curfew

I am so very sorry for your loss, and for how difficult and frustrating your job search has been. Let it be known that [at least] to myself and many others on here, as well as to so many other faces in the world, you have always been a credible writer. The path is very strange and brindled with mist. An MFA is, really, one of the externalities of writing, like prizes or all the other subjective cosmetic-pieces attached to the real beautiful thing, the practice of writing, a practice which is often lonely and weird to parse through and terrifying and bittersweet. My mentor at my undergrad shared a story once about wanting to win one of the annual prizes while at their MFA [one that is normally ranked near the tippy-top]. They changed their writing style almost completely, then won the prize, then felt empty. The undulating movement in a lot of MFAs is within the current of donors and plastic prestige. There are also wonderful parts about them, yes, which is why we apply, but getting into them or not getting into them does not give a writer any true barometer on his/her writing. You were a writer to me the second you started to write. As long as you just do the thing, you are always going to be a writer, one of the realest of them. I want to read your work at the soonest possible chance, because the empathy and luminosity you've shown to others throughout all of this is a greater measurement of you as an artist than anything related to this uneasy, shadowfaced process. Rooting for you forever.

Oh man, @Chex.Thank you so very much for these warm words!!! That's so thoughtful of you to say! I went into this with an idea of getting into fiction programs and the only one which accepted me was a poetry program! I think it is something like fate; we will see. The administration in that state is doing some pretty necrotic things to their universities right now, especially with regards to funding... but for now we do what we can and appreciate what we have. Rooting for the bestest of luck on your pending applications and life in general!!!! Likewise I am following your journey, lantern lit in the dark.

YES!!! Yes yes YES!! This is such sick news, congrats!!

You're always so kind ;; thank you so so MUCH!! Hoping the best of news for you with CSU's funding and Wyoming this week! This is the week:+) Also huge congrats @pearadox!!! And everyone who has received wonderful news in the last few weeks! I entered a hole for a while there but we're back

woah i got into Iowa for poetry badaboom badabing

Thank you so much!! And HELL YEAHHHHHHHH @everything bagel lover LETS GOOOOO!!!!:D!

Thank you lots!!

Thank you so much!! It’s all okay—we ball. I appreciate you for saying this:)

Did I really have to get rejected by Syracuse on my birthday. Like bro pls I know you can see my data liquified into your system just set like an alarm to do it the day after pls

HELL YES!!! CONGRATS!!:DD

Has anyone else's writing changed or supercharged itself amidst decision season? I used to be a rather modest writer, words-per-day wise, which I know is not the ultimate barometer of someone's writing ability, or industriousness, but since February started I've been writing almost nonstop, and have felt [ironically] freer than ever in my style. Naturally, the looming fear of what I'm writing being horseslop is still palpable, but I don't feel as stymied by it as I used to, even just thirty days ago. As well, I've been reading like mad. @DJ Lambchop, I've just finished War and the Iliad by Simone Weil & Rachel Bespaloff, and would heavily recommend if you're a fan of Homer and want to read essays on his epics. I also have dipped my toes in Katherine Mansfield's and Lu Hsun's stories, which are two fantastic writers of countries I'm embarrassingly unfamiliar with, when it comes to their literature. I think they're fantastic. Buckets of luck to everyone this week--

Reading 2666, bingeing Cake Boss w/ my partner, and trying my best [and failing my best] to stay off the forums and such for the weekend…

COMGRATULATIONS!!!! WAY 2 GO @everything bagel lover!!

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO!!! CONGRATS @AyvaM!!! Very thankful for YOU @zaira, always giving thoughtful two cents. Cornell is the most selective program of them all, right? based on applications versus seats -- aside from Michener, methinks. I'm not feeling too sad about it, we got a lot of game left!

Saw that, too. I've always heard it's just proper etiquette to waive your rights, because it shows trust in one's letter-writers, I guess? I waived mine but I can't imagine not waiving would be the ultimate decider on getting in and not getting in. My amateur guess is that a great writing sample gives insurance against everything else on the application, especially anything related to letters. I wouldn't worry too much:)