2026 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

[SocialKonstruct]

20 minutes ago, Sumire11 said:

A different school. I shouldn’t share any more though, I feel like

@gafoo I'm sorry if even this went a bit far. 

Niceee

You having any issues with fasting during this time. I'm doing my best, but man, I'm so anxious and depleted that I actually thought I was having a heart attack this Saturday. 

It is hard being a Muslim and a writer here in LA. Ramadan is going well. Allah has blessed me to edit my fifteen year novel project which is going very steadily. Unfortunately I had to deal with ridicule and disdain as a Sufist both in art school and at my workplace. I won’t ever forget a tourist who told me that I was a fake Muslim guy because I subscribed to Sufism which is marginalized heavily. Also I combine my practices with Zen Buddhism.

Writing for me has been this endless process of self-decolonization.

Edited February 23 by SocialKonstruct

[Sumire11]

9 minutes ago, whitneyyyy said:

Because of what the Chinese government has done, I feel a deep hatred toward it. This is also one of the main reasons why I want to remain in the US. I genuinely believe that freedom of speech in the US is much stronger than in China. In China, when you publish literary works, you inevitably have to avoid discussing politics. Nothing negative is allowed at all. Even topics such as sexual orientation must be handled with caution. In 2018, the BL author Tianyi was sentenced to ten years in prison. She is about to be released, but more than fifty other authors have recently been arrested. This is the current state of Chinese literature. And given the level of corruption in the Chinese government, I believe that there are not a small number of people who get published through nepotism and connections.

Returning to the discussion about the MFA, I still believe that in countries with relatively free speech, whether one succeeds in publishing depends on whether the story is genuinely good and whether people are willing to buy it. I am a genre fiction writer, so applying for an MFA is becoming less and less necessary for me.

 

Having worked in corporate, unfortunately, who you know plays a deep role almost anywhere. Think of it like this, you have 500 potential candidates. If you know even 10 of them, bias on a subconscious level would obviously seep in, especially since trying to objectively measure 500 candidates is a daunting task, especially on a corporate deadline. More overtly, if someone is recommended from a trusted source, there will always be a favorable impression working for them contingent upon them further encouraging such an impression. 

 

Yes, in the corporate world of publishing, these things matter - especially given the tight constraints that come with a 'corporate' work culture. It doesn’t mean that people don't have talent, but in a sea of talent, people making decisions -- either consciously or subconsciously -- look for guidance as well (in fact, corporations in general recommend referrals, so I wouldn't be surprised if the publishing industry follows a similar suite).

 

It is what it is, really.

[impatientjoy]

8 minutes ago, gafoo said:

Also—it seems like Chris is personally emailing, so I think we can definitely expect it's an in-progress slow rollout. 

Congrats!! An email from him is a dream!!

Did you get the impression from the email itself? It still seems like only CNF acceptances have gone out! 

[gafoo]

3 minutes ago, impatientjoy said:

Congrats!! An email from him is a dream!!

Did you get the impression from the email itself? It still seems like only CNF acceptances have gone out! 

It's hard to know for certain! His email said "I am writing to inform you that we will soon be offering you acceptance into the MFA program." To me, this reads as him saying they're starting to reach out in-advance of decisions going out, but that this was not an official "all acceptances are being sent out right now" type of email. Totally just a vibe though. Also, since this was from the head of the CNF faculty, I imagine it's a totally different process/timeline for each genre! 

[SocialKonstruct]

16 minutes ago, Sumire11 said:

A different school. I shouldn’t share any more though, I feel like

@gafoo I'm sorry if even this went a bit far. 

Niceee

You having any issues with fasting during this time. I'm doing my best, but man, I'm so anxious and depleted that I actually thought I was having a heart attack this Saturday. 

For health reasons I can’t fast in fact. It conflicts with my ADHD and bipolar selves. However prayers have immense and full of divine openings.

[Sumire11]

11 minutes ago, SocialKonstruct said:

It is hard being a Muslim and a writer here in LA. Ramadan is going well. Allah has blessed me to edit my fifteen year novel project which is going very steadily. Unfortunately I had to deal with ridicule and disdain as a Sufism both in art school and at my workplace. I won’t ever forget a tourist who told me that I was a fake Muslim guy because I subscribed to Sufism which is marginalized heavily. Also I combine my practices with Zen Buddhism.

Writing for me has been this endless process of self-decolonization.

I'm sorry for what you had to go through. I think I have a disdain for 'correct' muslims (unless I am proven wrong) because of how hateful and power-hungry they are (something rampant in Bangladesh). Sufism is super cool; sufism and zen buddhism are some of the things I want to dive deeper into for my novel. I'm glad that you are editing your piece; I really hope something good comes out of it. 

 

19 minutes ago, Ogwick said:

Ok entertain me because this is a game I like to play (I’ve traveled a lot).  Where are you…

South Asia - Muslim country or heavy population - highly educated, fluent English, heavy American media consumption to highlight Tom and Jerry cartoon that I even had to pause to remember and I watched TV non-stop as a kid in the Midwest…

 

My first guess was Jakarta - but the Tom and Jerry ref makes me say Singapore. 
 

How did I do!?

I’ll post a Dropbox link here you can copy and paste to Download it. 
 

This final output is a 80’s Rock Opera Libretto (opera lyrics without the music score) 

Closer than you think given that I have a future project in mind taking place in either Indonesia or the Philippines or even Bangkok (which means singapore might just play a big role). 

Not sure about the highly educated part, I barely avoided expulsion when I was put on a CGPA related probation, but honestly, with everything going on, I'll take it. 

I'm from Bangladesh lmao. 

 

Also, dropbox works. How'd you want my feedback?

Edited February 23 by Sumire11

[Ogwick]

20 minutes ago, gafoo said:

Thank you so so much @XXY and @Sumire11! (And @Ogwick it was U of Montana, not Iowa, lol). This is sorta my dream school lol so I'm reeling a bit. Still need to find out whether I got sufficient funding/TAship, which he said we would discuss in a phone call this week. But I'm taking a second to just be happy about the win regardless. 

Also—it seems like Chris is personally emailing, so I think we can definitely expect it's an in-progress slow rollout. 

Omg you are going to MISSOULA!!? I am so so jealous / but realize I would never sit inside a classroom there!

I’m an avid fly fishing fanatic - I have fished all over there and the feeder streams of eastern Idaho. 
 

Truly one of the most beautiful and remote places on earth. Before you go, take one fly fishing lesson there.  PLEASE!!  You won’t regret it. 
 

Pro tip - take a weekend winter no tourist time trip to nearby Cour d’Alene Idaho…

 

remember - the number of assholes in the USA increases dramatically the farther you travel out of Missoula, Montana 

Edited February 23 by Ogwick

[Ogwick]

11 minutes ago, Sumire11 said:

I'm sorry for what you had to go through. I think I have a disdain for 'correct' muslims (unless I am proven wrong) because of how hateful and power-hungry they are (something rampant in Bangladesh). Sufism is super cool; sufism and zen buddhism are some of the things I want to dive deeper into for my novel. I'm glad that you are editing your piece; I really hope something good comes out of it. 

 

Closer than you think given that I have a future project in mind taking place in either Indonesia or the Philippines or even Bangkok (which means singapore might just play a big role). 

Not sure about the highly educated part, I barely avoided expulsion when I was put on a CGPA related probation, but honestly, with everything going on, I'll take it. 

I'm from Bangladesh lmao. 

 

Also, dropbox works. How'd you want my feedback?

I’ll have my name and copyright info on the final work - and anyway my email address I’m using is on the university website I teach at (adjunct MBA in Entrepreneurship - not English!) so I can post it here too.  
 

my cell phone and university email exist on a public webpage so my spam and unknown calling filtering (usually set at NSA security levels) has been a real pain waiting for an unknown phone number… 

 

Bangladesh is NOT close!  Yes to my fellow fat Germans in the Midwest it’s “close” but not to my standards.   

[Sumire11]

1 minute ago, Ogwick said:

I’ll have my name and copyright info on the final work - and anyway my email address I’m using is on the university website I teach at (adjunct MBA in Entrepreneurship - not English!) so I can post it here too.  
 

my cell phone and university email exist on a public webpage so my spam and unknown calling filtering (usually set at NSA security levels) has been a real pain waiting for an unknown phone number… 

 

Bangladesh is NOT close!  Yes to my fellow fat Germans in the Midwest it’s “close” but not to my standards.   

If you can include your email, I can get in touch there. Sounds good?

[Ogwick]

8 minutes ago, Sumire11 said:

If you can include your email, I can get in touch there. Sounds good?

Sure!  If anyone wants a copy of my Iowa Thesis to see what you’re not supposed to do, I’d be happy to email it to you (as well as my final Libretto I’m finishing).

I think I nailed the formatting part at least - for next years batch it might be helpful to see what one persons “output” was for the Fall 2026 batch (it was 86 pages but lots of white spaces).

if a miracle does happen and I get into Iowa off a waitlist etc, I won’t email it out until I know I won’t be expelled for it!  

But either way feel free to email here and continue the conversation:

https://www.xavier.edu/management-program/faculty/todd-wichmann

Edited February 23 by Ogwick

[hermione granger]

syracuse baby don’t be shy you know my number… any day now…

[precociousreader]

i appreciate the programs i've interviewed with saying they're not going to torture me "too much" with how long they make take to reach back out again but man...something about that makes it worse because now i'm playing a fun game called "how much is too much?" three days? a week? two? someone put me out of my misery...

[greenleaf]

whatever sauce miffy in the draft is cooking with, i need a taste... 

[womanonline]

I’m going to throw up, there’s already an Iowa NWP acceptance and waitlist, both emails from Febos. One says accepted less than 4%. Does this mean they’ve all been sent out? It’s so early, I wasn’t expecting this 

[cocoice98]

28 minutes ago, womanonline said:

I’m going to throw up, there’s already an Iowa NWP acceptance and waitlist, both emails from Febos. One says accepted less than 4%. Does this mean they’ve all been sent out? It’s so early, I wasn’t expecting this 

Based on previous years that does appear to be the case. Definitely crushing. On the bright side, it looks like historically they send rejections the day after acceptances/waitlists.

[bucket]

28 minutes ago, womanonline said:

I’m going to throw up, there’s already an Iowa NWP acceptance and waitlist, both emails from Febos. One says accepted less than 4%. Does this mean they’ve all been sent out? It’s so early, I wasn’t expecting this 

i’m so stressed i thought we had a couple of weeks before we’d hear😭😭 i feel like they probably sent them all out?? as there is also a waitlist on draft. going to try not to give up yet but crying and throwing up are imminent 

[bucket]

seeing notre dame prose interviews right before iowa NWP acceptances and waitlists like PLEASE let me breathe for one second before that second gut punch i’m already on the ground :”””(

[writerinthedarkk]

 

Why is it that at most schools, fiction acceptances go out before poetry? I feel like it should be reversed — isn't poetry the less popular genre and would therefore have less applications? And aren't the manuscripts (at least theoretically) quicker to read? Most schools say send 10-12 poems as opposed to 25+ pages of fiction. Sorry if this is a dumb question haha

[dontwanttodothis]

31 minutes ago, writerinthedarkk said:

 

Why is it that at most schools, fiction acceptances go out before poetry? I feel like it should be reversed — isn't poetry the less popular genre and would therefore have less applications? And aren't the manuscripts (at least theoretically) quicker to read? Most schools say send 10-12 poems as opposed to 25+ pages of fiction. Sorry if this is a dumb question haha

My pet theory is that it's more common for fiction "readers" to exist in MFA programs, as if they were lit mags. Like, some current students/adjuncts/admin give fiction subs a first pass and weed out tons of unserious apps right away, before sending whatever percentage of finalists upstream to the profs.

For poetry I think it's not uncommon for the poetry faculty to read every app themselves. No idea why this is, but I've seen comments to this effect.

Also, it's harder to dismiss a poetry packet as quickly as a fiction work. If a fiction writer doesn't have talent it'll be evident in a couple paragraphs, or 1-2 pages at most. (And they're only submitting one or two pieces of art.) Poetry is more fickle; you can absolutely have a bunch of clunky swings-and-misses in a row, then suddenly two perfect poems, then crap again, all wildly different within the same app, etc. 

[marsmentality]

maybe iowa will still make calls tomorrow… right guys….. hello…..

[Sumire11]

5 hours ago, marsmentality said:

maybe iowa will still make calls tomorrow… right guys….. hello…..

There were three more calls yesterday, and the Iowa gc thread has been reopened. 

I hope we're not done. 

[Ogwick]

6 hours ago, marsmentality said:

maybe iowa will still make calls tomorrow… right guys….. hello…..

I think the calls will wrap up Tuesday (today) at Iowa and definitely by the end of the week.  But that is just my hunch!

Edited February 24 by Ogwick

[Theodosia]

8 hours ago, marsmentality said:

maybe iowa will still make calls tomorrow… right guys….. hello…..

According to my super low-key, non-obsessive research, Iowa generally finishes making calls by the end of today and snail mail rejections have been received between February 8th-11th for the past three years. So, assuming we don't get a call today, we'll have approximately two weeks of limbo before the official letter arrives. 

Edited February 24 by Theodosia

[womanonline]

4 minutes ago, Theodosia said:

According to my super low-key, non-obsessive research, Iowa generally finishes making calls by the end of today and snail mail rejections have been received between February 8th-11th for the past three years. So, assuming we don't get a call today, we'll have approximately two weeks of limbo before the official letter arrives. 

Does Iowa NWP do snail mail or email rejections?

[Ogwick]

2 minutes ago, Theodosia said:

According to my super low-key, non-obsessive research, Iowa generally finishes making calls by the end of today and snail mail rejections have been received between February 8th-11th for the past three years. So, assuming we don't get a call today, we'll have approximately two weeks of limbo before the official letter arrives. 

I think this is correct - with maybe one waitlist change before March, but if you’re not on an waitlist this week I would think it’s a hard “no” in the mail coming. 
 

While we torture ourselves on the Last Day - question to this group from a liberal arts newbie. 
 

Does anyone say “No” to Iowa —for fiction specifically?! Would someone pick another (assume fully funded fiction) program closer to home, or different school like JHU or NU to be in bigger cities, etc?

Any record of someone getting multiple offers and declining Iowa Fiction in reality over the years?