A formal MFA is one way to study your craft, but there are many other ways to sharpen and hone your writing skills. The Self-Directed MFA is one of the other ways.

The Self-Directed MFA is a year-long framework for structuring your own study of writing. It’s a reading-intensive, rigorous schedule made up of craft studies, annotations (closely examining essays, poems, novels, etc.), critical writing, and creative writing. Each month you’ll prepare a packet of writing that you can share with a writing mentor, or simply set aside to make way for new work.

The culmination of the Self-Directed MFA is a manuscript made up of a selection of the creative work you’ve completed throughout the year.

Built around a quarterly schedule, the Self-Directed MFA framework is an outline. You can fill in this outline according to your own desires, needs, and interests.

The Self-Directed MFA is a course of study that you direct yourself. It does not result in a credential, diploma, or degree. It is simply a way for you to apprentice yourself to your craft.