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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Would also love an MFA in Creative Writing as I retire. [/quote]

I have one and don’t recommend it, especially as a retirement activity. For multiple reasons. There are plenty of classes and conferences you can explore outside of academia that are better.[/quote]

can you recommend any? 
I looked at some of the programs. They offer health insurance, a stipend, sometimes tuition for grad assisting. [/quote]

The conferences I'd recommend are Bread Loaf, Sewanee, and Tin House. I've been to Bread Loaf once, and Tin House twice and had an amazing time. Haven't been to Sewanee, but many of my friends and acquaintances have and they enjoyed it as much as the other two conferences. Unfortunately writing community hierarchy stuff is on full display at all of them; but it's pretty much the most fun you'll ever have. The craft talks at Bread Loaf were nothing short of genius. There are lots of other conferences as well that are less selective that would offer some experience with workshop method for folks who don't gain admission to the Big 3. There are writing classes/workshops offered seemingly everywhere. If you are local The Writer's Center in Bethesda is a great place to start. I'd try workshops somewhere like that before diving into an MFA program; you might hate the workshop process in which case you won't want to do an MFA (best to show at least some exposure to the workshop process before applying to an MFA program anyway). If you aren't local to the DMV, there are lots on online opportunities -- Gotham is the one that comes to mind, although their beginning workshops can be hit-or-miss depending on how dedicated the cohort is for any given class (a great teacher really can't do all that much to fix a workshop with lots of people who drop away). A friend teaches for the UCLA extension -- they offer some pretty serious writing class opportunities (with a pretty serious price to match, unfortunately). If you join AWP, you will get access to their (huge) database of conferences and centers. An AWP membership is probably worth it -- lots of info that is helpful for writers.

As far as my opinions on getting an MFA: I worked at AWP for a while, which is the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, which started out as just the Association for MFA programs. So I feel like I've seen the sausage being made. The MFA programs I would advise people to consider would be programs like Iowa, Johns Hopkins, and Maybe UT. Maybe UVA. Maybe Brown. Places like that. Getting accepted at one of those programs, or any fully funded program really, is very, very difficult. The odds are against you. So you could throw your hat into the ring and apply, but don't hold your breath. Getting accepted to a program that doesn't fund everyone, or perhaps anyone, is more likely (although anything but the low res programs are still going to be very selective). I do not recommend programs that fund some students but not all of them -- it creates an ugly environment, and any MFA grads from such programs who say otherwise are lying or clueless. I really don't recommend that anyone who doesn't secure full funding pursue an MFA at all. There are reasons for this in addition to financial ones. The short of it is that I have heard program directors recognize that they are admitting people without talent because the programs are cash cows -- and that there are ethical considerations with that. Like I said ... watching the sausage get made.

If you want to write, there is nothing stopping you. Just write. You don't need a graduate degree to do it, and many writers feel such programs stomps the creativity out of them. No one from my MFA cohort has published anything of note, and I'm one of the few who has published anything at all (which is undoubtably the result of my stubborn persistence and not a reflection of any relative talent).

Don't mean to be a Debbie Downer here, I just think that these cash cow programs are problematic. But if you apply and get into Iowa? Then yes, by all means, go.

[/quote]

oddly enough, that's where I am.[/quote]

What do you mean that is where you are? You live in Iowa? [/quote]

yes. [/quote]

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