Oh, mis amores. It’s been a loooong time since I’ve done substack. Obvs I’m terrible at maintaining a relationship. Or rather, I’m into polyamory and my primary relationship these days is with myself.
I’m laughing. A little. But it’s true. I’ve been incredibly committed to my work. By that I mean the writing but also - who knew! - to students I’m now teaching. This semester has been more challenging because I am heavy lifting a thesis but also teaching really diverse students that are at all levels of writing experience and all levels of comfort in sharing their work. Sometimes I contain all of that in my one body, you know?
I’m in the MFA program and, when I first entered I was asked one of two questions: Do you need the MFA? or So, you gonna teach? And the answer at the time was a NO. But, I’m a lady and I get to change my mind. It’s my prerogative.
Now, two years into it, I would say if you consider the MFA (or any formal graduate study) an opportunity for focused study then YES you need it. But add it to your life when it best fits. I meet students who are completing their BA and rush into the MFA. If you feel you can, go for it. Who am I to say otherwise? But, why not get out in the poetry world a bit? Hit some open mics and make poet best friends and write a couple of manuscripts and get a bunch of rejections from journals (and in the process get some acceptances). Mess up. Fuck around. Flirt. Discover what you are passionate about. Have a falling out. Scream into the sky during International Women’s Day or a march on Washington. Do what you can to develop a new version of yourself.
About teaching? Yes, I caught the bug. I didn’t expect to. Believe me. My heart is cold. But all the students, regardless of their age, remind me of my own kid. They are so much smarter and with their complicated lives but STILL trying to do school so they can have even more life. My heart has turned into tissue paper. I learn as much as they do. And, hopefully I leave them questioning their own relationship with writing in ways that feed their future work.
Every few years there’s an article about the value of an MFA. I wish discussions would come up around whether a JD was necessary. Just for kicks. This recent article, “Against the MFA Contrarians”, gets closer than most. For me, the MFA let me talk through the dynamics of poetry, considering everything from its structures and its histories to the dominant voices coming up now. I could do this study on my own. I did for many years. But committed time? Rarely. The MFA let me make an intriguing and valuable part of the country my own residency. And I’ve gained relationships and support from folks who, despite being incredibly busy are also incredibly generous with their consejos and time.
The MFA also feeds my incredible desire to keep learning. That in and of itself is enough. We forget that. I’ve heard plenty who say they are “lifelong learners” with a shamed face. We should all be lifelong learners, whether through formal education options or on our own. The dichotomy of early discussions that pitted non-MFA degreed writers and MFA degreed writers has dissipated, thankfully.
And I’m lucky to be at UTRGV because I believe they have some of the wildness of early MFA programs, where writing was centered and only the sonnet maintained rules. Yes, our classes discuss publication and the still terrible publishing industry. We discuss career options. We discuss pedagogies. But we also talk about the borderlands and honoring the people and the land from here whose voices we lift up and join. And we make room for each other. We teach each other. When one succeeds we all succeed.
I love a space that lets us learn. That asks us what we want to learn and gives us room. Too many spaces (and teachers) now try to dictate our needs and then wonder why we aren’t invested. We get to write our own destiny!
There is still a proliferation of MFA programs. I know. Maybe we don’t need so many. Or maybe we need to ask ourselves why we aren’t making more room for creative spirits in all kinds of spaces, whether open mics or court rooms or on the streets.
Keep writing - con mucho mucho amor.
jo
p.s. You may have heard there’s a new book coming out. the matchstick litanies is my second full collection, this time centered on my upbringing. Pre-sales are open now and the book will be released November 1, 2023. Pick up a copy! And check out my website for upcoming readings in San Antonio and Austin.