MFA App Review is now closed. Read our full statement here <3
GENERAL FAQs
Who are we?
We're a group of MFA students and alums offering informal review of MFA application writing samples (fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction) and personal statements. We do this because we want to directly support the writers whose work we need to see, read, and be in conversation with as we make our own work.
Many of the institutions we interface with through this project—including the universities and colleges and departments that often house MFA programs—are inherently racist, and specifically anti-Black. The MFA App Review does not work for any institution—we only hope to redistribute the wealth and resources that institutions harbor, conceal, and hide through impenetrable processes, arbitrary rules, fees, “grants,” “fellowships,” and other miscellaneous institutional nonsense.
This project was initiated by Red Samaniego and Emi Noguchi and is currently run by Red Samaniego, S. Yarberry, and Emi Noguchi.
How much does this cost?
It's free!
What's the best way to contact you?
Our email address is: mfaappreview@gmail.com. It may take us a few days to get back in touch, but we do like to hear from you!
How Can I Get Involved?
You can get involved as an applicant (someone who is currently applying to an MFA program and wants their application reviewed) OR as a reader (someone who's willing to review an MFA application manuscript and personal statement). You can also help us out by sharing info about this project with your friends and colleagues (we’re @MfaApp on twitter) or by applying to be a match-maker (check out the Coordinator tab).
APPLICANT FAQS
Who can apply?
See the Apply tab for details.
What if I'm not applying to a fully-funded mfa program?
Part of our goal is to help underrepresented writers get access to funding that historically has been and continues to be largely unavailable to us. We hope you'll consider applying to a fully-funded program; you can find a list of those programs here. We do encourage you—in the wake of many universities’ COVID-19 inspired austerity—to double check funding info with each program or its current students.
What are your deadlines?
For the 2021-2022 application year cycle, you will need to send us your work by October 13. This deadline is firm.
What if I'm only applying to low residency programs?
We are focusing our energy on getting folks into full-time, fully-funded programs at this time, but we are also not asking for receipts.
what should an applicant expect from a reader?
Applicants should keep in mind that readers are not necessarily professional reviewers, do not have connections to program selection committees, and are not reading for copy-editing or formatting issues. Expect your reader to be another set of eyes on your sample and to offer their perspective on the writing as someone who has been through an MFA program and/or who is an experienced writer. Please don’t expect them to provide you edits beyond your scheduled phone chat (though some readers will offer this, which is great for you and probably means they just especially connected with your work or your writerly project/vision/drive).
READER FAQs
Who can be a reader?
A reader can be any writer who is Black, Indigenous/Aboriginal, POC, Queer, trans or gender-expansive. We ask that our readers either be in or have graduated from an MFA program OR have some other specific qualification that they feel makes them a good source of support for our applicants. If you don’t have an MFA, we will make sure to pair you with someone for whom that is not an important quality in a reader (some applicants really want feedback from a writer who’s attended a specific MFA program).
wait, so cis white queer people can be readers but not applicants?
Yes, we accept cis white queer writers as readers with us! We don’t accept cis white queer writers as applicants because they are not underrepresented in writing MFA programs.
Many writers seek us out to give them feedback because they want to connect with a writer that shares a specific identity with them, and we’re all about it. Other writers are looking to use MFA App Review because they don’t know any writers who can give feedback on their apps, or because they want feedback from a fellow slam poet or fellow novelist and they don’t particularly care about the background or life experience of their reviewer! Our decisions about who gets to be a reader come from a place of trying to address the various needs/wants of our applicants.
If you’re a cis white straight friend who wants to help … put your money where your mouth is. The funds help keep MFA App Review chugging along by going towards printing costs, postage, and application fees for Black and Indigenous writers. You can read more about this, as well as our commitment to reparations and land back, here.
A note to cis white straight friends from cis white straight friends: pls don't make this about u. Using your platform of privilege to signal boost MFA App Review: yes! Using this donation as a way to prove your good ally bona fides or as an excuse not to engage in other anti-racist (specifically anti anti-Black racist) work: pls no. Send us cash and then get back to doing your own work towards Black liberation. Let us learn and hold each other to account as we work to be better.
what Do applicants expect from me as a reader?
Applicants will know that you are not necessarily a professional reviewer, do not have connections to program selection committees, and are not reading for copy-editing or formatting issues. Applicants expect you to be another set of eyes on a sample and to offer your perspective on the writing as someone who has been through an MFA program and/or is an experienced writer. Your applicant is likely stressed about their application timeline—please do your best to be prompt in your correspondence and candid about your own availability and deadlines.
What is the expected turnaround time?
Once a reader has been paired with an applicant, we expect the reader to be able to review the manuscript and contact the writer within 1-2 weeks. We know that timelines vary based on the needs of the reader and the applicant and we do our best to match up availability as best as is possible.
What are some examples of good feedback?
We ask our reviewers to be encouraging and honest: to highlight what they love about a piece as well as offer a critique of elements that can be improved. Don’t be afraid to give concrete examples. Past applicants have expressed excitement at getting to connect specifically with a reader who shares an important aspect of their identity, experience, or aesthetic interest, and it’s not uncommon for an applicant to let us know that this is the first ever time that they’re sharing their work with anyone at all.