MFA APP REVIEW IS CLOSING UP SHOP <3
After five application seasons working with hundreds of truly rad writers, we at MFA App Review have decided to discontinue our services. We loved running this program for so many reasons.
We learned over and over again that our writing is tied to our actions in communities.
♥ We met hundreds of incredibly talented writers and got to connect with them outside of writing (and outside of literary twitter and publishing apparati)!
♥ We already believed that there was no way to isolate craft in creative writing, but this project required continual practice of that fact!
♥ It also gave us opportunities to ask for help. This allowed us to find out who else in our writer networks aligned with our more explicitly political work.
We got to spend time learning about, critiquing, and remimaging the ways creating writing is tied to institutions.
♥ As an independent collective with institutional access, we were able to put into practice our conversations about how to find/ take advantage of/ redistribute some of that hidden money.
♥ We turned down opportunities for project expansion when they felt tokenizing (or, like, attempts to weaken grad student union efforts), and felt great about it.
During challenging times in our lives, this project gifted us so many moments of joy, solidarity, and renewal.
♥ We loved hearing from the applicants about their acceptances—or what they’d decided to do instead. It was heart-racing to see folks’ work pop up in magazines and to have past applicants start their MFAs and then volunteer with us as readers. The familiarity that blossomed with this network of new writers was exciting x infinite.
♥ We learned that we could put a good idea into practice, to just do it and believe in ourselves.
We are now a few years removed from our own MFA programs, and running this thing is super labor-intensive. Looking back on the little ripples we made, we feel proud. Plus, now we all love each other???!!! A great side effect of always doing what we wanted and saying no to what felt blah!!
As we close up shop, we want to thank the readers who donated their time, the MFA applicants who trusted us with their work, the small team of MFA App Review Coordinators and collaborators that blossomed in our later years as we grew, and all the rest of y’all who hyped us up, spread the word, asked us tough questions, and encouraged us to keep doing what we were doing.
How the future looks, logistically:
We will no longer be matching applicants with readers, fundraising, or performing any of the other services we have done in the past.
We won’t be checking the official MFA App Review email or twitter accts.
This site will be live until our subscription runs out.
MFA applicants and readers: we invite you to comment on our closing twitter post + connect with one another directly there!
We encourage anyone who wants to use this model or provide a similar service to reach out with any Qs! Nothing would please us more than to see more funds and opportunities go to the writers we are waiting to read.
love + solidarity,
Red Samaniego, twitter: @notyrmomscandy / insta: @curveofjoy
Emi Noguchi, twitter: @emiafield / linktr.ee/emiafield
S. Yarberry, twitter: @syarberry1 / insta: @_syarberry_ / syarberry.com
*We had some behind-the-scenes help from Miranda, a cis, white woman. If you would like to learn more about her beautiful/challenging/joyful experience with MFA App Review, feel free to reach out to her at miranda.popkey@gmail.com.