n+1 / Faber and Faber

312 pages, $16

Review by Jonathan Russell Clark

Junot Diaz’s recent New Yorker essay “MFA vs POC” may have changed the conversation started by MFA vs NYC, an anthology of essays tackling, the subtitle suggests, “The Two Cultures of American Fiction.” Diaz’s response focused the attention on the race problem of MFA programs. As Diaz puts it, “That shit was too white.” His point is undoubtedly salient, but I hope MFA vs NYC survives the fallout, for it offers many fascinating insights into the current writing climate (though a hard look at race is conspicuously absent).

Despite its pugilistic title, MFA vs NYC isn’t actually a contest, inasmuch as no winner is declared. In fact, both “cultures” emerge equally disparaged. Sure, there are defenders in the mix, too. The wondrous (and current critical darling) George Saunders, for example, presents a simple and idealistic version of an MFA program:

“…a bunch of artists, living simply and honestly, cutting out the crap, trying to reconstruct a happy little petri dish, forming intense friendships that center around, but are not limited to, art, and that continue on through the rest of their lives.” Continue reading →