~by Matt Kessler

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Junot Díaz’s recent New Yorker article, MFA vs POC, caused a stir upon its publication last month. The article attacks the Cornell MFA program that he attended and the MFA system at-large for being too white. “Too white,” he explains, “as in my workshop reproduced exactly the dominant culture’s blind spots and assumptions around race and racism.”

Many readers disparaged Díaz as a complainer who took for granted his prestigious education, his numerous accolades, and the role that his graduate degree played in facilitating his success.

They argued that Díaz, himself, was the racist. Continue reading →