First Book State of Mind

Look at these post-thesis defense smiles:



I don't know about anyone else, but I'm cheesing authentically hard!

No more thesis. I'm in a first book state of mind.

--

I have a poem up at Vinyl. I'm right next to Anna Journey, whom I love!!

How I Submit: MFA Programs

It's like having a baby, you don't have a baby and become an expert on everybody's baby, but you do become an expert on your own. I'll be all dissociative and just jump right in to the process I used for applying to MFA programs and let your mind make that metaphor work.

Choosing Where to Apply

I read through The Creative Writing Handbook by Tom Kealey and highlighted every program, regardless of location, that even sounded remotely interesting to me. I probably had highlighted about 36 programs. Then I considered location and went back through the schools I highlighted and got my list down to about 22 schools that I was interested in applying to. I also considered where poets I admire were teaching and included those schools on my list if I felt I would just kill to study with them.

Next, I took to the internet and researched each school's website looking for information on funding. I got rid of most of the schools that didn't guarantee full-funding or near full-funding to every student. Also, since I'm a single parent, I checked out the family housing options offered by the schools and dropped a few from my list that way.

By October of my application year, I ended up with a list of 16 schools to apply to. My first deadline was December 1 (I believe). It was time to get my recommenders lined up.

Recommendations
Almost all programs require that you have 3 letters of recommendation sent in. I was finishing up my undergrad degree in a non-traditional fashion so I had easy access to recommenders. I asked one creative writing professor and two English professors to write my recommendations.

Since I was applying to 16 schools, I wanted to make the process as simple as possible. I didn't want to bog my recommenders down and I also wanted control of my letters so I addressed the envelopes to the schools and printed out the recommendation forms that some schools require the recommenders to fill out and delivered this packet of envelopes and forms to each professor. All the professors had to do was insert the letters into the envelopes, sign the seals, and let me know when to pick them up. If I had to do it again, I would do it this way. It pretty much went off without a hitch and I had the letters back before Thanksgiving break.

I got my recommenders thoughtful gifts. One of my professors wore great scarves, so I bought her a scarf. One liked Toni Morrison so I bought her Morrison's newly released book. Another liked Jane Austen so I bought her a DVD I thought she could show in class about Jane Austen. It only took paying attention in class to figure out gifts I thought would be appropriate. They all seemed really pleased and gift giving is fun.

GRE
I hated this test. I took it in October. I spent months with flash cards studying vocabulary words. I didn't refresh on the Math because I'd recently taken a math class.

I didn't excel at the test but I think I scored on the high-end of average. I don't believe this test is important, but I do recommend taking it so you can have more schools to apply to.

Sending the Apps Out

I kept a spreadsheet that listed all of the programs I was applying to, the supplemental materials requested, application fees, and deadlines. I also had slots to check off if I'd sent off different parts of the applications (liking having official transcripts and GRE scores sent). I color coded the spreadsheet using red, green, and yellow. Red meant I hadn't started on the app, green meant it was in the mail and done, and yellow meant there was some hiccup (like a department not receiving my GRE scores).

I pressed submit online or dropped envelopes in the mailbox and waited by bonding online with people on the Poets & Writer's MFA message board; Seth Abramson's blog; and the Creative Writing MFA Handbook blog.

I ended up getting accepted outright into 6 programs; waitlisted at 2; rejected by 8. I chose UVA.

What I Would Have Done Differently

I think I did well by having the programs ranked according to my preference so that when acceptance calls started coming, I was able to know if I'd already gotten into somewhere I'd rather go. I got an acceptance in January that was ranked in the middle of my list and there were still a few apps I hadn't sent out that were ranked below it. I should have saved some app fees and not applied to those 1 or 2 programs that I knew I wouldn't go to. I think I was just deadset on carrying out my plan of applying to 16 schools.

That's all I have. Hit me up in the comments if you have any specific questions about applying to programs.

Writing Goals

I just did a post on my MFA Goals on The MFA Chronicles. Three happy little goals. :)
*insert lightning strikes, sinister laughter, and doom in general here*

I'm keeping a list in my google docs of major, life-changing, career-creating goals and when I need to apply to them. These are for poetry and tv/screenwriting. View my neuroticism here:

Write the best poems- always
Publish a full length poetry collection- however long it takes
Earn MFA- Spring 2011
Secure fellowship/job for- Summer/Fall 2011

Creative Writing
Apply for Axton Fellowship (University of Louisville) - Fall 2010 for Fall 2011
Apply for Stegner- September 2010 to start August 2011
Apply for Exeter Fellowship- December 2010 for September 2011
Apply for Southern Review Resident Scholar- December 2010 for August 2011
Apply for Gaius Charles Bolin Fellowship- December 2010 for Fall 2011
Apply for Emory Creative Writing Fellowship- by Feb. 2011 to start Fall 2011
Apply for Hodder Fellowship (Princeton)- November 2011 to start February 2012

TV/Screenwriting
Apply for Nickelodeon Fellowship- Jan/Feb 2011 to start Oct 2011
complete TV spec script by Jan/Feb 2011
Apply for Nicholls Fellowship- by May 2011 to start Jan 2012
Apply for Disney Fellowship- July 2011 to start Jan 2012
complete TV spec script by July 2011

I submit indeed.

Welcome to my mind. In real life, I am notoriously unorganized. But for things I am passionate about, I start planning 2 years in advance. A few of those fellowships will probably fall off of the list. I don't think I'd want to move for only 1 year. I took off the pre-medical school plans I was considering. I realized that it was only fear motivating me to do something other than write, so there's no med school in my future.

I wish I was passionate about at least one thing that did not have a less than 1% chance of actually happening.

The MFA Chronicles & Diverse Voices Quarterly

I must be very excited about www.mfachronicles.blogspot.com because I'm actually taking the time now to post on my own blog!

The MFA Chronicles is a collaborative blog by writers (poetry, fiction, nonfiction) who are entering Creative Writing MFA programs in the Fall 2009 (which is basically now!)

I mentioned to someone awhile ago that I feel like all the people I went through MFA application season with on blogs and forums are like my old buddies from the war so it was great to be reunited with them on Twitter and now on The MFA Chronicles.

Also, Diverse Voices Quarterly came out! They combined their first and second issues so there's a lot of material there. My "Ode to a Microphone" is on page 50.

Ooooh, I can talk about my fear of sharing here. I've been really nervous about sharing this poem. Mostly because I've always hated the second stanza! lol And I'm afraid if I share one poem that people will look at it and think that this poem represents all that I am and all that I write. It's stupid. I know this. But I'm about sharing authentic feelings with you right now, alright? :)

So I'm also scared of sharing the piece that is scheduled to be up on Assisi in October. This is terrible! I am the one submitting things for publication, I choose which poems to submit, I know the personal nature of some of my pieces, so who am I to freak out when someone actually decides to publish them?! I'm human. That's who I am and exposure is scary. But that's part of the reason why I write--so that my scary parts can connect with your scary parts.

Man, I'm glad I finally remembered I have a personal blog so I can get this stuff out. Everytime I've had a conversation or gotten any feedback on the DVQ piece I've wanted to say these things. But who wants to be emotionally dumped upon when all they wanted to say was, "nice poem"?

*dump complete*

Carrying on...

I Vow

I vow that I will no longer worry/obsess/daydream/e-stalk plans for after the MFA until after I have completed the 1st year of my MFA program. For this entire 1st year, I will focus on my writing. I already know what I'm doing after the 1st year...a 2nd year, so now is the perfect time not to worry.

I truly believe in Order. I believe this Order dictates that if I focus on my writing as a craft, if I work hard, I will be in the perfect position for whatever my next step will be. I will know the next step when I see it.

So I'm done planning my life 2-3 years in advance, at least for one year. This is the gift that an MFA program has given me and I will take it.

Starting now.

And then there was UVA...

So now that last post about my visit to IU looks foolish. Everything I said was true, I really was looking forward to starting at IU in the fall, the program really is great, I still love those students I met, and Bloomington is pretty cool too...then Rita D.ove called and informed me I was accepted to UVA for poetry. At some point during this call I must have stopped breathing because she felt it necessary to instruct me to breathe. I was not expecting this call. After getting rejected by all the other majors (Michigan, Iowa, Cornell etc.) I just figured UVA wasn't an option for me so I thought I was basically done with notifications. I actually said, "OH NO!" to Rita D.ove because I really was content/ecstatic with my IU decision.

So now, I'm actually headed to UVA in the fall. I just keep telling myself about that poet on Indiana's waitlist who is going to be as happy as I was to get that call.

Visit to Indiana University- Bloomington

So I'm sitting in the Indianapolis airport, waiting to catch a flight home after my trip to visit IU and Bloomington. I LOVED IT THERE!

The people: In previous workshops, I usually tended to vibe with a few people who seemed to be as passionate about their writing as I was. I would end up really vibing with 2, maybe 3 people each time and I was satisfied with that. Sitting in on the IU poetry workshop was like being in a room filled with only those kinds of people I would vibe with. So that's like 11 other people that are on the same page as me and share a similar passion. Maybe every MFA program is like that...maybe not...but I felt like I was in my element at Indiana. And it felt good.

The faculty: First, they rotate directors every three years, switching between a poet and a fiction writer. I definitely didn't get the sense that this school favors one genre over the other, which was nice. They do the same with the editor of the Indiana Review. This program really cares to be diverse in every way. The current director, Samrat, is really easy to talk to and he has a welcoming personality. I loved the feedback that Catherine Bowman was giving in workshop. She had wonderful suggestions and she also paid attention to how students were critiquing one another and seemed to make a point to make encouraging comments about particulary good criticisms. I was really impressed with that and I'm excited to have her take a look at some of my work! I actually can't wait to see what the students will say either. Their responses had depth and passion behind them. I could see myself really caring to know what they thought and believing that what they have to say matters. I sat in on a lit class taught by Ross Gay and I was a little awe struck (can you be just a little awe struck?) by his insights and the way he engaged the class in discussion in a relaxed but impassioned way. So that was exciting.

The city: I love downtown Bloomington! I ate Tibetan food (there's a lot of Tibetan things..who knew?) and pancakes with strawberries baked into them. I want to live within walking distance of downtown which pretty much means being within walking distance of IU too. There are coffee shops, book stores, bars, yoga spots, and tons of ethnic food places. It's just right as far as size. I mean, it's not Miami, but it definitely isn't Idaho either (I'm an authority on both lol).

So, I definitely made the right choice. I can't wait to get started in the Fall!

Indiana bound

So I've accepted at Indiana, that's where I'm headed. I'm so through with the notification process, it's not even funny lol.

So I applied to 16 schools which means I got rejected by A LOT of schools and rejections suck lol.

With only 3 schools left to hear from (NYU, UVA, Arizona State) I have been rejected by 7 schools. I have been accepted to 5 schools and waitlisted at 1. I was accepted to only 1 of the schools in my top 5 and that is the one I am going to. It was my #2 and I am happy.

I can't wait to write more so I can submit more and keep things going from here.

Yes, I feel as flat as this post. I'm ready to move forward.

The Strangest Sadness

So here's where I stand:

Accepted

Alabama
Indiana
Southern Illinois

Interviewed

Virginia Tech

Waitlisted

Boise State

Rejected

Michener
Michigan
Iowa
(the big boys have no love for me lol)

I was denied a grad scholars fellowship at Indiana by the grad school (and I'm really, surprisingly down about it) so I'll get the regular tuition remission plus stipend if I go. Their stipend is equal to that of Virginia Tech whose poetry faculty seem warm and welcoming. Actually, Virginia Tech caught me totally off guard with how great they seem. There's less teaching responsibility at VT and you still get to teach creative writing...so I don't know. I say all this when I haven't been offered a spot at VT. I'm just hopeful after the interview. I ordered a copy of the new MFA handbook so maybe it will provide some insights on the programs should the choice have to be made.

I'm expecting rejections soon from: Cornell, Vanderbilt

I've still got hope for: NYU, UVA, FSU, University of Florida, Georgia State, Arizona State (though only NYU and UVA acceptances would make me think twice about Indiana)

Blah...I'm tired of talking about myself and this stuff lol.

Half of a Rejection: Michigan

So I got my first rejection by snail mail today...from Michigan...severely damaged in one of those "we're sorry" packages from the post office. So I didn't get the pleasure of the full page rejection. lol

Carrying on...

Interview Scheduled: Virginia Tech

So I got a call on Friday morning to set up an interview for Virginia Tech's MFA program for poetry. I have no idea what to expect. Of course I'm googling to find out how these types of interviews might go. I like their program, love their faculty, think the location is pretty cool too. Who knows how this will go...I'm ready to find out!

So I've been reading like crazy. Last week I read Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon and I just finished A Mercy. This woman can write! Oh my goodness...I literally end up breathless on the last page. I read the last page of A Mercy over and over just letting it all sink in. I don't know how she does it. I think I can appreciate her work even more since taking a 19th Century African American Lit class last semester, specifically about slave narratives. A Mercy read just like a slave narrative. Reading Morrison, even though I'm a poet, inspires me and makes Indiana's offer so appealing since I'll get to do the MA in African American Studies (focused on black lit, it seems) along with the MFA. I think if I get the Grad. Scholars fellowship at Indiana, I'm going. That's one year without teaching and up to $25,000 funding for that year. I should find out if that worked out very soon. I think that will clinch it for me. The only school offering that much funding would have been Michener and I didn't get in there. Without the fellowship...I don't know and I'll be doing a lot of traveling trying to figure it out, I think.

UGH...Toni Morrison writes so smart. I want to write smart too. I'm going to start reading Sula as soon as I come down off of the high of her last book. I was totally not expecting to have such a reaction to her. I would love to take a class that was only about her and her works. She's got enough stuff written and enough complexity to warrant an entire course on her. She is hands down my favorite fiction writer right now.

On the poetry front...my poetry professor/mentor's new book is out and it is on the way in the mail to me right now!!!!!!!! SO excited. I love her, I love her, I love her! I'm thinking of flying back to where I did school to catch one of her readings.

Rejection: Michener

First official rejection via the website:

Your application has been given careful consideration by the committee on Graduate Studies. On the basis of their recommendation, your application has been denied. If you have questions, please write directly to the Committee in your major department.

Last night it was still under review, this morning, rejected.

Carrying on...

Acceptance: Southern Illinois- Carbondale

So I got an email this morning from SIUC...I'm in for Poetry! This one was kind of personal for me because I published my first poem after attending a publishing workshop by two of their faculty. So they've already done a lot for me as far as I'm concerned. Funny that Crab Orchard Review didn't take the poems in my portfolio though LOL

I recognize that I have been very fortunate to receive these notifications early and to have them be good news. I can't wait until schools really start notifying because there are a lot of people in limbo! There's still anxiety that comes along with knowing something though. Now I'm researching the schools again and re-thinking my personal ranking of the programs.

Acceptance: I'm in at Indiana!

So the universe responded to my whining about Indiana and I got a call today. I'm in for the joint mfa/ma in African American and African Diaspora Studies. Very excited and shocked.

Acceptance: Alabama!

I received a call from the director of the creative writing program today. He said a lot of nice things. I'll try to cover what he said because I've always wondered what those calls were like.

So the call came in from a 205 area code. He introduced himself and what program he was calling from then said they'd like to accept me. I swear he almost sounded like he was calling to talk about something else because his pauses seemed to last forever. My mom was sitting across the room and I started waving at her frantically saying, this is it! lol She comes over and kneels down next to me trying to hear through the cell phone too lol.

He said that they really liked my sample, that I was doing a lot of different things with the poems and they liked that, he made a comment about one of my poems and how someone on the committee could hear it being read out loud, they really liked my sonnet crown. Then he said that it was a great packet...my letters were great, he mentioned my poetry professor's letter specifically, he said my SOP was great (which totally surprised me lol). Then he thanked me for sending a great packet.

I asked him, "What should I be asking you?" and he laughed. He said that we don't have to rush and he sent me an email as soon as we got off the phone with all the details and contact information and all that. There is an opportunity for them to assist with a campus visit but I may be in Egypt so I may not be able to do that. Hmmmmm....I have to sort that out.

I just got done sending my poetry professor a mushy email about how she changed my life LOL. Maybe I should have waited until I calmed down to give her the news lol.

Special shout-out to M.! Thanks again!

Doot-doot-do <---That's Waiting's Soundtrack

I am totally and completely in limbo now. But you know what the omnipotent "they" says about "the best-laid plans of mice and men" and all that. So I was hoping to be doing my waiting for MFA notifications while overseas on an internship. The security clearance process is taking a long time so who knows when I'll be leaving. So instead of alleviating waiting stress, this internship added itself to the list of things I'm waiting to find out about!

All things considered, I'm extremely blessed. I didn't consider that some people weren't able to apply to as many MFA programs as they would have liked for financial reasons. I'm not rich or even middle-class anymore after going back to school full-time, but I was able to pull it off. Let me try to add up what I spent:

GRE: $140
Sending GRE Scores: $160
Transcripts: $320
Application Fees: $660
Total: $1280

They say(there's the omnipotent they again) that you get what you put out back ten-fold or something like that. So hopefully I'll get a fellowship or stipend worth at least $12,800 lol. I'll report back here with how that turns out, of course. Wait for it.

16/16- FINISHED!!!!

WHOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Can someone please tell me why Boise State's application was the worst of them all. The TA app required me to critique a student paper and suggest improvements and answer essay questions! I just wasn't in the mood but I got it done. I'm glad I got it done because I miscalculated their application deadline and today I realized their deadline is actually January 15. So I did end up getting all my apps done on time. One of my biggest motivators was the fact that my recommenders had taken the time to prepare 16 letters for me so I couldn't back out of applying to any schools (out of laziness) because I didn't want their letters to go to waste. Seriously, the last 4 applications I considered not doing just because I was tired of doing applications and I saved my lower ranked schools for last. Watch...my only acceptance will come from one of those schools lol. Well, all I need is one yes. At least I've given myself 16 chances to hear it.

I plan to get back to submitting my poems for publication...even though I'm sick of looking at them. I'm interested in doing some character development for a short story or a screenplay or something. I don't know, I just know I'm feeling like creating a character. I think it was Claudia Emerson who previously wrote poetry books in different personas (I'm sure many others have done it but I heard her talk about it at a reading, I think). I think one was an old farmer or something. I plan to write about a drag queen. Different strokes for different folks, I guess lol. So I'll do this whole character thing and see if it ends up in poetry or prose. Who knows? At least I'm getting back to writing!

14/16- Almost Done!

I have sent out 14 out of 16 of my applications. All I have left are Boise State's and Georgia State's applications. I totally lost steam in regards to completing the last 9 of my applications.

I got an email from U of Alabama stating they were missing transcripts from one of my undergrad schools. So I called them this morning and the wonderful woman with the best southern accent ever (I have a thing for accents since I don't have one...at all) looked through the pile and found that it just hadn't been entered into the system. PHEW! So she made my day.

Alright...these last 2 will be out tomorrow. 16 is a lot of applications. A lot.

Smooch!

I could just KISS Vanderbilt for having a free application!!!!!!!

I love you, Vanderbilt...please, love me too.

9/16

So here's an update.

Apps Outta My Hands:
Cornell
NYU
Michener
Michigan
Indiana
UVA
Vanderbilt
Florida State
Iowa

Apps to go:
Alabama
Southern Illinois
Arizona State
Univ of Florida
Georgia State
Boise State
Virginia Tech

I'm doing good. I think the next deadline for apps I don't have out is Alabama for Jan. 10. I got that.

I hate reading my personal statement to send out apps and I can't look at my writing sample either. I hate teaching philosophies. I sound like Grouchy Smurf. "I hate sounding like Grouchy Smurf" LOL.