Since our blog debuted in 2017, we have published 300+ posts. While some of you may have been with us from the start (thank you, loyal readers!), others may have joined us more recently.
So, we’re highlighting periodically some of the posts that have garnered a lot of views or that address topics of continuing interest in the current moment — posts that you may have missed or that you might want to revisit.
Today, in honor of upcoming deadlines for MFA applications, we are revisiting one of our most popular posts: “Some Advice on Applying to MFA Programs“ by Dan Hoyt.
Dan’s advice first appeared in 2012 on the old Creative Writing Blog (hosted by Tumblr, a platform being rediscovered in the twilight of Twitter) and then again here last year, updated for 2021.
Mixing humor with hard truths, Dan offers useful perspective and strategies for the application process:
Write because you love to write, because you have to write, because you wake up with metaphors and go to bed with similes. Going to an MFA program doesn’t make you a writer. It’s very unlikely to get you a tenure-track teaching gig. It’s very unlikely to get you an agent. It’s very unlikely to get you a book deal. It’s very unlikely to make you rich. It’s very unlikely to make you famous. It might, however, be two or three of the best years of your life.
Read more at “Some Advice on Applying to MFA Programs“ — and good luck to all who are preparing applications to graduate programs!
— Karin Westman, Department Head
K-State English 