Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing Reflection
- emma98rhodes
- Jun 30, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 20, 2024
I just returned to the real world after a magical week writing poems by the ocean on Martha's Vineyard. I was privileged enough to receive a Poet & Author Fellowship from Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing to attend their Summer Writers Conference. There, I learned from Christopher Citro that it's a good idea to maintain a blog so that when people come upon my website they know I'm active and still writing. So this is me doing that — I'm active and still writing! I'll post irregularly, just whenever I feel like I have something to write about. This first post will be a reflection on my incredible time on the island.
Being a writer is basically all I've ever wanted to do with my life, but after getting my first full-time job out of grad school, having a partnership, and then becoming the co-EIC of The Miramichi Reader I felt like I just wasn't writing anymore. I didn't feel like myself, and that was making me a worse partner, a worse friend, and worse publicist and editor. I really mourned my life before all of my time seemed to be occupied by other people's needs from me (I truly can't imagine having a kid. I have so much respect for writers who are parents too!). In an effort to make space for my writing, I applied to residencies and fellowships. I came upon the Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing on an Instagram ad and figured I'd shoot my shot. The application was a single poem and a letter of intent so I didn't have high hopes, but I learned something from my best friend in undergrad that I take with me every single time I apply to something, and that is: if a man with half the qualifications would apply, then you can apply too. And so I did! And I got in with a fellowship! Just proves that if you never apply you'll never get in. Shoot! Your! Shot!

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