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To MFA or Not to MFA?

That is the question. If you're considering, think carefully. Just because it seems like everyone is doing it doesn't mean it has to be done. The MFA will not make you a writer, only writing can make you a writer. So if you are planning on doing it, be sure to pick a place that will support and inspire your writing. And use some of the following resources to guide you (in picking a place or deciding whether or not to go).

Articles to read

• The MFA Guide by Tom Kealey (Poets & Writers Nov/Dec 2006)
• Workshop: The Lowdown on Low-Residency Programs by Erika Dreifus (Poets & Writers, March/April 2005)
• Confessions of an MFA Application Reader by Steve Almond (Poets & Writers, Nov/Dec 2004)
• Writers and Mentors by Rick Moody (Atlantic Monthly 2005 Fiction Issue)
• Where Great Writers Are Made by Edward J. Delaney (Atlantic Monthly 2007 Fiction Issue.

You can only access the above AM articles online if you have a subscription; if not, check your library.

Sites to visit

• AWP Official Guide to Writing Programs
• Graduate Creative Writing Programs in the U.S.
• MFA Weblog
• Sample Coursework of a Warren Wilson Graduate

• On the Teaching of Creative Writing by Wallace Stegner
• An Insider's Guide to Creative Writing Programs by Amy Holman
• The Creative Writing MFA Handbook by Tom Kealey

Be sure to visit the Writing Programs and Writing Programs FAQs pages of this site too.