Hello everyone!

Hope you all had a great week.  I started teaching my second class this week and it’s been crazy fun!  The kids in my Brooklyn class are awesome and the Manhattan class is so great, when I get to the end I always feel like we’d just started.  It feels a like the time just disappears.

But enough about me.  Can you believe September’s done?  I still can’t believe it.  DIY MFA just flew by and mostly that’s thanks to you all because you made it just so easy and fun.  I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who’s participated in DIY MFA this past month.  Whether it was by reading the posts, commenting, re-tweeting posts, or sharing your DIY MFA experiences on your own blogs, you guys have helped make this project a success!  And you make iggi and me smile inside and out.

Never fear, DIY MFA isn’t going away.  We’re having a week-long celebration this coming week and after that, it’s back to DIY MFA, only on a modified, less intense schedule.  For more details about Commencement Week, check out Thursday’s post.  Also, don’t forget to sign up for the Blogfest and share your DIY MFA experiences with everyone!

Recap of this Week in DIY MFA:

Saturday: Keeping a Journal
I’ve kept a notebook/journal since I was a kid and I’ve always found it was an important part of my writing life.  Here are some of my thoughts about keeping a journal.

Sunday: Writing Out
Going out for a writing date can be so much fun and so productive.  Here are some tips on the etiquette of writing out as well as a list of my favorite spots in NYC.  Check out the comments for other suggestions for great writing spots. 

Monday:  Writing a “Big Paper”
Writing a larger paper on a body of literature is central to the Love of Literature section of DIY MFA.  In this post, we kick-start a blog series about how to put together a study of multiple books and what to do with the paper (or paper outline) once you’ve put it together.

Tuesday: DIY MFA Community
Now that DIY MFA is coming to a close, iggi and I are making big plans for a DIY MFA online community to serve as a companion to this blog.  Comment on this post with your suggestions and ideas.  Also, if you’d like to help out, send me an email: iggingabi[at]gmail[dot]com

Wednesday:  Guest Post: “For All the Haters” by Elizabeth Dunn-Ruiz
Elizabeth writes about why people are often afraid of poetry and why it’s important to make sure the “container is the right size for your content.”  This is a fabulous guest post about the beauty of poetry and why it’s an indispensable part of a writer’s repertoire.

Thursday:  Let’s Get this Party Started
This wrap-up post concludes the September portion of DIY MFA.  But fear not, there is still much DIY MFA to come and iggi and I aren’t going anywhere.  So come join us in our celebration of DIY MFA with our Commencement week-long party.  And get ready for more DIY MFA to come.


Thank you all for making DIY MFA so much fun.  You rock! 


p.s.  I totally forgot to mention this earlier so I’m adding it in now.  Check out my ode to Banned Books Week over at Verbal Pyrotechnics.  Have a great weekend everybody!