The September/October issue of Poets & Writers includes a Writer’s How-To Guide with brief and insightful essays on “How To Pick an MFA Program” and “How to Write the Personal Essay for MFA Applications,” and in this one-hour live session, I will offer more in-depth information, as well as encouraging, proven, and realistic advice on the following:

• Selecting the best programs for you and your writing

• Creating a dynamic, unique, and personable Statement of Purpose

• Selecting your Writing Sample (including various page numbers for different programs)

• Choosing a set of references to offer a comprehensive view of you as a student and writer (and instructor, if applicable)

• Crafting a cohesive application package and tailoring it for each MFA program

followed by a Q&A and information for potential one-on-one mentorship.

We’ll have fun in this ninety minute Zoom seminar looking at ways to describe the self and others in nonfiction with examples from essays, memoirs, and films, followed by three sample exercises and sharing (if you choose) of your own amazing portraits.

How to begin? Join me on the first Saturday of each month. I’ll start us off by showcasing a recurring pattern or two in opening lines with examples from classical to contemporary essays—followed by a fun forum, inviting YOU to share a favorite opening line by a writer you admire so that we may celebrate How To Begin as we start each month.

What’s the difference between the person writing and the persona created on the page? How might a photograph of us be different from the way we present ourselves in that moment? In this hour-long virtual seminar, we’ll do a few writing exercises, and we’ll look at how some writers have described their idea of persona (and their struggles in writing one!), and we’ll end with your creating various personae for potential essays you want to explore so that you will leave our session inspired to revise a current draft or begin a new essay draft with attention toward the persona the essay needs.