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A novelist based in rural Maine shares how she creates community—by reading her literary ancestors, engaging with living writers all over the state, and hosting an online writers studio—all while dispensing with the archetype of the lonely writer.
Despite decades of explosive growth, factors including financial pressure and low admissions have left many MFA programs with no choice but to close. Faculty and administrators reflect on the fallout for their communities.
“Just tell the truth.” —Kiran Bath, author of Instructions for Banno
“It seems like a necessary step to figure out how to emerge from mess to order.” —Ayşegül Savaş, author of The Anthropologists
“I have found writing to be like channeling.” —Elizabeth Scanlon, author of Whosoever Whole
“If one poem broke your heart, my next poem should uplift you.” —Tara M. Stringfellow, author of Magic Enuff
“I had to focus on readers who were moved by the same things I was.” —Ananda Lima, author of Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil
From her home just outside of Fairbanks proper, a poet subverts mainstream Alaskan imagery to conjure the reality of her writing life, which includes a local waste transfer site, muddy shoulder seasons, and slow internet.
“Every book I read I annotate, trying to figure out the logic of the story.” —Morgan Talty, Fire Exit
“I consider notetaking to be an integral form of the writing process.” —Dorothy Chan, author of Return of the Chinese Femme
