Welcome to Write or Die’s MFAs & more newsletter, a monthly column about career advancement in the literary space. Everything published here is free to enjoy, courtesy of our partnered universities. (Not interested? Turn off emails from this column here.)
Two realities of academic life are: you may not get into your first choice of school, and even your first-choice school may not be in a place you would choose to live.
All MFA programs have something to offer: every university gives you access to resources, faculty, and fellow writers. But still—as great as it is to be accepted into a program, even one with full funding—not all college towns are created equal. It’s understandable to wonder what it will be like to live in a particular culture, political environment, and climate.
We get this a lot with Tuscaloosa, especially from those who have never lived in, much less even visited the South. Most of us here have a story of telling a friend or family member that we’re moving to Alabama and getting a look that says: Alabama?
The place your program is located—the region, the state, the city—will influence your quality of life for a few years, but in a bloom-where-you’re-planted kind of way; making the most of anywhere you are is not only a good life skill, but one that leans on qualities that make one a good writer: attention, openness, and perseverance to name a few.
Much of what happens to us can’t be planned or predicted, but students who come here open to what happens, willing to explore and get involved, have an experience that shapes them in ways they could never have foreseen.
Jeremy Mauser is a third-year MFA student from Pennsylvania, and the last thing he imagined when he arrived in Tuscaloosa was that by his final year he’d be working as hard on his stand-up comedy as he is the novel he’s writing for his thesis.
While long a fan of stand-up, what started out as an impromptu lark at a local brewery’s open mic—thanks to the encouragement of a graduating student—turned into a regular gig hosting a different monthly stand-up event. He’s gotten so involved in the scene that he recently did an opening set for touring comedian Dan Alten and has fully embraced the challenge of developing his craft in this new art form. “I think it was my best performance yet as a comic, and it was made even more special by having so much support from the MFA,” Jeremy said.
While writing for comedy has improved his fiction, it’s also simply made life more fun and interesting. “Someone told me when I first got here that the students who get the most out of the MFA experience are the ones who become part of a second local community,” Jeremy said. “I came here for the academic program but I’m thrilled to have become so engaged with everything that Tuscaloosa has to offer.”
Jo Snow, originally from North Carolina, is in their fourth year of their MFA, and while they were admitted in poetry, their focus has been primarily creative nonfiction writing and book arts. Jo served as Program Assistant for the MFA last year, but has connected with the wider community teaching for the UA Young Writers Camp the last two summers.
The Young Writers Camp is a two-week-long day camp staffed and operated by MFA students each June, a long-running staple of the program benefiting kids and counselors alike.
“Summers in Tuscaloosa are tough,” Jo said. “Young Writer’s Camp has been the highlight and has made each summer I’ve spent in Tuscaloosa worth it.”
Because the camp lessons and activities change each year with the staff, MFA students can put their own unique stamp on what they offer. In addition to teaching a memorable ekphrastic poetry exercise, Jo has taught book-making and screenprinting skills, and last year led the entire camp in designing and printing the official camp T-shirt.
The experience has meant everything to Jo, and been an unexpected highlight of their time here. “Youth development makes my heart swell real big, and makes my mouth talk real fast. I can’t get enough of it. I can’t stop telling everyone how important it is. For bright adolescent and adult lives, it is imperative for children not only to feel free to express themselves but to be encouraged, too! That is at the core of our camp.”
So no, maybe it doesn’t much matter where you get your MFA—it’s always going to be on you to do the work, after all. But—the particular place where you get your MFA will, if you play it right, make all the difference in the world to you.
Founded in 1974, the University of Alabama MFA in Creative Writing is among the oldest writing programs in the country, known as a welcoming landing-place for developing artists with a rigorous yet flexible curriculum that fosters cross-genre experimentation. Their award-winning faculty work closely with students at all levels, culminating in an individual thesis project. Home to the prestigious literary magazine Black Warrior Review, the MFA also provides students with the opportunity to engage with a Visiting Writers Series, receive conference and research funding, and explore diverse teaching opportunities including through the Alabama Prison + Arts Fellowship.
