Frequently Asked Questions
MIU MFA in Creative Writing

Below some frequently asked questions and answers that may help you make decisions re. the MFA in Creative Writing at MIU if you are thinking of enrolling. Our next enrollment deadline can be found on the MIU home page here.

• What is the teaching philosophy of this MFA in Creative Writing?
  This MFA is unusual in several ways. We teach creative writing from a basis of creative process and consciousness. We prioritize the writer and creativity over the creative product, encouraging students to make mistakes, try again, write “shitty first drafts,” as Anne Lamott calls it, and experiment and invent freely, breaking boundaries. We believe that unguarded creativity leads to creative discovery. We help students explore the “leaping mind” (Bly) and the “wilderness of their creative imagination” (Roy). That is where you will find your most interesting, deep, intuitive material and your authentic creative voice as an author. You can read more about how we use consciousness as a spring board for creative expression below.
  
  

• How does meditation feature in this program?
  Another thing that sets our program apart is that we use meditation and self-care as tools to access the creative imagination. At the start of our program, you learn the Transcendental Meditation technique, which settles your mind and body as you experience the dynamic silence of your own consciousness. From this deep connection with yourself, creativity flows like a river. Writing becomes play. It’s easier to problem-solve, leap to surprising, fresh associations, stay in the flow, and adopt a sustainable, intuitive, healthy writing routine. Accessing the most profound layers of yourself fuels your creative process.
  

• How long is the program?
  Our MFA is a minimally 2-year (4 semester) program, though most students extend into a fifth semester. It does include a final capstone residency that students can attend in the capacity of special graduates to offer their final reading. Extensions are possible beyond the first thesis mentorship semester; we offer an Extended Thesis Mentorship for students who need additional time. Students graduating with a dual genre emphasis often also take a fifth or sixth semester to have time to immerse in their second genre of choice. We understand that it takes time to write a book, so we offer the professional guidance of a mentor as long as you need it to make a serious push toward a book-length manuscript of publishable quality. The minimum required course credit count for this MFA 48 credits. You can find all of our classes here. Catalogue descriptions and graduation requirements are listed toward the bottom of the page.
  
  

• What is the time-commitment for this program?
  Our MFA is considered a part-time program. The weekly time-commitment includes time for meditation and is set at roughly 14 - 20 hours, depending how speedily and thoroughly you read and work. The best routine in this program would be to devote a few hours each day to your writing practice, your assignments, and your reading, which can be done asynchronously. That will add up to enough hours to complete all your work in time. You can also focus on your courses chiefly in evening and/or weekend hours. Note that if you are a slow reader, you may need to set aside more time to complete your assignments. You are required to attend synchronous class sessions for each class once a week, which usually comes to two, or sometimes or three, times a week. Each class session lasts about 1.5 hours. These class sessions are offered via Zoom and are scheduled so it works for the entire cohort and the faculty.
  
  

• How is the semester set up?
  The semester starts with an online residency. You can find out about the residency below under question 8. The residency offers a good dose of inspiration and immersion in craft and creativity with readings, panels, and master classes conducted by well-established authors who share their knowledge and work with you. This provides nourishment and a push for the semester. There is more information about our next residency’s dates at the bottom of this page. In each semester of our program, you will typically take a residency, a mentorship (which is composed of two separate courses that work together, see below), and 2 additional 8-week online courses. If you are new to TM or MIU you will take a third 8-week online course to help orient yourself re. your practice and our university.
  
  The residency exposes you to a lot of writers and ideas. The mentorship semester allows you to dive deep into your craft and begin writing your book. The other online courses have a different function. In the first year, they are designed to spark your creative imagination and help you understand your own creative process and metacognitive abilities. In the second year, they focus on pragmatic skillsets you will need to be a working writer in the world. You can opt to take courses such as Writing Pedagogy, The Writer Online, The Writer in the World, an Outreach, or a Publishing Practicum. By the end of the program, you will have a thesis - a good push toward a book-length manuscript of publishable quality - and all the skills required to make it as a working writer in the world.

• Is learning synchronous or asynchronous? What is the balance between class time and online assignments?
  Learning is mostly asynchronous via our university platform, Canvas. The only synchronous part of our program is the residency, though you can attend some of the events asynchronously if your schedule prohibits you from attending live (live attendance is highly recommended so you get to meet the authors and participate in the discussions!). There is more on the residency schedule below. In addition, each of our courses has a once-a-week online class session that runs for about 1.5 - 2 hours via Zoom, so you will have a total of 2 or 3 of these a week throughout the semester. These sessions are mandatory; if you have to miss, you discuss with your instructor. The time and dates for these sessions are set with agreement between everyone enrolled in a certain class, plus with the faculty, so that the class time is workable for everyone in terms of scheduling, time-zones, etc. As a general rule, it is good to keep evenings open for online classes, though classes are not always held in the evenings. Since many of our students have day jobs, sometimes daytime meetings are not an option for them, so evenings easily become the default. We also have students in many time zones, so that is another scheduling factor. Our consciousness-based education orientation courses are usually scheduled on Mondays. Regular online classes are scheduled on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Mentorship classes are scheduled on Thursdays, Fridays, or in the weekends. We make exceptions to this set up only when everyone’s schedules allow.
  
  Online class reading and writing assignments in Canvas can be completed at your own time. There are places for assignment uploads for feedback and discussion boards where you can interact with your peers and continue class discussions. Courses are laid out in weekly modules where you can find all you need to complete that week’s tasks. Every part of each class is related back to the whole of each class and also to the program’s learning outcomes. Every assignments is also connected to yourself, your experience, your creative process, and your own consciousness.
  
  

• What online platforms does MIU use?
  MIU uses Zoom for online classes, including residency sessions, and CANVAS for online study and assignments. Ahead of your first class, the university will enroll you in a CANVAS orientation which will explain our online course system to you. You may want to set up a Zoom account with your MIU email address once you are enrolled as a student. Please install Zoom on your desktop so you have easy access; online log-ins can get glitchy otherwise. Our residency is held online via Zoom. We use Vimeo for your asynchronous residency events.
  
  

• When is the next residency and how does it work?
  Our Fall ‘24 semester starts with a residency from Mon. Aug. 19 - Sun. Sept. 15, 2024. The intensive part of the residency runs from Mon. Aug. 19 - Sunday, Sept. 1, but the residency extends till Sept. 15 for the completion of assignments so you have a bit more time. On Sept. 2, so mid-way your month-long residency period, the regular semester also starts with a mentorship and usually two, sometimes three, other classes during the semester. You will have to schedule your time well between Sept. 2 - 15, for you will begin your regular semester activities while you can also complete the discussion boards and videos you may have missed during the residency, plus you’ll have time to complete a very short reflective paper for your residency. In the residency, you will get multiple orientations re. our program and your courses and assignments. Most are scheduled in the weekends and asynchronous. In-person follow ups can be offered as needed. We have a lot of small-group check-ins during the residency so there will be ample time to ask questions and connect to your faculty.
  
  In your residency, you will be introduced to our teaching philosophy, to social issues and dilemmas in the literary arts, and to workshops alternatives to the traditional workshop model in the creative writing classroom, among other things. You will meet your faculty and mentors and your classmates, plus some alumni. In our program we offer alternatives to the traditional workshop, and we “unsilence the traditional workshop,” to empower each student to feel safe and have their own voice (you can learn more about this below). You will also receive a deep immersion in inspiration, craft, creativity, and words that will serve as inspiration for your entire semester.
  
  The residency is held online via Zoom and is accessible asynchronously as well as synchronously to accommodate people who cannot take off from work every day. You do not need to travel to Iowa to attend but can sit in on events from the comfort of your own living room. Students are required to attend about twenty-one events total and receive an additional two weeks to complete their assignments and view missed sessions via Vimeo. The residency is intensive in the first two weeks, including on weekends, requiring you to take off from work as much as you can because we have day-time classes (see schedule below). However, the second two weeks are a grace period without additional sessions, excepting a Q&A session with faculty on Saturday, Sept. 7, and a modeling the alternative workshop with our faculty Rustin Larson on that same day.
  
  You can view all residency sessions asynchronously, but it is highly recommended to try to be there in person so you can meet the writers and ask questions and engage in discussion. You are not required to be there every day, and you can make up sessions if you cannot attend live. We have set up the schedule as flexibly as possible to accommodate those with full-time jobs and/or other family or work commitments so it will be possible for everyone to join.
  
  RESIDENCY SCHEDULE (you can pick/choose which sessions to attend, though some are mandatory):
  Morning sessions: 10 AM - 12 noon CT (one event per morning)
  Afternoon sessions: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM CT or 2:30 - 4:30 PM CT (once in a while multiple events per afternoon)
  Evening sessions: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM CT (one event per evening, events may end earlier)
  

• How do the mentorships work?
  The mentorships are the heart of our MFA. Every mentorship has only up to 6 students and includes lots of intimate time in a small cohort and one-on-one time with your mentor. You take two mentorship courses simultaneously: an Advanced Creative Writing Workshop in your genre of emphasis, and the co-requisite Advanced Process Mentorship in that same genre, both taught by the same mentor. The creative writing workshop gives you time to generate creative work and engage in deep revision; you will participate in workshops and receive peer as well as mentor feedback while you work toward your thesis, a book-length manuscript of publishable quality. The process part of your mentorship is for reading and craft analysis and involves reading a bibliography, writing personal response essays and craft analysis essays. Reading is a vital part of writing. As Virginia Woolf said, “Read a thousand books and your words will flow like a river.” In our program, reading is an integral part of your writing process, but always in service to your creative process. In the first half of the semester, you will have focus on craft elements, then you proceed to workshops to get feedback on your work. Emotional safe space comes first. Your mentorships allow you time to explore your inner creative process and immerse in craft in-depth under guidance of a well-established professional. You will engage in four packet exchanges with your mentor per semester, and you will also write self-evaluation essays about your process. You have the option to merge two of your four packets and you can also at times substitute self-care assignments for academic assignments, because we believe that a healthy writing routine starts with knowing how to work with yourself creatively in a positive manner.
  
  

• Alternatives to the Traditional Workshop Model.
  In our MFA, we “unsilence the workshop,” which means that we adopt alternative methods to the traditional workshop to empower minority and silenced voices to speak and not feel silenced. We will onboard you with these alternatives to the traditional workshop. We empower each student to choose their own preferred method for each workshop, which may change through the program. We never want a student to feel silenced in a workshop but instead we want students to emerge from their workshops feeling reinvigorated and empowered yet creatively challenged.
  
  

• Narrative Evaluation and Self-Evaluation: Portfolio Based Assessment.
  In MIU’s MFA in Creative Writing, we use a portfolio-based assessment system and narrative evaluation rather than letter grades. You can find out more about this system and the rational behind it here.
  
  

• I don’t yet practice TM. How do I start?
  For those of you who do not yet practice TM, your admissions counselor or our faculty Sasha Kamini Parmasad will reach out to you after your acceptance to help you connect to TM-teachers in your area who can help you learn TM either ahead of the residency, during the residency, or at the start of the semester, whatever works out time-wise. This instruction is free if you are becoming an MIU student. Sasha will be your liaison throughout the semester for all things relating to your TM practice. Sasha is also our poetry mentor this semester. She is from Trinidad and has an MFA from Columbia university. She published a book of poetry called No Poem with Yuganta Press.

• What is the MFA’s Fall ‘24 Schedule?
  Below is our full Fall '24 CW MFA Schedule. Your advisor, program director Nynke Passi, will help you with your schedule if you have questions or concerns. Some courses are mandatory in the first year, some in the second. Students can take the MFA at a slower pace, though this will affect financial aid. A full load is a 12 credit semester. CW 506 and CW 509 are university requirement courses for students new to MIU and consciousness-based education; these courses can be waived by alumni or those who have studied at MIU before.
  
  FALL '24 RESIDENCY:

  Residencies 1 - 5 (CW 501, 502, 503, 504, 505): Aug. 19 - Sept 15, with the intensive portion of the residency between Aug. 19 - Sept. 1. Faculty: Nynke Passi and Eileen Espinoza.

  
  FALL ‘24 MENTORSHIPS:

  CW & LIT 560 Poetry Mentorships taught by Eileen Espinoza. From Sept. 2 - Dec. 31, 2024.
  CW & LIT 561 Fiction Mentorships taught by Eric Boyd. From Sept. 2 - Dec. 31, 2024.
  CW & LIT 562 Creative Nonfiction Mentorships taught by Sasha Parmasad. From Sept. 2 - Dec. 31, 2024.
  CW & LIT 593 Thesis Mentorships (see above; thesis students join regular mentorships in their genre of emphasis). From Sept. 2 - Dec. 31, 2024.
  CW & LIT 593 Extended Thesis Mentorships (see above; extended thesis students join regular mentorships in their genre of emphasis). From Sept. 2 - Dec. 31, 2024.
  
  FALL ‘24 REGULAR ONLINE COURSES:

  CW 510 The Writer and the Self taught by Nynke Passi. From Sept. 2 - Oct. 27, 2024 (8 week course).
  CW 511 Literature and the Self taught by Nynke Passi From Oct. 28 - Dec. 21, 2024 (8 week course).
  CW 544 The Writer Online taught by Eileen Espinoza. From Sept. 2 - Oct. 27, 2024 (8 week course).
  CW 546 Research in Creative Writing taught by Eileen Espinoza. From Sept. 2 - Dec. 31, 2024 (8 or 16 week course, taught every week or in alternate weeks spread out over the semester). This course is an independent study substituting for Writing Outreach, Publishing Practicum, The Writer Online (CW 544), or for research projects or thesis support.
  CW 541 Writing Pedagogy taught by Clint Martin. From Oct. 28 - Dec. 21, 2024 (8 week course).
  CW 506 TM, the Writer, and Creativity 1 taught by Sasha Parmasad. From Sept. 2 - Dec. 31, 2024 (8 week course, taught in alternate weeks spread out over the semester).

  Thesis Boards (for graduating students only).
  

• What are the next residency’s events and who will be the guests?

  Our next festival is coming up and you can view the public event list here: FALL 2024 RESIDENCY. The dates will be from Aug. 19 - Sept. 1 and you will have two additional weeks, into the semester, from Sept. 2 - 15, to complete your work. You can attend events synchronously or asynchronously, since they will be recorded and stored in our Vimeo library.