, nearly 15 years after the release of Daums debut essay collection, My Misspent Youth. Daum attended Columbias M.F.A. , despite

the financial burden. The resulting debt drove her to become a ravenously hungry freelancer, and that work helped her hone her writerly chops. She developed a kind of scrappy will-write-for-food attitude. The Unspeakable received glowing blurbs from Cheryl Strayed, Roxane Gay, Sloane Crosley, and others. Each essay is written in Daums distinctive no-holds barred style, and features thoughtful discourses on the marriage-indus-

trial complex, casseroles, and near-death experiences, among other subjects.

Megan Kimble, Unprocessed (Morrow, June)The idea to write her forthcoming chronicle of a year eating only whole, unprocessed foods came from Kimbles thesis adviser in

the M.F.A. program at the University of Arizona. He was the one who said, yes, write a book about that. In the tradition of Michael Pollans In Defense of Food, Unpro-cessed follows Kimble as she investigates what processed food really is, extracts salt from the sea, mills her own wheat, slaughters a sheep, and more. She calls enrolling in Arizonas M.F.A. (which counts David Foster

Wallace as an alum) the best decision I ever made.

Saeed Jones, Prelude to Bruise (Coffee House, Sept. 2014)Jones had a meteoric rise to literary prominence in the past year. A graduate of the M.F.A. program at Rutgers Newark, Jones

joined the staff of BuzzFeed as its LGBT news editor, and also published this second volume of poetry. A new-media wiz as well as a powerful poet, Jones had little trouble generating buzz for his own work, while also creating new online forums for LGBT writing. The poems of this book are harrowing and heartbreaking, treating family, sexuality, and race with unrelenting intensity.


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Poet Sherwin Bitsuis most recent book is Flood Song (Copper Canyon, 2009); he serves on the faculty of the low-residency M.F.A. program at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.

What makes the Institute of American Indian Arts different from other programs?The Institute of American Indian Arts places priority on Indigenous worldviews in a contemporary context and attempts to locate its curriculum within that field of knowledge. The low-residency program is a place where one can meet and learn from other Native American writers and poets, as well as non-Natives with similar

interests. Mentors include writers and poets like Sherman Alexie, Eden Robinson, Joan Kane, Santee Frazier, Natalie Diaz, Manuel Gonzalez, Linda Hogan, and Pam Houston.

How do the instructors incorporate their different backgrounds?Every instructor brings their own perspective and pedagogy to the programs diverse approaches. Experience and focus vary among the instructors, and this allows the partici-pants to carve their own path and aesthetic direction. Though its certainly apparent that students are working in a space that acknowl-edges Indigenous worldview, philosophy, and literary history, an aesthetic focus is not forced upon the students.

What do you tell your students about how to embark upon a careeras an artist or as anything elseafter receiv-ing their degrees?Personally, I am interested in helping the stu-dents to realize their full artistic potential. Though its important they embark upon a career path after they finish the program, I hope to also encourage them to look at the impor-tance of creating a body of work that is informed by their personal artistic and intellectual pur-suits.

If someone asked you, Why should I get an M.F.A.? what would you tell her?Its a great place for writers to find community and be encouraged by writers producing seri-ous work.

Any general thoughts about the M.F.A. scene today? Ive been a visiting writer at the University of Wyoming, University of Montana, and San Diego State University in recent years, and Ive come to value each of my students deci-sions and willingness to participate in their chosen program. Most students Ive spoken to already know that the field is highly com-petitive and that jobs in the teaching sector are quite rare. They dont seem to suffer any illusions that an M.F.A. degree is a guarantee for immediate success. Still, they come to class ready to share their poems and ideas with each other. I am inspired by these emerg-ing poets and only wish the best for them. The scene is what we make it. I am rather appre-ciative that we can build programs for writers and allow each other an entrance into these conversations.



PW TALKS WITH

SHERWIN BITSUIBY CRAIG MORGAN TEICHER

MFA in Creative Writing and MA in Publishing

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MFA in Creative Writing at Rosemont College

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poetry, creative nonfiction, short-story, novel, dramatic writing, or writing for children and young adults

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In a mood of faith and hope my work goes on. A ream of fresh paper lies on my desk waiting for the next book. I am a writer and I take up my pen to write.

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he AWP Conference & Bookfair is undoubtedly amazing: where else can you find most of Amer-icas literary writers, publishers, writing stu-dents, and organizations all in one place, plus readings, panels, talks, and social events? Its become a mini-BEA just for the literary world. Its also wildly overwhelming. It could take all of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday just to make the rounds of the book fair, but on top of that are the many other events vying for attendees attention.

Some people come for the craft talks. Others go to pick up their years worth of new small press books. Still others are look-ing to make publishing connections or seek out new career opportunities. Practically everyone hopes to bump into a few far-flung friends.

The Association of Writers and Writing Programs, which organizes the conference, has a comprehensive list on its site of everything thats going on (check out awpwriter.org/awp_conference/schedule_overview). To help our readers sort through it, we have selected a list of events that will be of interest to publishing pro-fessionals and those looking for the inside scoop on how the book world works.

Since youve got to take a break from all the hubbub sometime, our Midwest correspondent has put together a list of places in the Twin Cities you can check out to get away from the craziness of the conference.


Navigating AWP 2015: A Little Help from Your Friends at PW

This years annual conference of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs will be held in Minneapolis, at the Minneapolis Convention Center and Hilton Minneapolis Hotel, April 811


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WRITING WORKSHOPS ABROAD IRELAND | ITALY FULL & LOW-RESIDENCY MFA FICTION | NONFICTION POETRY | PLAYWRITING SCREENWRITING


THURSDAY, APRIL 9910:15 a.m.Social Media Secrets for Authors Room 200 B&C, Level 2BuzzFeeds Isaac Fitzgerald and others offer insider tips on building an author platform on social media.

121:15 p.m.The Business of Publishing Your First Novel: Author and Publisher Perspectives Auditorium Room 2, Level 1Dennis Johnson of Melville House and others discuss the business of debut fiction.The Sky Isnt Falling: Publishing and EntrepreneurshipAWP Bookfair Stage, Level 1Richard Nash, publisher of Red Lemonade, and others explain their optimistic attitude about the future of publishing.

34:15 p.m.Women in Publishing: The Business of Publishing as a Woman Today AWP Bookfair Stage, Level 1Ru Freeman and others on the challenges and opportunities facing women in the book biz.

4:305:45 p.m.Rise of the Independent Publicist Room L100 B&C, Lower LevelMichelle Blankenship, Jesmyn Ward, and others discuss this increasingly important role.

FRIDAY, APRIL 1010:3011:45 a.m.Independent Bookselling: Opportunities for Authors Room 205 C&D, Level 2Three Minneapolis bookstores sponsor this discussion on the power of indie booksellers.

121:15 p.m.Short FictionWriting It, Acquiring It, Selling It Room 101 B&C, Level 1Rob Spillman of Tin House and others discuss a genre undergoing a renaissance.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1110:3011:45 a.m.The Art of Literary Editing Auditorium Room 1, Level 1Brigid Hughes, of A Public Space and Graywolf, and others discuss the real work of a literary editor.Self-Publishing Primer: How to Become Your Own Publisher Room L100 A, Lower LevelAuthors and publishing consultants discuss this new publishing paradigm.

1:302:45 p.m.The Other Track: M.F.A.s in the Book Business Auditorium Room 2, Level 1PWs panel features editors and other publishing professionals from Graywolf, Riverhead, Coffee House, and the National Book Foundation on pursuing successful post-M.F.A. careers outside of academia.


Panels At AWP 2015BY CRAIG MORGAN TEICHER

Below is our list of must-see publishing-related events at the 2015 AWP conference. We hope well see you at PWs panel on Saturday, April 11 (details below), and maybe at some of these great events, too! A

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A low-residency program designed to deepen your understanding of writing as an ongoing engagement with discovery and transformation.

Request more information at www.ut.edu/mfa or call (813) 258-7409.

The Only Low-Residency

MFA IN FLORIDAFiction | Nonfiction | Poetry

PAST AND PRESENT GUEST WRITERS AND EDITORS INCLUDE: Richard Bausch, Michael Connelly, Arthur Flowers, Nick Flynn, Roxane Gay, Hal Hartley, Amy Hill Hearth, Eli Horowitz, Denis Johnson, Miranda July, Ben Lerner, Susan Minot, Rick Moody, Francine Prose, Karen Russell, George Saunders,

Heather Sellers, Wesley Stace, Deborah Treisman

TEACHING FACULTY INCLUDE: Jessica Anthony, Sandra Beasley, John Capouya, Brock Clarke, Erica Dawson, Tony DSouza, Mikhail Iossel, Stefan Kiesbye, Steve Kistulentz (director), Kevin Moffett, Donald Morrill, Josip Novakovich, Jason Ockert,

Alan Michael Parker, Jeff Parker, Corinna Vallianatos, Jennifer Vanderbes


hosts Poetry SlamMN and Story SlamMN is held there. Nyes Polonaise (112 East Hen-nepin Avenue), in the citys Nordeast area, is beloved by Coffee Houses staff. Closer to the Convention Center, Brits (1110 Nicollet Mall) is a popu-lar pub where the sun never sets on the British Empire. The Local (931 Nicollet Mall) is a gorgeous vintage Irish bar that will transport you to Dublin. And Prohibition is a 1920s-style speakeasy in the W Hotel in the famed Foshay Building (821 Marquette Avenue).

Minneapolis is renowned for its restau-rants, including the primarily interna-tional and mostly affordable places on

Nicollet Ave. S. between 14th and 30th streets. if one walks along Nicollet Mall, the News Room (990 Nicollet Mall), with a vintage newspapers theme, is highly recom-mended, as is Zelo (831 Nicollet Mall) and Hells Kitchens (80 South 9th Street). Or head toward the Stone Arch Bridge to St. Anthony Main. At the Wilde Roast Cafe (65 Main Street South-east), named after Oscar Wilde, one can eat or drink while soaking in the updated Victorian mood.

t t e n d e e s a t AWPs 2015 conference

will sometimes want to break out of the cavernous halls of the convention center. With Minneapoliss excellent public transportation system (metrotransit.org), visiting bookstores and other land-marks is quite easy.

Home to Graywolf Press, Coffee House, and Milkweed Editions, Minneapolis isnt just a hub of indie publishingits also an indie bookstore paradise. Its home to author Louise Erdrichs store, Birchbark Books, as well as Magers & Quinn, Moon Palace, Once Upon a Crime, Ancestry, and Wild Rumpus. Radio personality Garri-son Keillors store, Common Good Books, is in St. Paul, which is also home to Micawbers, Subtext/Addendum, and Red Balloon Bookshop.

Of course, no writer should visit Minneapolis and not make a pilgrimage to Open Book (1011 Washington Avenue Southeast), a 55,000-sq.-ft. building dedicated to the literary arts. Tenants include the Loft Literary Center, Milk-weed Editions, and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. These three, plus several

other local organizations, are hosting a party for AWP on April 9. A few blocks in the other direction is one of the Mill Citys best hidden free-bies: a stroll along the Endless Bridge, an obser-vation deck overlooking the Mississippi. If all that natural beauty makes you hungry or thirsty, Sea Change, on the theaters ground floor, is a deli-cious (and spendy) dining destination, while the Target Lounge bar, one level below the Endless Bridge, has similarly amazing views.

M i n n e a p o l i s h a s plenty of great bars. Kierans Pub (85 North 6th Street) serves a lot more than beer: Kierans


Things to see, do, and eat when in Minneapolis

Take a Bite Out of the Mini-Apple

BY CLAIRE KIRCH

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houses the Center for Literary Publish-ing, a small press that publishes the magazine Colorado Review and several books of poetry each year. Students can intern at the center, gaining in-depth knowledge of varied aspects of book and periodical publication.URL: creativewriting.colostate.edu

Program: Converse College, Spartanburg, S.C.Type: Low-residency M.F.A.Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetryFaculty: Albert Goldbarth, Robert Olmstead, and othersHighlights: Courses on YA and environ-mental writing distinguish this pro-gram, as does its requirement for a proj-ect of criticism, which builds writers skills in other disciplines, as well as a book-length creative work.URL: converse.edu/academics/school-education-and-graduate-studies/gradu-ate-programs/graduate-programs-other-fields/m-6

Program: Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, N.J.Type: Low-residency M.F.A.Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, YA, literary translationFaculty: Minna Proctor, Eliot Schrefer, Rene Steinke, and othersHighlights: This program recently added YA and literary translation concentrations. Residencies are held both in New Jersey and in England.

Program: Arcadia University, Glenside, Pa.Type: Low-residency M.F.A.Genres: Fiction, poetryFaculty: Genevieve Betts, Paul Elwork, Dorian Geisler, Richard Wertime, and othersHighlights: Arcadia offers weekly online workshops so that low-res doesnt mean working in isolation. The residency is held in Edinburgh, Scotland.URL: arcadia.edu/mfa-creative-writing.htm

Program: Arizona State University Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, Tempe, Ariz.Type: On-site and online workshops ranging from one day to several weeksGenres: Fiction, poetryFaculty: Matt Bell, Dexter Booth, Paul Cook, Tara Ison, and othersHighlights: The Piper Center offers a comprehensive slate of writing classes, readings, and events, including Your Novel Year, an 18-month course focused on developing and revising a complete novel.URL: piper.asu.edu

Program: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo.Type: Full-time M.F.A.Genres: Fiction, poetryFaculty: Dan Beachy-Quick, Matthew Cooperman, E.J. Levy, and othersHighlights: Colorado State University


M.F.A. Programs to Watch

his roundup of creative writing programs includes some youll surely

have heard of and some that may be unfamiliar. What makes them exciting is that they all have something unique to offer incoming stu-dents, whether its a flexible schedule, strong funding, courses open to the commu-nity, internationally recog-nized literary magazines, or stunning faculty. Check out our M.F.A. database at pub-lishersweekly.com/mfa for more programs.


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Type: Full-time and low-residency M.F.A.sGenres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetryFaculty: Fredrick Barton, Barb Johnson, M.O. Walsh, and othersHighlights: Full-time and low-residency options make this program a good pick for lots of different kinds of students. Low-res students do their residencies in Ireland and Italy.URL: uno.edu/writing

Program: University of Tampa, Fla.Type: Low-residency M.F.A.Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetryFaculty: Sanda Beasley, Tony DSouza, Kevin Moffett, and othersHighlights: Tampas structurea 10-day residency followed by a semester of one-on-one correspondence with a fac-ulty memberoffers the best of work-shop and individual-mentorship approaches.URL: ut.edu/mfacw

Program: Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, Vt.Type: low-residency M.F.A.Genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translationFaculty: Jen Berven, Trinie Dalton, Matthew Dickman, and othersHighlights: This highly ranked low-residency program offers intense one-on-one mentorship following group residencies, and the focus on translation and options for cross-genre study allow for broad engagement across the creative writing spectrum.URL: vcfa.edu/writing

Students also have opportunities to work on the Literary Review, an international literary magazine with a six-decade history.URL: writingfdu.org/wordpress1

Program: Hamline University, St. Paul, Minn.Type: Full- or part-time M.F.A.Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, chil-drens and YAFaculty : John Brandon, Deborah Keenan, and othersHighlights: Hamline offers full, or part time options, and the program encour-ages students to write across genres and to experiment.URL: hamline.edu/cla/mfa

Program: Rosemont College, Rosemont, Pa.Type: Full-time M.F.A.Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, childrens and YAFaculty: Anne Kaier, J.C. Todd, Liz Abrams-Morley, and othersHighlights: This program offers more concentration choices than many others, as well as a double degree option, allowing students to earn an M.A. from Rosemonts publishing program in addi-tion to an M.F.A.URL: rosemont.edu/gp/creative-writ-ing-poetry-or-fiction/index.aspx

Program: St. Marys College, Moraga, Calif.Type: Full-time M.F.A.Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetryFaculty: Brenda Hillman, Lysley Teno-rio, Matthew Zapruder, and othersHighlights: St. Marys offers access to the thriving Bay Area literary scene and strong connections to literary presses in California, as well as its own student-edited online literary magazine, Mary.URL: stmarys-ca.edu/mfa-in-creative-writing

Program: UCLA Extension Writers Program, Los AngelesType: Open-enrollment online certifi-cate, M.F.A. prep, consultations, mentor-shipsGenres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetryFaculty: More than 100Highlights: UCLA Extensions open-enrollment courses are designed to help students hone their skills in preparation for an M.F.A. or for pleasure and passion. With its wide course offerings, theres something for every writer.URL: writers.uclaextension.edu

Program: University of Houston, Victoria, Tex.Type: Low-residency M.F.A.Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetryFaculty: Charles Alexander, Diana Lopez, Beverly Lowry, Saba RazviHighlights: Electives lets students cus-tomize their degree. Publishing courses help equip students for jobs in the chang-ing fields of media.URL: uhv.edu/catalog/creative-writing.aspx

Program: University of Nevada, Las VegasType: Full-time M.F.A.Genres: Fiction, poetryFaculty: Maile Chapman, Claudia Keelan, Donald Revell, and othersHighlights: This three-year program has a unique international emphasis. Students take courses in literature and creative writing and study abroad; they can also earn credit for serving in the Peace Corps.URL: english.unlv.edu/mfa

Program: University of New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop, New Orleans


spring 2015 m.f.a. update

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