When I say that I went to grad school in Iowa City, people often assume that I went to the famed writers' workshop MFA program at the University of Iowa. I didn't. I got a master's in journalism.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Actually, I graduated from university as a journalist.
I got a degree in broadcast journalism at Northwestern but was running a sketch-comedy group and then went to Second City. When the writers' strike happened in 2007-2008, I went to work at E! because I had that background.
I went to college, though I didn't take many writing courses.
When I applied for grad school, I did not specify genre. I said I wanted an MFA in Creative Writing. I was so cute and stupid! The admissions committee at Pitt decided to put me in poetry.
After I left high school and got my GED, I studied broadcast journalism for a year at a community college.
I like to say that journalism is the graduate school from which you never graduate.
I have been an outsider in journalism and in the academy, because I never fully belonged to any of them.
I didn't go to graduate school, where all the important writers seemed to be getting their start. I didn't pursue getting published in literary magazines. I didn't even send out countless pitch letters and manuscripts to agents.
For graduate school I ended up going to the University of Iowa, which is, of course, the best graduate writing program in the country.
I went to graduate school in Iowa City, at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where the most passionate thing I did was attend University of Iowa basketball games.