To MFA or Not to MFA: Is It Worth the Investment?
A Peek Into My Writing Background In graduate school, I wrote erotic fiction on the side, drawing on my gay club experiences. This project distracted me from my dissertation, which examined journalistic, scientific, and legal texts about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Even...
Balancing a Part-Time Writing Program with a Full-Time Job
Four Tips for the Working Writer I joined AT&T after earning my MBA in marketing in 1983. I climbed the corporate ladder of marketing communications, while falling more in love with words and writing throughout the mid 1990s. By then, catalyzed by a bout of...
2025 Writing Retreats: Transform Your Writing in Inspiring Locations
During my twelve-week virtual cohort with PocketMFA, I had the luxury of sitting by my window during the months of spring. Every day, I curled myself into a comfy chair, sat my caffeinated beverage of choice beside me on my desk, and stared out onto a lake as the...
What to Expect from a Low-Residency MFA Writing Program
So you want an MFA, but you don’t want to go back to school? I get it. As a person with a lot of advanced degrees, the thought of enrolling in a traditional MFA program or even a hybrid writing program was not appealing to me. At all. I love writing. I have strong...
The Rise of Online Writing Programs: Why More Writers Are Going Digital
In real time, we’ve witnessed the decline of writing proficiency and mastery of the English language. The average cost of higher education has exponentially increased and pursuing an English or creative writing degree is highly discouraged due to its perceived lack of...
How Writing Programs Help Build Careers in Fiction: 7 Key Benefits
Being a writer requires an immense amount of faith—the kind that keeps you awake at night. We’re often expected to trust the process, to keep learning, and to keep writing, even without any immediate payback. And more often than not, the journey to success can feel...
The Top 8 Benefits of Attending a Writing Bootcamp
Interested in building upon your professional-level writing skills? Try a writing bootcamp. Writing bootcamps offer writers the chance to refine their craft in an immersive and intensive environment. These programs range from creative writing bootcamps to those...
Free vs. Paid Writing Courses: Which is Right for You?
Throughout my life, I’ve pursued endurance sports with a focus on the Olympic distance triathlon–the third leg of which is a 10k run. Other sports such as swimming and cycling are often seen as more strenuous and impressive than running. Everyone knows how to run,...
A letter from PocketMFA Director, Josh Roark
PocketMFA began in January 2023 with a dedicated group of seventeen writers determined to grow their professional careers through community and focused learning. Since then, hundreds of writers—both MFAs and non-MFAs—have participated in our twelve-week mentorship and...