I remember seeing an ad for the UT-El Paso Online MFA in Poets & Writers magazine back in 2011 (or maybe early 2012). Even before I knew much about the program, I was excited by the prospect of being able to pursue an MFA online, without having to leave Austin. (Heck, I didn’t even want to go for an MFA yet, and I was still intrigued.)
Yes, UT-Austin has not one, but two excellent MFA programs (one at the Michener Center, and one through the English Department), plus we’re adjacent to Texas State in San Marcos. But I never had a gut feeling that these programs were right for me. They’ve produced a lot of great work and have wonderful faculty, including some of my favorite poets. But I still never quite got the sense that these were programs that were right for me.
I kept re-visiting the UTEP Online MFA description every 4 or 5 months over the next couple of years. There was always a reason to talk myself out of it. I wasn’t ready, I wasn’t sure I wanted an MFA, I didn’t know how I was going to pay for it, I was getting divorced, and on and on. I kept finding reasons not to apply.
But toward the end of 2014, things began to feel settled. I also felt I was in a place with my writing where I was ready for the challenges an MFA could bring. It was the next logical step in my career path. So I applied.
The funny thing about the process was, I dreaded writing the statement of purpose. I still remember how much I struggled to write one in 2005 when I was applying to graduate school the first time around. But as it turns out, this time it wasn’t so bad. Maybe because I have a stronger sense of purpose at 31 than I did at 21.
So I applied, and I waited, and waited… and I found out last week that I got in! I’ve already received a course description list, and have an advising call tomorrow! The program starts in August, and I can’t wait. I look forward to meeting my other five new classmates when we convene in our digital space this fall.
Image via theeverygirl.com
As a product loaded with gendered norms, makeup can cause a lot of unnecessary grief. Women who don’t wear it get criticized. Women who wear too much get criticized. The internet is full of tutorials for how to wear makeup without looking like wearing any. Some women reject makeup, and others feel like they need it.
And if you’re a man who wants to wear makeup, you might encounter your own set of criticisms. Rock stars can get away with it. But an average guy can’t necessarily just wear some eyeliner and blush because he likes it without facing criticism (and that’s putting it mildly).
Think about our cultural standards surrounding makeup, and then consider your own associations with it. Do you like it? Hate it? See it as wasteful and unnecessary? Want to try it but don’t want to face people’s judgement? Do you yourself judge people for their makeup habits?
Use this reflection as the jumping-off point for a piece of writing. It can be personal, political, or both.
Pinterest Fail is a site where you can see photos of Pinterest tutorials gone horribly awry. Browse through the site to see all the ways in which the projects can go horribly wrong. Then find a Pinterest tutorial that looks fairly complex. Write an alternate version of the tutorial describing how to fail at whatever it is the tutorial is telling you to do.
Spend an entire day (or if you’re brave, an entire week) writing in a style or genre outside of your usual. Try romance if you write literary fiction. Try writing only sonnets if you’re normally a free-verse poet. See what develops when you’re in unfamiliar territory.