Incredibly honored and excited to be in this cohort. And even more so after our first meeting! I still can’t get over that first interaction with your MFA director. Thank you for channeling that into creating this opportunity for writers like us.
I’m so glad to know that you are doing this work in response to your experience. I had a similar experience in journalism school. When teaching English at the K-12 level I also found similar forces at work. It grates on me when someone congratulates me for “helping my students find their voices,” because student voices are not hard to find. They are just very, very easy to cover up again if we’re not careful. Last year we bought copies of “The Anti-Racist Writer’s Workshop” for our entire team. It was a moving experience to read it together — part in mourning for what we were not given, and part in gratitude, for what we can now give, with more care. Wishing you and your cohort all the best. I’ll gladly follow for more updates!
Thank you for sharing your story Meg, and for your generosity in how you show up for others as a mentor (and friend!). I was so excited to see this update on Craftwork and I can't wait to read more as the year continues!
Excellent, insightful discussion of things I didn't know about an MFA program. And you are spot on. There's so much diversity in authors' voices. The literary canon should be ever evolving, not limited.
I got my Master's in English and have had a successful career in academia and as a writer. I am no longer in academia, though I, too, love the teaching aspect of it.
This will sound like generic praise, but this was an energizing read. I have worked with and learned from many teachers, coaches, and professors who speak like your director did—so many have chosen that tact with noble intentions! Those authorities either left me snarling to prove them wrong or sincerely believing that I didn’t fit in...neither supported my growth. At best, they induced it.
Thank you for sharing this and for channeling those experiences into your classes. You’ve also added to my brain as I process ideas, big and small, for my first day of a new school year.
Score one for Notes—never would have found this otherwise.
This newsletter brought me to tears as a novice writer recently rejected from a creative writing program and several fellowships and residencies. I attended an Ivy League for undergrad and often felt a strong sense of disillusionment that battered my self-esteem. It took years (and copious amounts of inner work) to arrive at the point I’m at now. Thank you for the work you’re doing. It’s incredibly important and is more meaningful to the writers than you can imagine.
Incredibly honored and excited to be in this cohort. And even more so after our first meeting! I still can’t get over that first interaction with your MFA director. Thank you for channeling that into creating this opportunity for writers like us.
I’m so glad to know that you are doing this work in response to your experience. I had a similar experience in journalism school. When teaching English at the K-12 level I also found similar forces at work. It grates on me when someone congratulates me for “helping my students find their voices,” because student voices are not hard to find. They are just very, very easy to cover up again if we’re not careful. Last year we bought copies of “The Anti-Racist Writer’s Workshop” for our entire team. It was a moving experience to read it together — part in mourning for what we were not given, and part in gratitude, for what we can now give, with more care. Wishing you and your cohort all the best. I’ll gladly follow for more updates!
Thank you for sharing your story Meg, and for your generosity in how you show up for others as a mentor (and friend!). I was so excited to see this update on Craftwork and I can't wait to read more as the year continues!
Excellent, insightful discussion of things I didn't know about an MFA program. And you are spot on. There's so much diversity in authors' voices. The literary canon should be ever evolving, not limited.
I got my Master's in English and have had a successful career in academia and as a writer. I am no longer in academia, though I, too, love the teaching aspect of it.
Great post!
This will sound like generic praise, but this was an energizing read. I have worked with and learned from many teachers, coaches, and professors who speak like your director did—so many have chosen that tact with noble intentions! Those authorities either left me snarling to prove them wrong or sincerely believing that I didn’t fit in...neither supported my growth. At best, they induced it.
Thank you for sharing this and for channeling those experiences into your classes. You’ve also added to my brain as I process ideas, big and small, for my first day of a new school year.
Score one for Notes—never would have found this otherwise.
Cheers!
I will. Thank you!
Megan, thanks for sharing this. Is there still space in the group? If so, I’d like to learn more. Thank you
I love this. Thank you. ~Danica
Thanks for sharing! This is such a fabulous opportunity too!
This newsletter brought me to tears as a novice writer recently rejected from a creative writing program and several fellowships and residencies. I attended an Ivy League for undergrad and often felt a strong sense of disillusionment that battered my self-esteem. It took years (and copious amounts of inner work) to arrive at the point I’m at now. Thank you for the work you’re doing. It’s incredibly important and is more meaningful to the writers than you can imagine.
When is the next cohort? Keen.