Rowena Alegria

2018 MFA in Fiction Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe

Established in 2013, the two-year lowresidency MFA program at IAIA offers degrees in poetry, fiction, and creative

nonfiction. It provides scholarships from the Truman Capote Trust and the Beverly and Michael Morris Foundation and also a scholarship that provides full funding to one enrolled Native

American/First Nations student each year. Incoming class size: 30. Application deadline: December 15, 2019. Application fee: $25. Core faculty includes poets Esther Belin, Sherwin Bitsui, Jennifer Elise Foerster, Santee

Frazier, Joan Naviyuk Kane, Cedar Sigo, James Thomas Stevens, and Ken White; fiction writers Ramona Ausubel, Marie-Helene Bertino, Cherie Dimaline, Brandon Hobson, Pam Houston, Toni

Jensen, Stephen Graham Jones, Kristiana Kahakauwila, Chip Livingston, Tommy Orange, Derek Palacio, Eden

Robinson, and David Treuer; and creative nonfiction writers Kimberly Blaeser, Pam Houston, Toni Jensen, Chip Livingston, and Terese Mailhot.

iaia.edu/mfa

To how many programs did you apply? One. What criteria were most important to you during the application process? The most important element in an MFA program, bar none, was diversity. I’ve spent a lifetime explaining myself and my culture, in the workplace and in art spaces. I had only just heard about the Institute of American Indian Arts’ low-res MFA program but was excited to find not only a diversity in student population of gender, age, and ethnicity, but also a diversity in faculty and staff. The cost was reasonable compared with other programs, and the location was convenient for me. Why did you choose the program you attended? I have a family and work a full-time job. I needed a program I could fit into my life. IAIA’s in-person requirement of about eight days to begin each semester with one-on-one mentoring for the remainder was reasonable and feasible, and the Santa Fe location is inspiring. How did you make ends meet while you were in the program? I work full-time, and while IAIA doesn’t offer financial aid, the school worked with me on a payment plan that allowed me to fit the cost into my budget. Did your experience of the program exceed, match, or fall short of your expectations? IAIA’s low-residency MFA changed my life. Although I’ve earned my living with words since undergrad, I was at best a wannabe fiction writer all these years. Since graduating from IAIA, I’ve received three fellowships and attended three residencies and two workshops. I’m no longer dreaming about writing one day. I’ve nearly finished the first draft of an ambitious novel and believe I have the support to see it on a bookshelf in the coming years. How would you describe the community of the program? The IAIA community is what the writer in me has always sought. It’s intimate, supportive, and diverse, meaning the work and the voices are not only vibrant and fresh, but inspiring in their daring. I was challenged to grow and learn about writing as well as about other ways of seeing the world. I developed true connections with students, faculty, staff, and even visiting writers, agents, and editors that now form the spine of my developing writing community. What was the most unexpected aspect of your time in an MFA program? I just wanted to write in a diverse and supportive community, maybe publish a book one day. I had no idea what an MFA might do for me aside from perhaps opening some doors. Workshops, one-on-one guidance, and dedicated writing time improved my writing, but I also learned about the business of writing and what it means to be a writer in this day and age. How did your MFA program prepare you for post-MFA life? The program at IAIA was progressive for me. With each semester I grew and learned something that carried me to the next, so that by the time I graduated, I’d had some successes, had next steps lined up, and even agents interested in my work. I’ve also been able to rely on my IAIA writing community to be there for me when I had a question or needed a reference or some other kind of support. If you had to do it all over again, would you do anything differently? At IAIA and in life, I wish I’d had the capacity sooner to let go of the fear—fear I wasn’t good enough, that I might make a mistake or fail miserably. At IAIA I learned that if I keep striving and don’t let that fear stop me from challenging myself and trying new things, my “failures” provide lessons and skills that lead to greater successes. Any advice for writers who are applying to MFA programs? There is no one-size-fits-all. What’s best for another writer may not be best for you. Trust your heart, do your homework, and give more than you expect to get back.

Directed by Santee Frazier, the program at IAIA emphasizes “the importance of Native writers offering

voice to the Native experience.”