Take a break from wracking your brain about whether or not to get an MFA and go read Rumpus Pal Alexander Chee’s essay “What Getting an MFA In Fiction Meant To Me” at BuzzFeed. Chee beautifully narrates the inner debate he had with himself for many years over the decision to pursue an MFA. It’s a unique story and one that’s ignited with a lot of zeal that didn’t necessarily have to do with his passion for writing.
Going to Iowa was one of the best things I ever did for my writing life. I went because I got in, and because I was afraid. I feared losing the love I lost anyway, and I feared oblivion, because the writers and artists I knew and admired were being ignored by the culture or were dying. I still fear those things, and I’m still here.