97 POETS & WRITERS^Other programs in North Carolina
Lenoir-Rhyne University in Asheville,
Queens University of Charlotte,
University of North Carolina in Wilmington,
University of North Carolina in Greensboro,
and Warren Wilson College in Asheville.A teaching assistantship is the most
common means of funding for students
in a full-residency MFA program. As
part of the deal, the university typically
grants a tuition waiver and pays a small
stipend. In exchange the graduate
student agrees to teach one or two
sections of an undergraduate course,
usually Freshman Composition.
These include the Facebook groups
MFA Draft ’20 and POC MFA Draft
Discussion Groupspecial section MFA PROGRAMSThrea Almontaser
2019 MFA in Poetry
North Carolina State University in RaleighTo how many programs did you apply? I only applied to North Carolina State Uni-
versity. I did my research on the writers who were in the program and how the
work I was doing would be perceived there and then structured my application
and manuscript around that information. What criteria were most impor tant to you
during the application process? The most important was funding. Thankfully, NC
State is fully funded with a livable stipend. My main concern was not being able to
focus in the two years I was carving out of my life to consistently write and build
something out of that writing. I didn’t want financial instability to factor into my
limited MFA time and space. Why did you choose the program you attended? I chose
the program first and foremost for its funding, then for its writers. The wonderful
Dorianne Laux and her husband, Joseph H. Millar, are part of the program, as well as
a recent spectacular addition, Eduardo C. Corral, who really put NC State at the top
of my list. It also didn’t hurt that I lived only half an hour away. Did your experience
of the program exceed, match, or fall short of your expectations? The program put a
heavy emphasis on teaching us how to teach our first year before placing us in the
cl a s sr o om in our s e c ond year a s ins t r uc t or s — a s p ar t of t he t e a c h in g a s s i s t a n t s h ip
requirements. Though I was grateful for the intensive first-year writing prep we
were given, I would have liked poetry itself and the craft of writing to have been
more heavily stressed in our class schedules. How would you describe the com-
munity of the program? Almost everyone was very sweet and open to new voices.
Though there were a few outliers—remember, this is a program in the South, so
writers of color should keep that in mind when applying—I think overall the experi-
ence in workshop and beyond had my best interest at heart. It wasn’t a competitive,
cutthroat atmosphere at all. What was the most unexpected aspect of your time
in an MFA program? A class I took my senior year with Dorianne Laux called Sex
and Death. It focused on exactly that. We even took a field trip to a graveyard and
spoke to an undertaker, whose stories made for the best writing material. What was
the greatest benefit of attending your MFA program? Meeting a new community of
writers, which I’m always trying to build. And having a completed thesis that can
kick-start my manuscript in paths I never knew it could take. I also cherished one-
on-one meetings with my advisers and mentors during which I learned more about
who my work is for, what I want it to do, and so on. What was the most significant
shortcoming of your MFA program? I would have liked the program to have more
diversity in the faculty and students. There was only me and one other writer of
color in poetry, and it would have been nice to have more voices from other walks
of life. Did you learn more from your professors, your peers, or others? I learned
the most from my professors. Everything that came out of Dorianne’s, Joe’s, and
Eduardo’s mouths sounded like gospel, and we poets were constantly scribbling
the thoughts they projected onto us. If you had to do it all over again, would you
do anything differently? I would have taken the summers to not simply hole up
and write like a madwoman, but explore more territory outside and explore the
uncomfortable. Any advice for writers who are applying to MFA programs? Do your
research. Join MFA groups online, and don’t be afraid to ask about past experi-
ences. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you feel your work is being erased or ignored.
And start a Sex and Death class while you’re there.Established in 2005, the two-year MFA
program at NC State offers degrees
in poetry and fiction. It provides full
funding in the form of a graduate
teaching assistantship to all eligible
admitted applicants. Incoming class
size: 12 or 13. Application deadline:
February 1, 2020. Application fee: $75.
Core faculty includes poets
Eduardo C. Corral, Dorianne Laux, and
Joseph H. Miller and fiction writers
Wilton Barnhardt and Belle Boggs.
go.ncsu.edu/creativewriting