The Trailer Park MFA
Where Writing Is Free for All
Depicting Abuse in Fiction
This week I read an essay by Christopher Noël titled “Keeping Open the Wounds of Possibility: The Marvelous, the Uncanny, and the Fantastic in Fiction.” It was an approachable, hands-on review of ideas from the Russian Formalists (especially defamiliarization) and Wolfgang Iser (especially the reader and author co-creating the text). But I liked it most…
Book Picks: The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois
**Triggering Content (child abuse) Longlisted for the 2021 National Book Award (yes, people, I’m still catching up on early pandemic booklists), Honorée Fanonne Jeffers’ novel The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois has given us an immensely rich novel, one that hooked me with the depth and drama of a Black family spanning…
Submission Spotlight: Gulf Coast
You’ve got until September, so dust off that piece that’s seen too many rejections and get to work. In three months, give it another go and consider Gulf Coast. Founded in 1986, this is the literary journal of the University of Houston’s creative writing program. Phillip Lopate and Donald Barthelme founded the journal, which has…
Because making art is a human endeavor, not a privilege of the rich.
We believe you have a story to tell. And we believe your bank account shouldn’t get in the way of that.
Traditional MFA programs have come a long way toward opening their doors to marginalized creatives. But until they address the classism and ableism baked into traditional writing instruction, too many of us remain locked out.
So we’re building a movement, powered by you. This MFA isn’t a “real” MFA. You won’t get credits or a diploma. What you will get are syllabi, exercises, and encouragement. Starting here in the trailer park, let’s open the doors wide.
The Trailer Park MFA 