APIA COMMENTARY
THE STUDENT OF COLOR IN THE TYPICAL MFA PROGRAM
EDITOR’S NOTE:
As a writer of color who went through an MFA program, I can attest to the shortcomings of the MFA, especially as it pertains to nurturing and supporting writers of color. An MFA program, like the workshop format, however imperfect, is the best working model we have for educating writers--so how do we make it better? How do we support and educate a new generation of diverse writers? I went to an MFA program known for its diversity and my discouraging experiences were very minor in the scope of things, and still David Mura's piece very much resonates with me. So when Mura wrote an essay addressing the MFA and Writers of Color and it made its rounds in my writing network, I forwarded it to our Editorial Board, who unanimously agreed that this was an important essay that needed to be read. We are grateful to David Mura for both writing the essay and granting us permission to reprint his piece here, for our readers. -- CLZ
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