I am currently embarking on a self-directed MFA. If that’s a term you haven’t heard of, don’t worry — it’s kind of made up. I hadn’t heard of it either, until a friend gave me a copy of Before and After the Book Deal, where Courtney Maum answered a question that I’d been pondering: Should I […]
The Medusa On My Shoulder: How the Jellyfish Became the Symbol of My Memoir
Jellyfish have become an obsession for me. I’ve only ever been stung once—well, twice, sort of. The first was while swimming at night in a bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico, almost twenty years ago. The second (sort-of) sting happened this February, just about 24 hours before my appointment to get this tatooed on my shoulder: […]
How I Landed My First Publication in a Literary Magazine
A few days ago, I got some very exciting news. For the first time ever, my work was appearing in a literary magazine. My essay Museum is up now on the online journal Metapsychosis. You can read it right here. Did I squeal when I saw my name published on the homepage like this? Indeed […]
Self-Directed MFA: Itinerary for a Literary Tour of London
In December 2024, when I launched my self-directed MFA, I began with a trip to London. This wasn’t pure folly—I’d landed a new client in London for my freelance business, and I decided to go there to present it to them. This was an excellent idea, if I do say so myself. London is perhaps […]
My Self-Directed MFA Syllabus
In my first blog article, I wrote about how I decided to start a self-directed MFA, and how I went about planning the early stages. Now, I want to share my syllabus with you. Below are all the classes I’ve taken and books I’ve read so far. There’s lots of recommended reading on here for […]