**I just got this question from a reader and although I normally don't deal with MFA issues, I thought I'd post it because it's a common question that keeps popping up in my email box:
Q: Dear Mira,
Do you know of low-residency MFA programs (poetry) that offer financial aid in the form of grants, not simply loans? Or can you point me to a resource that lists these? I can't imagine there are very many such programs. I've done some searching, but "financial aid" usually seems to focus on loans, and I can't go into more debt, so I'm looking for some balance of loans and grants, if I am to pursue an MFA. I live in western MA, and something near here would be especially good, but a low cost, quality program is my priority.
A: That's a tough question, one I had to research for myself a few years back when I was applying for MFA programs in fiction. I opted out of the low-residency system because when I was looking, the programs I was interested in didn't offer funding at the time (although some might now...I'm not sure). However, the Warren Wilson program now offers some scholarship funding so others might too. You need to pick the places you are interested in and just see what they offer. Since you are in Western, MA, if it is possible for you to do a full MFA Program, you have one of the best in the country at Umass Amherst (where I went to) and they give funding via teaching fellowships, internships at literary journals, etc. For info on both low-residency and traditional MFA programs, the best site I have found is a blog: http://creative-writing-mfa-handbook.blogspot.com. There's a link regarding funding and many other helpful links. Sorry I don't know enough about this subject but if anyone else out there does, please comment below! And check out the creative-writing-mfa-handbook blog. It's excellent! And good luck!
Best Wishes, Mira
***BTW: (For those of you who do not know what a low-residency program is, it is an MFA program for working adults who cannot go to grad. school on a daily basis. You attend intensive workshops, lectures, and so on, for ten days twice a year for two to three years and send your manuscript you are working on (or images from your art portfolio) about every three weeks to your teacher/mentor for feedback. There are programs like this all over. A couple of the most famous ones are Warren Wilson in Asheville, North Carolina, and Bennington in Vermont. For more information on MFA Programs, here is a great blog I just came across: http://creative-writing-mfa-handbook.blogspot.com (and for specific low residency info: http://creative-writing-mfa-handbook.blogspot.com/2006/03/from-low-residency-queen.html).