New Mexico State University, Department of English

Reviewer's Name:

A. Martinez

Review Date

April 23, 2009

Year of Graduation:

2004

Review Title:

Getting the work done

Full Review of the Program:

There are lots of reasons to pursue an MFA in creative writing. If what matters to you, the applicant, is finding a supportive community of fellow writers, landing a solid teaching assistantship, and having time to write, then you can't do any better than NMSU.

Student in the program take themselves seriously as writers, yet the group is lots of fun and playfully gregarious. The faculty is top notch, accessible and genuinely interested in helping students push themselves to improve their writing.

This is a program that's focused on having students explore the craft of writing, rather than obsessing about potential book deals. And that's a great thing.

Extracurricular highlights include post-workshop pool night, monthly visiting-writer readings, the writers-in-the-schools program, the Fountain Theatre in Mesilla.

Writers considering NMSU's MFA program should visit the campus, meet current students, attend a reading, sit in on a workshop. It'll be the best way to get a glimpse of what this gem of a program has to offer.

Advice to Prospective Students:

Understand that living in a small town in Southern NM is great for lots of things, but because of its size people commonly get antsy about getting out to see other things.

There's excellent hiking and camping in mountains not too far away, and Tucson/Phoenix and Albuquerque/Santa Fe are a few hours away.