Ydrl

Despite how much I complained about Maryland’s SOP process, I really think my SOP was better than the ones I sent to Minnesota and Texas...uh oh. Also, I wish Minnesota would let me upload a double spaced version of my diversity essay. But if I worry constantly about things that won’t change, my fibromyalgia will kick in and make my everyday pain worse.

I’m hoping to get two more apps out this month, but I’m really tired of SOPs. As I said before, I hate when they get very specific. I still haven’t finished one for V Tech, I’ve made an outline so I remember everything, but have been stalling for days.

I was wondering when you were going to say hi! Welcome to the thread! How’s application season going so far?

...I’m glad he’s gone. After I remembered April again I felt horrible, then he started saying stuff about death being around the corner. I lost my ability to function for awhile. I’m not gonna give details about the flashbacks, but just know that I was sure I would be murdered if I resisted. Please, please, let’s keep things peaceful and be good to each other...

Oh dear, did you see every time I drowned in my own anxiety last year? I’m still low-key embarrassed about that... What matters is that you can keep going if you fall short of what you wanted. It took me a couple months after my final rejection to realize that this is what I want the most.

I’ve seen some desperate people, including an ex-friend who faked having cancer for attention. This guy’s freaking me out. He implied that he’s over 30 while he attacks me (24) for giving advice to other people. His response to me saying that I almost died in April is to tell me that if I die before 30 years old then that’s the only reason I should go for an MFA now.

I nearly died in April, I’m very aware of my “one shot per life”.

Welcome! Thanks for joining our thread! What kind of poetry do you typically like? I’ll give you a few names to look up, and if you find that you really like one of them I could recommend some more like that. I’m still exploring the world of poetry myself, but one of my goals is to bring knowledge to others (whatever that means for me in the future): Edward Hirsch Luljeta Lleshanaku Federico García Lorca Rosanna Warren Kaveh Akbar If none of them really speak to you, that’s okay too. There’s a lot of excellent poets out there, and you’ll find some that never fail to enrapture you (Warren and Lorca for me). The Poetry Foundation’s website is super helpful for looking things up and learning about new poets, poems, and poetic techniques.

Just you wait, the fiction people will flood into the thread soon. There’s way more fiction people in general. And I love Portland, so much. Oregon is super pretty, while my hometown is pretty too, Oregon captured my heart.

Oh dear. Looks like we’ve got some unfortunate things in common.

Exchanging our favorite poems is the exact thing I didn’t know I needed until now! And I feel you on the family bit...I’m so glad I moved out. There’s a world of difference in working on applications without my mother criticizing every decision I make, especially when it comes to church (I’m not a Christian anymore). It also really speaks volumes that I haven’t had any flashbacks despite the triggers still being there. And I’m from Pennsylvania.

Boston is cool, but a 1 year program has gotta be hella stressful. And may we all have multiple options this year.

If I had to pick a single poem that demonstrates how sharp Ms. Warren’s imagery is, it would be “Mediterranean”. It’s up on poetry foundation’s website if you want to give it a quick read. I’m glad your sample didn’t require much tweaking. Knowing that you don’t have to fix anything major must feel great. And the theme of southern gothic is really interesting from what I’ve seen, but I’m not well acquainted with it. The only way I can explain the theme of my writing sample is by calling it: Eclectic Love.

That reminds me of my high school writing schedule. Wake up, 2am to 4am writing fiction, go back to bed for an hour, then get ready for my day. My mother used to yell at me for it, but those were some of the best days. I didn’t keep the habit or my fiction writing, because trying to squeeze a poem out of me every day is gonna break me. Anywhere from 10pm to 5am is my window of creating. It’s not like I can be easily distracted by sleeping friends, or walking in the middle of the night by myself. I totally get why you like it.

That’s pretty much the same thing I did. I made a spreadsheet of everything I needed to know, except the teaching load...We’ll see if that comes back to haunt me later. U Maryland is one of the top three in my mind. Just finished and paid my application around 12AM this morning. I’m curious, do you have a preference for a two or three year program? I went for mostly three year programs because I need the extra time, readership, and support to get where I want to go.

I’m glad your former professor found your style to be serious and coherent without adding unnecessary humor. As I said earlier, your writing is enough without all the bells and whistles. Also right now is a great time for the voracious reader. I moved (to a neighboring suburb) despite all of this, and the one thing I knew I had to bring with me was seven different books so I could prepare for the worst if my state goes into a lockdown.

That’s awesome. I attempted to have ten to twelve applications this round and I’m glad to at least have finalized my list with eight schools as opposed to six haha... And I’m glad your recommenders are organized and punctual. There’s one recommender of mine who waited until Nov. 29 to submit everything at once.

Absolutely, that’s a key part of a productive writing workshop. It’s not about competition (for me at least), it’s about becoming the best writer you can be with the support of other people who also want to get better themselves. Sorry if that was too much to ask. And finding time to read and write must have been really hard when running a business and taking care of a child. I applaud you for balancing those responsibilities, you’re amazing!

Question for everybody: how old are you? There was a thread for this last year but not this one I think. Nobody needs to answer, but I’m interested in getting to know all of you. We’re in this together, so we may as well take a break from freaking out to talk to support each other. I’m 24 for reference.

Welcome to the thread! And wow! You got those schools sorted out immediately, that’s awesome. And the wait is maddening, especially when you send everything out early. Is this your first year/round of applications? I’m a rather impatient person, so I’m probably gonna freak myself out. But at least we can be anxious as a group.

Nice to meet you! And congrats on your degree. Did you power through all those apps already? That’s incredible, I wish I’d done that back in October/November instead of sitting here in December hunched over my laptop like a goblin.

That apology wasn’t even directed at the right person... I wonder if he knows why he’s supposed to apologize. The fact that he tried to blame a lack of experience on GradCafe instead of saying that he made a mistake is appalling. @pattycat thank you for sticking up for me. If you hadn’t called him out, he would just continue treating me like I don’t have feelings. Apparently, I’m spouting nonsense about Rosanna Warren’s poetry while he simultaneously claims that poets have it easy. I really enjoy the overwhelming majority of y’all, because you’re so supportive, which is what this thread is about and exactly why, for now, I’ll stay to support everyone who needs it.

I’m not a man. If you don’t respect my pronouns of she/they, please never talk to me or tag me in anything ever again. It’s been on my profile since last year’s application season without anyone misgendering me. Almost all of you have been super welcoming despite me being genderfluid, thank you for being so kind to me.

@FairleyAlfy I should clarify about the last sentence I wrote. I would turn to your recommenders for this kind of dilemma. Typically the first draft of a poem is pretty rocky, and time isn’t slowing down. I’ve been working on one poem for months now, but based on my professor’s reactions and notes, it’s still not ready yet. I hope you can contact at least one of your recommenders and ask them ask for advice. In the meantime, I’d like to recommend a poetry book that was powerfully sad without being interrupted by fluctuating happiness to give the readers a break. Ghost in a Red Hat by Rosanna Warren (Robert Penn Warren’s daughter) has an eerie tranquility to it and no one would say that her poetry needs more humor or that she needs to lighten up. The book has a theme of death and dying. However, when a few teachers and I went to dinner with her, she was really excited about the town my college was in. Just because someone’s writing might be depressing, it doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way, or that it defines them as a person. Don’t sugar coat yourself to make your work more palatable to the masses. Do whatever comes naturally to you.

I don’t remember reacting to this, if I have, then sorry haha. I feel you on this though, sometimes I think that I made something awesome, only for a poem to be dissected by one of my recommenders who I keep in close contact with. Sometimes, I struggle with the question: Is this thing that I’ve made even a poem? And when I write some really out there stuff, my recommenders welcome the stranger parts of my writing as authentic. I wouldn’t try adding humor (especially this late in the game), your manuscript might become less cohesive because these new ideas don’t fit with the rest of them.