Graduate School for Creative Writers
Posted: February 24, 2013 Filed under: Attend/Organize Literary Events | Tags: BallState, graduate school, MFA, PhD in Creative Writing 9 Comments
See you there!
[Here’s a link to the transcript of what we talked about on 3/14/13 at the panel, in case you missed it!]
Links and Resources
Before, during, or after the event, feel free to check out these links and resources:
- “MFA Bound” by Prof. Liz Whiteacre–download this!
- “When People Ask Me About Applying to MFA Programs” by Prof. Cathy Day–ditto.
- “Advice on Choosing a Program” by AWP
- “Low-Res, High Motivation: An Interview with Jill Christman” by Cathy Day
- “Ten Tips for Those Considering MFA Programs” by Ilana Stanger
- The Creative Writing MFA Blog.
- “So You Want to Get an MFA?: An Open Letter to My Students” by Stephanie Vanderslice. The Huffington Post
- “Why Critics of MFA Programs Have it Wrong” by Curtis Sittenfeld and Lan Samantha Chang. Salon
- “MFA Fever.” The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- The Creative Writing MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students by Tom Kealey
- “MFA FAQ: The LOR” by Cathy Day
- “Write Tip: Getting Letters of Recommendation” by Tayari Jones
- “Statement of Purpose: Do’s and Don’ts” by Cathy Day
- “2012 MFA Rankings: the Top Fifty” by Poets & Writers magazine. Use this as a starting place. The rankings themselves are highly controversial.
- “Portraits from MFA Nation” by Poets and Writers magazine.
- “Post-MFA Advice” by Lee Martin
- Reality Check: Why do you want an MFA in Creative Writing? by Adam Atkinson
This event was organized by the students in Cathy Day’s Literary Citizenship class at Ball State University. And here’s a picture of the event!
l to r: Jill Christman, Matt Mullins, Sean Lovelace, Michael Meyerhofer, Cathy Day. Photo by Rachael Heffner
Literary Citizenship 
Reblogged this on From My Point of View and commented:
Make sure check out this event! It’s going to be very informative and interesting.
Reblogged this on Mo's Media Minute and commented:
Come and hear what no one has told you about graduate school for writers
[…] Links at the Literary Citizenship blog. […]
[…] responsible for organizing a literary event with a few classmates. We had three options of events: a graduate school panel, a first books festival, or a poetry event. Based on timing and other commitments, I chose to work […]
[…] every Creative Writing major wants to go to grad school, and to be honest, I’m not even sure if most of them want to be published writers. What […]
[…] every Creative Writing major wants to go to grad school, and to be honest, I’m not even sure if most of them want to be published writers. What brings […]
[…] https://literarycitizenship.com/2013/02/24/graduate-school-for-creative-writers/ […]
[…] A couple of weeks ago, I helped four of my classmates, along with our professor Cathy Day, plan an event called “What’s Next: Graduate School for Creative Writers.” […]
[…] At Ball State, the MA Creative Writing program focuses on a multi-genre approach where students study all of the different styles of creative writing. This approach will vary depending on the institution, some will have a genre-specific program where you have to choose. The goal of these institutions will be to leave with a publishable creative project. The focus will be on teaching craft and technique, as well as revision strategies. Cathy Day shared her advice with the individuals there when she said, “Don’t go into a Creative Writing Graduate School program if you’re not funded, in fact, I forbid it.” If you’re looking for more information about Graduate School programs in Creative Writing, the Literary Citizenship blog created this article with helpful links on information about everything from writing statements of purpose to Post-MFA advice: https://literarycitizenship.com/2013/02/24/graduate-school-for-creative-writers/. […]