Creative Writing MFA?

[Erin]

Anybody here applying for an MFA in creative writing? I considered this some time back and found it very difficult to gather information on programs.

[Illusionz]

I really appreciate the addition of this section in the admissions forum Erin!
I'm applying for Multimedia and Digital Animation but I too found it very hard to get any information on programs and admissions (let alone financial aid).

Here's hoping that fellow artists/sufferers can contribute to this and help each other out!

TM rocks!!

[stillsearching]

Hi this isn't strictly about MFA, but I'm an Indian and I have an admit to the Master of Professional Writing Program at USC for fall 2008, and I'm finding it difficult to get info too! It's an expensive course, working out to about 27000 USD. (around 19 lakh). I was wondering if you know alumni from the course or could help me with some contacts so that I could get an idea about the kind of job opportunities or earning capacity after completing the program. Since writing is a pretty unstructured course/industry as compared to an Engineering or MBA course where it's easy to say what a starting salary will be like, I don't want to take a huge loan until I know that the jobs I might get will be decent enough for me to be able to repay the loan. I also wanted to know what I should do to apply for aid/scholarships from USC itself. Can you please help? I'm really interested in doing the course and don't want to pass up this opportunity since admission itself is really competitive. Thanks a ton.

[servien]

Hi, I planned to apply for MFA in poetry this fall. I am a native Chinese majoring in English. I developed my writing style during the process of translating Chinese poems into English poems. I have specific interested poets, writers and approaches.

I think the main point of studying literature are: identifying references, connecting thoughts, ideas and writers and forming your own theories.

Before joining the people who study literature, ask yourself " Why I want to study literature? What does this matter to me? Will it make any difference in me spiritually? Can I resist the temptation from the material world and concentrate...

[Erin]

Very interesting post. I've studied a lot of literature, and I often think about the validity of studying literature. In fact, there were a few times in college that I wanted to ask my professors why we were reading stories. I mean... What's the value? The point? I still think about this sort of thing quite frequently and wonder why we never really got around to discussing this question in my literature classes. At some level, reading stories is simply great fun, and I think that we should talk about what makes something interesting or engaging or causes us to "willingly suspend our disbelief."

[servien]

I was specially attracted to poetry. I guess partially because I am lazy and I have short attention span to finish a novel. Partially I felt that those poems are calling on me. They arose feeling inside of me. In particular, I was drawn to poems with themes of death, pain, loss, youth and love. I like short poems. I like poets who used verbs cunning in their poems.

It is what I have experienced as Mark Strand wrote in his poem "Eating Poetry".
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.

The librarian does not believe what she sees.
Her eyes are sad and she walks with her hands in her dress.
The poems are gone.

The light is dim.
The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.
Their eyeballs roll, their blond legs burn like brush.

The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.
She does not understand.
When I get on my knees and lick her hand, she screams.

I am a new man.
I snarl at her and bark.
I romp with joy in the bookish dark.

Interestingly, I and Mr. Strand are at different age, race,cultural and education background. See this is the magic of poems. It connects us together. And that is what I look for from literature.

[Erin]

That's a beautiful poem.

I like the compression of poetry; it requires that the reader pay very, very close attention, the the reward of this effort (at least of good poetry) is typically a small epiphany or revelation of some truth (i.e., something both the reader and the writer believe).

You sound like a poet.

[servien]

Nigh..I am still a novice. I am taking poetry 101 now and stuggling with iambic!

[atse]

I recommend looking into art schools even though they can be very pricey. I think that for people really looking into a career in writing, having an English major is very helpful too.