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LATMFA Part Two: Finding Your Literary Community

In Part One, we proposed some writerly goals to consider as we carve out a path for writing post-MFA.
You’ll recall that the second goal we set for you in our last installment was to get connected. In this issue, we explore the importance of finding a literary community to support your work and well-being. Whether you love or hate the idea of meeting and sharing your work with new people, the writers featured here each make a wonderful case for surrounding yourself with voices of encouragement and accountability, and offer advice for finding or building your community:

Feeling inspired? Remember to check out some of the resources we suggested in the last issue to find your community:

That’s all for our second installment. This time, we'll leave you with the incredibly pertinent advice of former AWP Board Member Susan Jackson Rodgers, director of the MFA program at Oregon State University and author of the novel This Must Be the Place and the story collections The Trouble with You Is and Ex-Boyfriend on Aisle 6:

Set specific goals for your writing. Mark them on a calendar and review your goals and deadlines regularly—once a week is ideal. And try to stay connected to at least one person from your program. Be a part of a writing group (or pair), whether online or face-to-face. Writing groups can be the traditional “read-and-critique” groups, or they can be “accountability” groups—people you check in with regularly about your work, your deadlines, your challenges, and successes. And when the well runs dry, read. Read, read, read. Books will always be your best teachers and source of inspiration. Reread the books that make you want to write, then write.

Happy writing!

Your AWP Membership Team