That Thing You Do in Maine

For the past couple of years, I've been on the faculty of a low-residency MFA program in Maine called Stonecoast. The concept of a "low-residency" MFA has proven to be baffling to several of my family members and friends, who tend to refer to it as "that thing you do in Maine."

Actually, the whole concept of the low-res MFA is pretty straightforward and makes a good deal of sense given the solitary nature of the act of writing. Twice a year, students and faculty converge on the low-res program's headquarters (which for some reason often tends to be in New England). For about ten days, they engage in a mad dash of workshops, seminars, lectures, and readings. Then for six months, they return to their respective corners of the country and work on their own. This is done in conjunction with a "mentor" who once a month monitors their progress via the "packet," a compilation of that month's creative and expository output.

The low-res approach has its distinct advantages. First of all, a grad student is probably more likely to develop a close relationship with his or her faculty at a low-res program. Second, the costs of a low-res program tend to be less than in a traditional program (which for some reason is never referred to as a "high residency program"). Third, the sense of competition among students, which sometimes characterizes traditional programs with its weekly writing workshops, has less opportunity to develop in low-res programs. Finally, a low-residency option is a great vehicle for students who don't want to give up their day jobs to devote themselves exclusively to their graduate studies. (And given the current publishing climate, holding on to a day job sounds like a pretty smart idea.)

The downsides? In a traditional program, you may feel less connected to the faculty, but you may also develop a stronger bond with your fellow students. Also, if you go to a traditional program based in New York City, for example, you may have a greater opportunity to make connections and network with editors, agents, and writers. And then of course there is that sort of glazed look of misunderstanding when you try to explain the idea of a "low-residency" MFA to the uninitiated. To those who aren't in the know, the idea of the low-res MFA may sound like getting a degree from the Sears Roebuck catalog in days of yore.

As a teacher who dabbles in leading traditional workshops as well as mentoring, I find that students of each program are highly curious about their counterparts and what they're missing out on by choosing one route or the other. (Though I think that in reality, either approach is effective as long as your program has a strong faculty and you as the student are motivated to make the most of your experience by taking an active role in your education.) Which leads me to wonder, could it be that in the future, a hybrid low-residency-traditional MFA program that features the best of both worlds will somehow emerge?

Stay tuned...