Don't Worry, Just Work

Some words on Post-MFA-Life:

I spent a significant portion of the morning trying to figure out how to be a successful writer, long term. I mean, I want my poems, I want my books of poems to be published and liked by a lot of people. I love writing, and I don’t really know a better way to contribute myself to humanity. Ideally, and like almost every other person in my position, I would like to teach creative writing (or teach English, or whatever) at a college or university to support myself as a writer. I would probably also like being an editor of some kind, for a journal or even a company. The problem is, I don’t have much experience in anything besides writing (and a little editing), so where do I start?

In order to make the process less painless and time-consuming for myself (and others) in the future, I've compiled lots of information on searching for fellowships, teaching fellowships, paid residencies for young writers, contests that publish first books, contests that pay a lot for publishing a single poem, artists’ colonies with stipends, PhD programs in creative writing (I already have an MFA in Poetry), as well as a couple other options, so that when I'm actually doing the work and not just browsing, it'll be a one-stop shop.

Please note immediately: if you are unwilling to relocate, perhaps numerous times, this may not be the right path for you.

  

First, here is the link to the Poets & Writers page of Grants and Awards . This is where you will find a list of opportunities for paid fellowships, residencies with stipends, and contests that award anywhere from $500 to $5000 for publication of either a piece of work (like a poem, or a story, in a journal), or a whole book (including a first or second book). Many of these prizes are geared toward up-and-coming and/or young writers who have recently earned an MFA or PhD in creative writing. Certainly all of them carry some weight for winning the award, without considering the monetary value. This list includes what I consider to be one of the greatest honors for a writer to receive, the Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University. This one might be the most difficult to get, but don’t be discouraged. The list also includes things like the New Issues Poetry & Prose Contest  , and the seven month residency at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown .  Poets & Writers also has another database of Conferences and Residencies. The list includes many opportunities that require you to pay tuition, but it is easy to narrow the list down to what you would like to search for. Here is a link to their database of Free Residencies . Also worth noting: many of the residencies require tuition, but fellowships/scholarships are usually available that can cover up to the full cost.

The Poetry Society of America also offers a list of Colonies, Conferences, & Festivals for writers. Much of this list is just for people who want to attend writerly events. If you are truly curious, though, there are some gems, like the Creative Writing Fellowship at Emory University.  This fellowship states the following requirements: MFA or PhD in the last five years, Creative Writing Teaching experience.  (I don’t have much experience teaching creative writing, but I have some. Once a week, I taught creative writing to high-schoolers for about a year and half). This states nothing explicitly about college-level experience. Here is another gem from the list, the George Bennett  Fellowship at the Phillps Exeter Academy, a boarding school. In fellowship qualifications, it states a preference for fiction writers, but they also accept poetry and nonfiction writers, based on quality of manuscript. Aside from that possible deterrent  (I am a poet), their one-year $13,000 stipend, not including room and board, is incentive enough to apply. All they ask is that you are a serious writer in the process of completing a manuscript for publication, and that you provide your “self and talents in an informal and unofficial way to students interested in writing” at this boarding school.  Another good one is Colgate University’s Olive B O’Conner Fellowship in Creative Writing . “Writers of poetry, fiction or nonfiction who have recently completed an MFA, MA, or PhD in creative writing, and who need a year to complete their first book, are encouraged to apply. The selected writer will spend the academic year at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. The fellow will teach one creative writing course each semester and will give one public reading from a work in progress. The fellowship carries a stipend of $35,500 plus travel expenses, health and life insurance provided.”  WOW. I’m sure that one, as well as the others, are extremely difficult to get, but if you can afford the application fees and you think you are a great writer, then it makes sense to go for it. What can you lose?

The best way to find residencies from this list similar to the ones I’ve mentioned above is to look for the word residency or fellowship, ie (Stadler Fellowship). Many of the other opportunities listed here for writing programs require tuition.

With that said, there are a number of exceptions. For instance, the MacDowell Colony is an artists’ residency of up to eight weeks (in New Hampshire). There is no award or stipend, but they provide free room and board and offer financial assistance based on need, including assistance for travel expenses. Similarly, the Millay Colony for the Arts , located on the former property of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay in Austerlitz, New York, is free and provides room and board for one month between April and November.  Hedgebrook is another good one, located just outside of Seattle, although it’s only available to women. Keep in mind, of course, that free artists' colonies are quite competitive.

One other possible venue for writing opportunities is to search by state. Look for something like artist/writer opportunities in (name your state) and you should find something. Libraries often have writing and tutoring programs. Even the National Park Service has an Artists-In-Residence program that might be worth checking out (though it is listed under the volunteer category). Especially if you’re one of those people lacking in real-life experience in writing/teaching fields, consider this option.

As a recent graduate of Eastern Washington University’s MFA (poetry) program , my main focus is to succeed as a writer. I spent the summer living with my parents—I moved from Spokane, Washington after two wonderful years of masturbatory writer-dom, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I slept in my old bedroom, worked at my old job, and felt bad about it, for three months. I did this in order to save for my move to Buenos Aires, where I am currently living. Before I say anything else, let me take some of that back. I loved spending the summer with my family, getting to know my siblings as adults, spending true, quality time with my parents (and watching them bond with my dog, treating her as no less a family member than myself, despite their previous, skeptical sentiments about dogs in general). I was actively involved in the writing community in Milwaukee, despite the short time I lived there. I was a regular at Milwaukee’s most famous weekly poetry open mic, where they even paid me with art and money to be their feature for one night. Imagine that, getting paid for reading original poetry for an hour! I also contributed to the website Poetic Milwaukee .  Besides all that, I just wrote a ton— some of the best poetry I’ve written so far.

It has increasingly become an option for recent graduates of MFA programs to teach overseas, especially for those of us who were not awarded assistantships, teaching English 101 to college freshmen,  including  free tuition and stipends. I was lucky that my particular MFA program offered other opportunities for teaching experience (Writers in the Community was not only good experience, but a fulfilling way to spend time).  But nothing is as good as real college teaching experience, especially with the job market like it is. Even my peers with the right experience have had  trouble finding jobs. If you’re up for it, look into teaching overseas, particularly in South Korea. I know several people (MFA graduates and others) who have done this. They make a lot of money and the teaching experience is invaluable. Most companies will pay for your travel costs with a signed one-year contract.

For my own reasons, including my dog (you know they eat dog in Korea), I moved to Argentina, which is not quite as lucrative as far as teaching goes. The jobs don’t pay well, if you can find one. And if you do find one, make sure you have TEFL certification, or are willing to forge it, or lie (these are valid possibilities). Unlike teaching in Korea, you probably won’t save money teaching anywhere in Latin America, because the pay is never very good. Arriving at the beginning of the Southern Hemisphere’s summer (like me) should also be avoided if you plan on teaching. I probably could find a low-paying teaching job if I wanted to, if I tried really hard, so don’t be completely discouraged by all that I’m saying.  For me, it just isn’t worth it. My main focus has to be writing (or else, wtf am I even doing), and working too much for too little money in South America just can’t be the way, not for me. Initially, I planned on staying in Buenos Aires to teach for at least a year. Now, I’m not going to teach, and I’m not going to stay for a year. Instead, I’m staying for the summer, and I’ll be heading back stateside in March (where I can make a substantial-enough living as an experienced server and apply for all those fellowships etc that I was talking about above). Instead, I’m primarily in Buenos Aires to work on my poetry, to work on my manuscript, seriously writing every day. This is certainly not a bad place to land as a writer. Every day, I find myself with lots of new material, written into prose blocks, waiting to be shaped/developed/whatever into poems. It’s incredible, really, what throwing yourself into truly unfamiliar territory will do to your brain.  I’ve even found a group of American writers who meet each Thursday to for workshops. To supplement my savings (I do have to pay rent and eat and live occasionally), telecommute freelance writing jobs will do. There are some online opportunities for tutoring that I’ve looked into, as well. At least online jobs pay in US dollars. Argentinean pesos don’t go very far, except if you want to live off of bread and wine (well, it wouldn’t be that bad…).

It might also be worthwhile for graduates of MFA programs to consider PhD programs, in Creative Writing, or anything else for that matter (Literature, Comparative Literature, etc.).  Here is a pretty good list of PhD programs in Creative Writing (thanks again, Seth Abramson, whose blogging also assisted in my research of MFA programs, back in the day).  An MFA is a terminal degree, so going for the PhD isn’t necessary to teach at the college level. That said, if you have the desire and commitment to expand your knowledge base in a massive way, which is what a PhD requires, then this might be a good option. This often includes things like proficiency in two foreign languages, or mastery of one, like at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. From my limited research, it looks like many of the programs offer full funding, with teaching requirements (which I file under: Opportunity, or Experience).

Hope all this information helps. If you’re feeling discouraged, read Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett.

At the very least, keep writing. A wise grad school professor of mine always used to say, Don’t worry, just work. I think he’s right.

**post-script: I also found this wonderful list of opportunities for writers.