Hello DIY MFA peeps!  Are you enjoying commencement week so far?  I hope you liked the guest posts because I know I sure did.

Today I wanted to take care of some DIY MFA orders of business.  First, the exciting news.  Some of you may have noticed the bright blue button in the sidebar already, but our online DIY MFA community is now up and running.  So come join, share your DIY MFA experiences and connect with other writers.  Most importantly, have fun!

Second, for our last big DIY MFA celebration I’ll be hosting a Weekend Blog Party right here on this blog.  The idea is for everyone to have a chance to promote their own blogs and find lots of new blogs to follow (not to mention, gain some new followers too!)  I got this idea from Karen G’s fabulous blog Coming Down the Mountain.  She hosted a Labor Day BBQ, and I participated.  It was loads of fun and I got a ton of new followers and found several great blogs to follow as well!

• Blog Party starts Friday!
• Be a follower here at iggi&gabi.
• Leave a comment on Friday’s post, sharing your blog info and telling us a little about what you blog about.  Also tell us what iggi-licious yummies you plan to bring to the party!
• Invite some friends.
• Visit at least 3 new blogs over the weekend and leave comments.  Follow those blogs if you like.
• I’ll check the comments throughout the weekend, visit as many blogs as I can and follow them if I’m not already.

Finally, the contest.  As you all may recall, those DIY MFA participants who registered at iggi U were automatically enrolled in a contest.

Prize: a free critique by yours truly on up to 25 pages of your work (double-spaced, 12pt font).

This morning I picked the winner using the oh-so-scientific method of writing names on paper and pulling one from a hat.  And the winner is…

*drumroll*

*fumbles with envelope*

*opens envelope*

Bess, please email your piece as a .doc file and I’ll send you your critique by the end of October.  Congratulations Bess; can’t wait to read your piece.

And thank you to all of you who helped make the DIY MFA extrabloganza so much fun.  You guys rock!