Shannon Turlington

Things I Can Say About MFA Writing Programs Now That I No Longer Teach in One – Books – The Stranger by James Yamasaki.

Well, this was a controversial essay, to say the least. He divides aspiring writers into three groups:

I had a handful of students whose work changed my life. The vast majority of my students were hardworking, thoughtful people devoted to improving their craft despite having nothing interesting to express and no interesting way to express it. My hope for them was that they would become better readers. And then there were students whose work was so awful that it literally put me to sleep.

Tough truths, but after spending several months now reading and reviewing “indie books” (and having yet to run across the “real deal”), I tend to agree.