New issue of Crab Orchard Review plus my 2 cents on the MFA ranking debate

So, week 2.5 into my persistent summer-weather-induced head-cold-throat-thing, I haven’t been doing as much creative writing as I’d like, but I finally finished up a book review for the Rumpus that had been hanging over my head, and working steadily on that job application for a local academic job that would be a perfect fit for me (at least I think so.) I sent out some poems and even entered a fiction contest (shhh, don’t tell! Secretly practicing fiction over here. It’s tough stuff.)

I got the wonderful new American South issue of Crab Orchard Review (Summer/Fall 2011, for those of you keeping track.) It’s really a wonderful collection, with three poems in it from my “Robot Scientist’s Daughter” manuscript (Thanks Crab Orchard editors!) and poems from Amanda Auchter, Stacy Lynn Brown and Erika Meitner, among other familiar names.

So, the recent issue of Poets & Writers included creative writing school rankings for MFA and PhD programs. Then, a bunch of professors signed a protest letter saying creative writing programs can’t possibly be quantified and ranked, etc. (The New Yorker has a bit on it here. And Poets & Writers printed a response here.) Then, on the Sunday twitter poetparty, people complained about being judged by having an MFA (people with MFAs are snobs! Or “You’re just an adjunct hack,” one person noted being called) or not having an MFA (one of my good friends being told he is not a “real poet” because he doesn’t have an MFA, etc.) Hrmph. So much ill will and complaining among writers, it doesn’t seem right.
Here is my opinion on the issue: the MFA is expensive for most people, because most people cannot afford to set aside the money or time for a graduate program that doesn’t really lead to increased income potential (the way, say, an MBA or MD might.) Does an MFA make you a “real” writer? There is no Pinocchio effect that I know of. When I signed up for my MA at the University of Cincinnati, I was a few years out of school, working a full-time job, and got a free ride courtesy of their generous grant program at the time. I learned a lot of literary criticism terms (that come in handy when I am reading poetics) and, at times against my will, a lot about formal poetry. I went back to more years of working at various corporations. Then again I started really wanting to move forward with my writing, to get regular experienced feedback. I attended some writing conferences, started going to a local writer’s group, and started reading more literary magazines, books on poetry, books of poetry, etc. This is when I started thinking about the MFA again. My husband and I talked and decided we did not want to move for my degree. I looked at the low-residency options available. At that time – not that long ago, after all – there was little information to be had about how good/bad/indifferent/well-funded different programs were. Not only were there no rankings, any info I had about any of the programs was based on gossip (what little there was) and guess work, because the program’s web sites were not very informative and a lot of programs didn’t respond to e-mailed questions. So, deciding to do the very thing I had been counseled over and over not to do – go into yes, student loan debt to get an MFA – I made my decision on where to go (Pacific University) based on friendliness of e-mail responses and faculty that I liked (and a bit of what is called “geographic attractiveness” – whether or not the place was within driving distance.) I was accepted at several places that I applied to (and I only applied to a couple of places, not knowing back then that you’re supposed to apply, like, ten or fifteen places as a time.) Whew! Lucky I survived the experience! (And, really, you don’t lose going to any program where Dorianne Laux is a teacher. She rocks!)
I think the rankings may not be that important, but surely, it doesn’t hurt prospective MFA students to know a little bit more about each program – whether they offer scholarships, whether the listed faculty actually teach there, etc. I think the rankings don’t do all the footwork – you still have to try to talk to alumni if you can, communicate with faculty if possible, definitely visit at least once – but I guess I don’t understand the vim and vigor of the hatred of rankings, except that creative writing people are all against rankings in general for artistic study? But we all know the best schools for visual art – I mean, visual artists and musicians know which graduate schools are best for their kind of work, typically, and the reputations of the programs do impact where people apply. So, I guess, my stand is: more information is better. And rankings aren’t the devil. These rankings may not be perfect – but who are they hurting? One person’s number one school – like, say, Iowa – is not going to be a good fit for someone else, I think that is obvious. For instance, Iowa wouldn’t have been my number one choice – I didn’t want to move to Iowa, but I had also heard (perhaps unfairly – remember that gossip thing) that Iowa was competitive and unfriendly, and while I don’t mind the usual amount of competition, I was definitely interested in a friendly environment. So, if they were doing rankings customized for me, Iowa would not be #1; but in terms of selectivity and reputation, everyone thinks of Iowa as #1 already. Surely the conversation can expand, get bigger, the rankings could start accounting more for, say, how alumni do in their writing after graduation, whether the big name writers actually spend time with students, what the atmosphere/craft classes/workshops/residencies are like, instead of focusing so much on funding. And Poets & Writers could profile programs in more detail for interested folks, which would surely benefit everyone (why is everyone so tight with information?) But maybe condemning the person trying to start the conversation (ahem, Seth or ahem, Poets & Writers) isn’t the right methodology for getting a better picture of MFA study to the world at large. (and I promise I’m not just saying this because my alma mater happens to be well-ranked.) So instead of criticizing, maybe people could come up with better rankings, better methodologies, maybe programs could be more transparent about costs and funding and scholarship and who teaches when. More help, more opportunities, more open conversations, more offers to collaborate and share, not less, is needed.
Also, there is a bit of class warfare in the background of these discussions, too – someone who can afford to send themselves to, say, an expensive program like Columbia without worrying about the cost – is going to be pleased with their experience at Columbia, and so would say they don’t deserve their lower rating, but someone who can’t afford it needs to know up-front that they probably can’t afford it – and so the rating is useful to someone who needs the funding. For me, the decision to go into student loan debt may have been – well, optimistic (naive?) – but, life is short, and attending was a wonderful experience, and I enjoyed it and think my writing benefited from it. I haven’t gone on a real vacation in ten years, my husband and I split the use of one car, and we don’t have a lot of extra money even when I do get adjunct work – and this quarter, I don’t have a class, so it’s a little tougher financially. The fact is, it’s really tough out there to get creative writing teaching jobs, even adjunct jobs. I tell my students this when they start my classes in the MFA program, as I want them not to be discouraged but to have realistic expectations. Maybe be prepared to make ends meet by doing freelance work, or copyediting, or teaching community groups…
Also, no one “needs” an MFA. (And I say this as someone who really loved getting her MFA and encourage those who have the time, energy, direction – and can realistically take the hit financially.) I think you can do the things that an MFA lets you do – pay focused, directed attention to your writing, learn from writers you respect – outside the MFA system. You can ask a writer you admire if they do private coaching – hey, it’s probably less expensive than school would be. You can buy that “book list” you’ve been putting off, and actually make time to read those twenty books that might change the way you think about writing. You can go to conferences and make friends with other writers, find a local group and workshop. Many fine writers became fine writers outside of the MFA system. And the only thing that makes anyone a “real writer” is writing.
Let’s stop looking for reasons to fight, and start trying to help each other out. It’s a mean cold world out there for writers and would-be writers, after all. Let’s find ways to lift each other up, to share information, to encourage each other to be better.