DuEwaWorld News! by DuEwa Frazier

I've been in graduate school, since 2004.  Yes.  I'm on my fourth degree.  Some might say that I'm "over-educated."  I don't care.  People have asked me, "When do you find time to write?"  How about when do I find time to LIVE !?  Well I happen to believe that each degree program I've pursued, has been very useful for my work and career.  And of course my MFA degree was in writing, which I am still finding to be worthwhile as I work to strengthen my craft.  I love learning.  I'm proud to be from a family of educators who instilled a love of education in me.  The arts became a passion of mine early on, and so writing + education has been at the center of my life work. But there is a drawback I've found to being an artist + graduate student.   The time and mental energy it takes to focus on classwork for graduate school, over time, can take away, from creative pursuits.  And that is if you do not structure your time, le...

My journey as a full time graduate student in the MFA in Creative Writing degree program at The New School in NYC, has come to an end.    I'm a graduate!! So many people asked me, "DuEwa, why another Master's degree - you already have one?" and "Why an MFA, you're already a writer."  I felt the need to immerse myself in the writing life in a different way.  I wanted to study the craft and expand my knowledge in ways that I hadn't before.  I wanted to be linked to serious writers and learn from esteemed professors who have published or at least have taught writing for many years.  Did I expand my knowledge? Yes.  Did I study and link up with writers I did not previously know?  Yes.  Was the journey difficult at times?  Of course.  Am I glad I applied to the program, went through it and finished?  TOTALLY!!!   A mentor once said to me, "Anything worth having is worth struggling for."  And I did.  ...