From Gabriela Pereira's page on Twitter, I linked to the
article "3 Myths About theMFA in Creative Writing" by Jane Friedman. A must read for those thinking
about an MFA in Creative Writing.
I value education but resent the push into MFAs or PhDs as
the Holy Grail for publishing or winning contests and by most writing media. Ok, so I wouldn't want a surgeon to operate on me without a Medical degree but
have books become notable only if written by those with a degree? I have read amazing books and taken
fabulous courses from teachers without an MFA or Ph.D. and some awful by those
with degrees.
Although I wanted a degree in Parapsychology, Anthropology
or History almost all my college was job advancement motivated. Dyslexia and
that English is not my first language exacerbated my insecurity.
So, why do I write?
It’s a passion. Stories, poems, and screenplays come to me, not just in
dreams but also to live in me. I write regardless of whether I publish or not.
I have published some poetry and articles and wrote for Examiner.com as
Sacramento Populist, and CBS-Sacramento Arts&Entertainment.
