MFA, BFA and Other Creative Writing Degrees in Massachusetts

Written by Alex Dorian

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The mid-19^th century was a literary golden age in Massachusetts. It almost seems fateful that Louisa May Alcott’s father would join a club with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Maybe it wasn’t coincidence that Alcott’s family sold their Hillside homestead to Nathaniel Hawthorne, who astutely observed how “families are always rising and falling in America.”

To speak of Massachusetts’ literary scene is to speak of formative connections. After all, how could Alcott not become the writer she was after having grown up around Emerson, Thoreau, and Theodore Parker? Today, the Bay State is not dissimilar. It’s a weird effect: You’ll meet a stranger in Cambridge who played soccer with your cousin in high school. Maybe it’s the consequence of living in a compact state. In any case, it’s definitely a great place to start your career as a writer.

George V. Higgins: The Lawyer-Turned-Writer Who Captured Massachusetts’ Criminal Class

Everyone’s heard of “Little Women” and “The Scarlet Letter.” Chances are you even read them in high school. But have you heard of “Cogan’s Trade”? What about “The Friends of Eddie Coyle”?

Assuming you grew up in the Commonwealth, you may have seen one of these titles floating on your grandfather’s bookshelf next to a collection of Michael Connolly or Dennis Lehane titles. Maybe it’s beaten with overuse or collecting dust. That’s the effect Higgins has on you: You’re either pulled in and can’t let go, or you drop the story after the first four pages.

If nothing else, Higgins took a unique approach. About 90 percent of his prose is dialogue. That’s not an exaggeration. In stark contrast to Thoreau’s rich descriptions of the natural world, Higgins told you where you were in Boston as if he were giving you a set of directions. Then, he left it up to his characters to drive the story.

And these characters were largely based on the people he used to prosecute or represent in the courtroom. He worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts, and then opened up his private practice in the 1970s.

With those experiences, he decided to capture Massachusetts’ mob scene as it was: unglamorous and straightforward. Reading “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” isn’t like reading “The Godfather.” It’s as if you’re observing what happens to the dime-store hood you went to high school with 10 years ago. There’s no compound reminiscent of Sicily: just a seedy dive where someone got shot last week, but the world didn’t stop. The glam ubiquitous in “Goodfellas” is nonexistent in Higgins’ stories. Probably because, for the men in Massachusetts’ criminal underworld, such glamour was absent.

You can’t characterize Massachusetts as rich or poor; educated or uneducated. It’s a mix of both. It’s what makes being a writer in this state exciting. You could have a beer with a bioengineer and a hairdresser in the same bar. This environment allows you, the writer, to tap into all sorts of different people for inspiration. And that kind of experience with people will serve you well in your creative writing degree program, whether eating a brutal critique of your work or wrapping yourself in the warmth of praise from your fellow writing students.

Massachusetts’ Creative Writing Classes, Courses, and Workshops Can Prepare You for a Creative Writing Degree

Before pursuing a BFA or MFA, or other similar degree in creative writing, you should tap into the opportunities Boston, Worcester, and other cities throughout the state offer to aspiring writers. Like we said, maybe that involves going to a bar in a different neighborhood every night. That new friend could make for a character in your story.

What about when you want to get pen to paper? For some, getting the words down is easier among fellow working writers. Here are a few places you could park your laptop and get to work:

Boston Public Library Central Location: If you haven’t been to the BPL’s Copley Square location, you’re in for a treat. The palatial building offers a giant reading room lined with desks and bankers lamps. With a cathedral ceiling above and shelves stocked full on either side, you’re in the perfect environment. The big plus is that you have one of the largest book collections at your disposal if your writing demands intensive research.
The Writers’ Room: Located at 111 State Street in Boston, The Writers’ Room is run by a nonprofit that provides 24-hour access. It contains 10 private carrels with a desk, chair, and bookcase. The place also has a kitchen if you’re feeling peckish during your work.
The Writers’ Loft: Not in Boston? Not a problem. Located in the city of Hudson, The Writers’ Loft is a non-profit writing community in the Hudson Mills, a remodeled factory that’s home to a dozen other organizations. Members receive a quiet space to pursue their craft and access to events that connect them with other professionals.

What about local writing groups? These circles will prepare you for a degree in creative writing in that they cultivate your ability to provide and accept constructive criticism. Exercise this part of your brain, and you’ll be worlds ahead of your classmates.

One such group is the To Tell a Tale Writers’ Group in Worcester. Limited to 10 spots, the group meets on the 2^nd and 4^th Mondays of each month. It’s a great way to meet new writers and receive honest feedback on your work.

Then there’s the Mission Hill Writers Guild in Boston. It’s a non-exclusive club that meets every week at The Tavern of Tales in Mission Hill from 12:00 to 2:15. You can write and chat about your work. It’s a pretty informal assembly, which makes for some great literary critique.