NPR report: In Elite MFA Programs, The Challenge Of Writing While 'Other'

I've been thinking of going back to school to do a MFA degree but I remain undecided. This NPR report rekindled my interest.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/08/19/341363580/in-elite-
mfa-programs-the-challenge-of-writing-while-other

The Dey House, a 140-year-old mansion, is home to the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, one of the oldest MFA writing programs in the country. Director Lan Samantha Chang — who attended the workshop as a student — has made it a priority to attract students and faculty from diverse backgrounds to the program.

For many writers, a contract with one of the major publishing houses is the Holy Grail — and getting accepted to a prestigious Master of Fine Arts program may bring aspiring writers one step closer. But these elite writing programs have a history steeped in whiteness, and writers of color don't always feel welcome.

 Best-selling author Junot Diaz recently caused a stir when he blasted MFA programs for being "too white" in an article for The New Yorker. MFA writing programs can be expensive and hard to get into, says Diaz, but they can be well worth the time and effort.

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Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Junot Diaz has been a high-profile critic of the monochrome look of many writers' workshops.

Bebeto Matthews/AP