The Avy Report – Mommy’s a Graduate Student

Mommy, first day of fall semester 2017

Last fall, Mommy surprised friends and family by announcing she was heading back to school. Her goal—to get accepted into the MFA in creative writing and environment program at IOWA STATE (ISU). I capitalize IOWA STATE, because invariably if Mommy doesn’t spit that out in conversations, someone will say, “oh, that famous Iowa Writers Workshop?” Mommy hates that.

Family Lore: Mommy briefly contemplated transferring from Iowa State to the University of Iowa during her undergraduate years. At the time, Mommy was studying art history. To finish that degree, Mommy needed to transfer to the University of Iowa. Well, Mommy went for a campus visit and quickly decided, she couldn’t be a Hawkeye. Mommy changed her major to fashion merchandising, and graduated from ISU.

As you all may or may not know, Mommy has been writing her memoir about the search for her birthmother. Completion has been a long time coming. Along the way Mommy’s studied with various wonderful authors, and for a short stint was a student in the University of Nebraska Omaha’s low-residency MFA program. Mommy realizes to become an author one does not require an MFA. But Mommy’s a life-long learner. And she needs parameters and deadlines to focus on big projects like writing a memoir. Mommy found the low-res program did not give her the depth and breadth she craved to help write her book. And while she was in that Nebraska program, she stumbled upon Debra Marquart, author of The Horizontal World: Growing Up Wild in the Middle of Nowhere. Mommy fell in love with Deb’s writing. And come to find out, Deb is a professor of English at Iowa State. Oh how Mommy loves serendipity.

A little over a year ago, Mommy decided to walk the halls of Ross Hall at ISU to sleuth out how she, a former abysmal student, might get accepted into the MFA in creative writing and environment program at ISU. Teresa Smiley, the graduate program staff assistant suggested to Mommy that she head on over to Deb’s office. It wasn’t clear Deb would be in, but who knew. Feeling lazy that day, Mommy hopped on the elevator to go up one floor, and guess who Mommy spied on the elevator? Mommy followed Deb out and into the hallway feeling giddy as a groupie, and said,

Debra Marquart?” Deb turns. “I’m not stalking you, but do you have a minute to talk about the MFA program?” Mommy has past philandering boyfriend stalking history, so I suppose that’s why she blurted the absurd.

Turns out, Deb’s appointment for that exact moment had cancelled, and she had an hour to spend with Mommy.

Mommy knew from reading Deb’s book that Deb had been an abysmal student at one time too. And there are second chances in life to become a better student. Together they devised a plan for Mommy. Enroll last fall as a non-degree student, get good grades, (Mommy’s now getting honor student solicitations in her email inbox.) petition to get the GRE waved (That didn’t work, sadly. Academia has rules.), and apply to the program.

At 7:16 pm on March 5th, Mommy received an email from her non-fiction creative writing professor, Barbara Haas.

“Ana, congrats–!! This is a thrill for me. I am so pleased to let you know that we hope you’ll join us as an MFA-er this fall!”

Well, of course Mommy said yes.