I'd recommend the book *Old in Art School* by Nell Painter. She was an historian who went back to school in art in (I believe) her 60s. Wonderful times, but some very real challenges as well.
Hi Anne, I highly recommend Harvard Extension School for a Masters Degree in Creative Writing and English Literature. It's flexible, reasonably priced for a higher degree, and you get access to one of the best libraries in the world. I graduated from the program in 2022, and had many classmates zooming in from Europe. Best of luck!!
Thank you! That is a lovely suggestion. Right now I’m focusing on UK universities so that I will be eligible for a visa to allow me to stay here for up to three years. But if my plans change, I will certainly look into the Harvard program. Thank you!
Hi Anne, I enjoyed reading your letter and felt many synergies. I did a big mid-life swerve and went back to college at 50 to retrain as a therapist. I'm also a writer and, like you, currently nomadic. Scotland has my heart too. I went to university in Edinburgh and when I'm ready, my home will be in the East Neuk of Fife, almost directly opposite beautiful Gullane (which I too love as I've house-sat there several times). I wish you all the best with your writing - could you possibly apply to the Open University? They may have flexible starts.
Hi Caroline—That is wonderful that you are also living the nomad writing life—and that you know Scotland well. I haven’t been to the other side of the Firth of Forth yet. It sure looked nice from Gullane! I’ll look into the Open University. Thanks for the suggestion!
Congratulations on "landing" on where you want to be! I'm sorry it's coming to fruition in a roundabout way with yet with another year of traveling, but I have a feeling you will put the upcoming year to good use. I love reading your posts. You have had such an amazing journey and have shared generously. Thank you!
I am in no position to give advice. As an aspiring novelist who has just finished her first work of fiction and is ready to shop it around - sans an advanced writing degree - I used writing it as a learning experience. I didn't want another degree. So along the way I took classes, read craft books, went to conferences, worked with other writers, enlisted the support of professional editors, and listened to a gazillion podcasts. Personalized, just-in-time learning, you might say. It was the long route. But the instruction didn't really click until I had a work in progress to use as my laboratory.
If you can, try to draft your novel before you start on your MFA and edit it while you are taking your courses. I suspect you are already planning on doing this. Learning about the craft of writing is so much more impactful when if you have already drafted a book, even if it isn't as polished as you'd like. It's like a residency instead of your first course in kinesiology, so to speak. And it's more fun. Again, you have been a college professor for years. You already know this.
Thank you, Nancy! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my letters. I appreciate your advice about having a manuscript completed before starting a masters program. I would like to do that, and do have 300 pages of a novel, but it is quite rough and I didn’t quite reach an ending. But I have a year before a program would start, so I’m returning to it bit by bit. Thank you again for your support! I love having readers like you along for the ride. :)
It’s great to see you that you are continuing your MA work in your newsletter! So many people get MAs in English and then never use them. Nurturing a love of literature enriches your life and shouldn’t be confined to getting a degree.
Hi Anne! I'm a new subscriber and am enjoying reading back through your newsletter :) Just to say I returned to study for an MA in English Studies in 2020 in an effort to kick-start my writing again. Although it wasn't a creative writing course, it did give me so much more confidence in my research and writing skills, how to use literary texts and research well, etc. It led to me finding my 'specialisms' in literary criticism and how to better structure a literary argument or essay, which in turn led me to set up my own newsletter here. It gave me more confidence and self-belief in my work.
Looking forward to your upcoming piece on Cornwall, which is such a beautiful place :)
I was in my mid-30s when I went back to finish the last year of my BA. Psychologically, it was a huge adjustment. I hadn’t been in college for over a decade. I expect it will be much easier for you, with your experience in academia. Wishing you all the best.
This is so exciting, Anne! I am thinking about leaving academia and changing careers, and so I’m following your journey with particular interest. Thank you for sharing the details of the visa process -- I was wondering how that would work! Can’t wait for the next installment 😊
Thank you, Taylor! And good luck to you with your transition. It can be a lonely road sometimes, so I’m happy you are finding some companionship here. 🙂
Hi Anne! As I read, I kept thinking, "oooh, yasss, she's moving to Scotland!" but oh, then the heartbreak of the rejected visa! I've been looking at visas for the UK, as well, and it is NOT easy.
Like you, I fell in love with England - specifically Derbyshire, a little town near Chatsworth House called Bakewell. I want to live there. My soul wants me to live there. But actually making it a reality? SO HARD.
You asked about going back to school later in life...I did this three years ago when I decided to pursue my PhD in history. For two years, I thoroughly enjoyed taking classes, writing papers, having wonderful discussions...I was in my late 40s and it didn't matter. I loved it all. Unfortunately, working a full-time job, going to graduate school, trying to write a novel, PLUS having chronic illnesses made it unsustainable. With my limited energy, I needed to focus on my true passion: writing fiction. And it was the right decision. So I withdrew from the PhD program and finished writing my eighth novel in record time. All that is to say...going back to school later in life is AMAZING. You're more grounded, focused, and able to do the work without the distractions that young college kids have (partying, ALL THE ACTIVITIES, trying to grow up!, etc.). I think you've made the right decision to get into the UK this way, as a student! I'm so excited for you!
On another note, having just returned from the UK and being so utterly exhausted on the flights home that I wanted to cry, boy, do I understand about being sick and tired of always boarding a train or going to a new hotel room, trying to find food, etc. All I wanted was to sit in a cozy cottage by the fire, write, read, and sleep in the same bed for a month. And that's what I'm planning to do next year, if I can swing it - just go to the UK for a month or two in the summer to get away from the terrible heat of Nebraska.
I wish you nothing but the best in your continuing adventures!
Hi Melissa--Thank you for this! Yes--the heartbreak indeed! I love how you put it--your soul wants you to live there. 💔 Thank you for your vote of confidence in my ability to make this leap. And how wonderful, how soul-nourishing, that you will have a month in Devon! Something to look forward to is such a tremendous thing.
Anne, as I started to read I was ready to shout - how about Scotland! My homeland - completely understand why you love the place though I live in France! I wish you well as you set out on your new student life. A good scot’ s saying: ‘ what’ s for ye won’ t go by ye’ .
Thank you, Alex! That is wonderful saying. Thank you for sharing it. I did dream of a home in rural France for quite a while as well. It seems to me you are quite lucky to have called both places home.
I finished my bachelor's degree 17 years after I started it. And once I finished it, I kept going through an MA and then a PhD--I got my PhD right after turning 39. While I wish I had made some better choices in my 20s, there's quite a bit about being an adult student that I am grateful for.
I love the vision that you articulated for how you want your life to be--I've been trying to do that this year, in response to coming to the brink of some serious burnout.
I've taken some fiction-writing classes online during the pandemic, which I found really enjoyable. As much as I love reading fiction, I've enjoyed the new experience of basically reading a story that I was making up myself. And in general, I think that the more that I learn about and practice all writing, the stronger all of my writing is.
I'm looking forward to following your new adventure!
Thank you, Monica, for sharing your experience. Burnout was definitely a factor for me. I’ve taken a couple of fiction writing classes online and would probably keep doing that if it wasn’t for wanting to have a visa to stay here as well. I still have a long way to go, though. Fiction writing is a whole different muscle.
I am determined to incorporate more from creative writing into my academic writing. I did an online webinar with James Lang (of "Small Teaching" fame) about ways that we can incorporate what we know about teaching and learning into our academic writing, to make it more engaging and effective--and part of that is incorporating more narrative and story-telling elements into academic writing. In fact, when I was working on revising my dissertation into what would become my first book, one of the best pieces of advice I received was to find the narrative/storyline in the book.
(Have you read Patricia Leavy's book Spark? I've talked to people about that as a model of academic writing to consider.)
This sounds great! It’s what I say to all academic writers wanting to reach a wider audience, but even for academic writing, it’s great advice. Too bad we aren’t taught how to tell a story in grad school.
Congratulations on making these big decisions! And I didn’t make the connection that it was you who wrote that wonderful book about Little Women--your book was so interesting. Does U of Edinburgh have a graduate fiction writing program?
Thank you, Christina! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Yes, U of E has one. It’s among the most expensive, and the university has been a real mess lately with faculty strikes and students not receiving their diplomas and losing their visas as a result. It was in the news constantly last spring and summer when I was there. So I’m not sure about applying there.
Oh, I wasn't aware of that. My niece graduated from U of Edinburgh a couple of years ago and has been working at the university since then. I'll have to get the inside scoop.
I have a lot of information about obtaining a UK visa that I can share: I'm happy to do it here or via email--I'm at christinagagliano@gmail.com.
Bottom line re: the strikes are that they are coordinated across all universities in the UK and they occur regularly. In Edinburgh, a Marking and Assessment boycott last spring/summer went viral when a graduating student used his speech time to bemoan the situation. My niece's boyfriend didn't get his dissertation mark for months but he and other graduates received basically "certificates of completion" until the strike was resolved and then received their grades and real diplomas. So, strikes would be a fact of life at any UK college or university.
Thanks for sharing your journey and congratulations for being so resilient and resourceful. Many connections. Finding "home" is a challenge ... I finally found a imperfectly perfect place and said "this is it" and put my stake in the ground.
Dear Anne, apparently we are on the same journey. Last year I quitted my job (I am a Lawyer and Bioethicist) and moved to Europe searching for a place called home. I was born in Rosario, a beautiful city in Argentina, but my family moved to Buenos Aires when I was sixteen. For some reason I could never called Buenos Aires "home". I have been living in Paris for almost a year now, and like you, I realized that I am not prepared to learn a whole new Language. Also, like you, I am done with hot climate and love the sea. Paris was the first choice because my daughter in studying here, but I am thinking where to go next. You are not alone in this adventure.
Wow--we are very much on the same journey! Next year my daughter will study in Paris as well. I suppose people tell you, like they do me, you’re living the dream! But it’s not all smooth sailing. I wish you much luck as you look for a new home! 🙏
Thanks Anne! Yes, people think I am living a dream and as you are experiencing yourself doing what we are doing at our age is more than challenging. But, still an adventure!
Love this letter, Anne!!! Have you read Nell Painter’s Old in Art School? One of my favorite memoirs on creativity and sustaining it. But you are young, my friend! ❤️
I'd recommend the book *Old in Art School* by Nell Painter. She was an historian who went back to school in art in (I believe) her 60s. Wonderful times, but some very real challenges as well.
Hi Anne, I highly recommend Harvard Extension School for a Masters Degree in Creative Writing and English Literature. It's flexible, reasonably priced for a higher degree, and you get access to one of the best libraries in the world. I graduated from the program in 2022, and had many classmates zooming in from Europe. Best of luck!!
Thank you! That is a lovely suggestion. Right now I’m focusing on UK universities so that I will be eligible for a visa to allow me to stay here for up to three years. But if my plans change, I will certainly look into the Harvard program. Thank you!
Hi Anne, I enjoyed reading your letter and felt many synergies. I did a big mid-life swerve and went back to college at 50 to retrain as a therapist. I'm also a writer and, like you, currently nomadic. Scotland has my heart too. I went to university in Edinburgh and when I'm ready, my home will be in the East Neuk of Fife, almost directly opposite beautiful Gullane (which I too love as I've house-sat there several times). I wish you all the best with your writing - could you possibly apply to the Open University? They may have flexible starts.
Hi Caroline—That is wonderful that you are also living the nomad writing life—and that you know Scotland well. I haven’t been to the other side of the Firth of Forth yet. It sure looked nice from Gullane! I’ll look into the Open University. Thanks for the suggestion!
Congratulations on "landing" on where you want to be! I'm sorry it's coming to fruition in a roundabout way with yet with another year of traveling, but I have a feeling you will put the upcoming year to good use. I love reading your posts. You have had such an amazing journey and have shared generously. Thank you!
I am in no position to give advice. As an aspiring novelist who has just finished her first work of fiction and is ready to shop it around - sans an advanced writing degree - I used writing it as a learning experience. I didn't want another degree. So along the way I took classes, read craft books, went to conferences, worked with other writers, enlisted the support of professional editors, and listened to a gazillion podcasts. Personalized, just-in-time learning, you might say. It was the long route. But the instruction didn't really click until I had a work in progress to use as my laboratory.
If you can, try to draft your novel before you start on your MFA and edit it while you are taking your courses. I suspect you are already planning on doing this. Learning about the craft of writing is so much more impactful when if you have already drafted a book, even if it isn't as polished as you'd like. It's like a residency instead of your first course in kinesiology, so to speak. And it's more fun. Again, you have been a college professor for years. You already know this.
As always, good luck!
Thank you, Nancy! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my letters. I appreciate your advice about having a manuscript completed before starting a masters program. I would like to do that, and do have 300 pages of a novel, but it is quite rough and I didn’t quite reach an ending. But I have a year before a program would start, so I’m returning to it bit by bit. Thank you again for your support! I love having readers like you along for the ride. :)
It’s great to see you that you are continuing your MA work in your newsletter! So many people get MAs in English and then never use them. Nurturing a love of literature enriches your life and shouldn’t be confined to getting a degree.
Hi Anne! I'm a new subscriber and am enjoying reading back through your newsletter :) Just to say I returned to study for an MA in English Studies in 2020 in an effort to kick-start my writing again. Although it wasn't a creative writing course, it did give me so much more confidence in my research and writing skills, how to use literary texts and research well, etc. It led to me finding my 'specialisms' in literary criticism and how to better structure a literary argument or essay, which in turn led me to set up my own newsletter here. It gave me more confidence and self-belief in my work.
Looking forward to your upcoming piece on Cornwall, which is such a beautiful place :)
I was in my mid-30s when I went back to finish the last year of my BA. Psychologically, it was a huge adjustment. I hadn’t been in college for over a decade. I expect it will be much easier for you, with your experience in academia. Wishing you all the best.
Thank you, Sharon! It’s quite a change, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.
This is so exciting, Anne! I am thinking about leaving academia and changing careers, and so I’m following your journey with particular interest. Thank you for sharing the details of the visa process -- I was wondering how that would work! Can’t wait for the next installment 😊
Thank you, Taylor! And good luck to you with your transition. It can be a lonely road sometimes, so I’m happy you are finding some companionship here. 🙂
Hi Anne! As I read, I kept thinking, "oooh, yasss, she's moving to Scotland!" but oh, then the heartbreak of the rejected visa! I've been looking at visas for the UK, as well, and it is NOT easy.
Like you, I fell in love with England - specifically Derbyshire, a little town near Chatsworth House called Bakewell. I want to live there. My soul wants me to live there. But actually making it a reality? SO HARD.
You asked about going back to school later in life...I did this three years ago when I decided to pursue my PhD in history. For two years, I thoroughly enjoyed taking classes, writing papers, having wonderful discussions...I was in my late 40s and it didn't matter. I loved it all. Unfortunately, working a full-time job, going to graduate school, trying to write a novel, PLUS having chronic illnesses made it unsustainable. With my limited energy, I needed to focus on my true passion: writing fiction. And it was the right decision. So I withdrew from the PhD program and finished writing my eighth novel in record time. All that is to say...going back to school later in life is AMAZING. You're more grounded, focused, and able to do the work without the distractions that young college kids have (partying, ALL THE ACTIVITIES, trying to grow up!, etc.). I think you've made the right decision to get into the UK this way, as a student! I'm so excited for you!
On another note, having just returned from the UK and being so utterly exhausted on the flights home that I wanted to cry, boy, do I understand about being sick and tired of always boarding a train or going to a new hotel room, trying to find food, etc. All I wanted was to sit in a cozy cottage by the fire, write, read, and sleep in the same bed for a month. And that's what I'm planning to do next year, if I can swing it - just go to the UK for a month or two in the summer to get away from the terrible heat of Nebraska.
I wish you nothing but the best in your continuing adventures!
Hi Melissa--Thank you for this! Yes--the heartbreak indeed! I love how you put it--your soul wants you to live there. 💔 Thank you for your vote of confidence in my ability to make this leap. And how wonderful, how soul-nourishing, that you will have a month in Devon! Something to look forward to is such a tremendous thing.
Anne, as I started to read I was ready to shout - how about Scotland! My homeland - completely understand why you love the place though I live in France! I wish you well as you set out on your new student life. A good scot’ s saying: ‘ what’ s for ye won’ t go by ye’ .
Alex
Thank you, Alex! That is wonderful saying. Thank you for sharing it. I did dream of a home in rural France for quite a while as well. It seems to me you are quite lucky to have called both places home.
Ooh never quite seen it like that - I guess so! Always looking beyond what I have and have lived.
Don’t we all!
I finished my bachelor's degree 17 years after I started it. And once I finished it, I kept going through an MA and then a PhD--I got my PhD right after turning 39. While I wish I had made some better choices in my 20s, there's quite a bit about being an adult student that I am grateful for.
I love the vision that you articulated for how you want your life to be--I've been trying to do that this year, in response to coming to the brink of some serious burnout.
I've taken some fiction-writing classes online during the pandemic, which I found really enjoyable. As much as I love reading fiction, I've enjoyed the new experience of basically reading a story that I was making up myself. And in general, I think that the more that I learn about and practice all writing, the stronger all of my writing is.
I'm looking forward to following your new adventure!
Thank you, Monica, for sharing your experience. Burnout was definitely a factor for me. I’ve taken a couple of fiction writing classes online and would probably keep doing that if it wasn’t for wanting to have a visa to stay here as well. I still have a long way to go, though. Fiction writing is a whole different muscle.
I am determined to incorporate more from creative writing into my academic writing. I did an online webinar with James Lang (of "Small Teaching" fame) about ways that we can incorporate what we know about teaching and learning into our academic writing, to make it more engaging and effective--and part of that is incorporating more narrative and story-telling elements into academic writing. In fact, when I was working on revising my dissertation into what would become my first book, one of the best pieces of advice I received was to find the narrative/storyline in the book.
(Have you read Patricia Leavy's book Spark? I've talked to people about that as a model of academic writing to consider.)
I just looked up Spark, which I haven’t heard of before. Looks super interesting!
This sounds great! It’s what I say to all academic writers wanting to reach a wider audience, but even for academic writing, it’s great advice. Too bad we aren’t taught how to tell a story in grad school.
Congratulations on making these big decisions! And I didn’t make the connection that it was you who wrote that wonderful book about Little Women--your book was so interesting. Does U of Edinburgh have a graduate fiction writing program?
Thank you, Christina! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Yes, U of E has one. It’s among the most expensive, and the university has been a real mess lately with faculty strikes and students not receiving their diplomas and losing their visas as a result. It was in the news constantly last spring and summer when I was there. So I’m not sure about applying there.
Oh, I wasn't aware of that. My niece graduated from U of Edinburgh a couple of years ago and has been working at the university since then. I'll have to get the inside scoop.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, do, and share if you can. It’s a real shame. Of course I’d love to study there. Maybe it’s troubles have been resolved d
Hello, Anne,
I have a lot of information about obtaining a UK visa that I can share: I'm happy to do it here or via email--I'm at christinagagliano@gmail.com.
Bottom line re: the strikes are that they are coordinated across all universities in the UK and they occur regularly. In Edinburgh, a Marking and Assessment boycott last spring/summer went viral when a graduating student used his speech time to bemoan the situation. My niece's boyfriend didn't get his dissertation mark for months but he and other graduates received basically "certificates of completion" until the strike was resolved and then received their grades and real diplomas. So, strikes would be a fact of life at any UK college or university.
Thanks for sharing your journey and congratulations for being so resilient and resourceful. Many connections. Finding "home" is a challenge ... I finally found a imperfectly perfect place and said "this is it" and put my stake in the ground.
I love that--imperfectly perfect. We all need to put our stake somewhere. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to do that. 🤔
That's the journey and I so glad you're sharing it.
Scotland is wonderful, and I admire your persistence!
Thank you, Sarah! I think it’s worth it. 🙂
Dear Anne, apparently we are on the same journey. Last year I quitted my job (I am a Lawyer and Bioethicist) and moved to Europe searching for a place called home. I was born in Rosario, a beautiful city in Argentina, but my family moved to Buenos Aires when I was sixteen. For some reason I could never called Buenos Aires "home". I have been living in Paris for almost a year now, and like you, I realized that I am not prepared to learn a whole new Language. Also, like you, I am done with hot climate and love the sea. Paris was the first choice because my daughter in studying here, but I am thinking where to go next. You are not alone in this adventure.
Wow--we are very much on the same journey! Next year my daughter will study in Paris as well. I suppose people tell you, like they do me, you’re living the dream! But it’s not all smooth sailing. I wish you much luck as you look for a new home! 🙏
Thanks Anne! Yes, people think I am living a dream and as you are experiencing yourself doing what we are doing at our age is more than challenging. But, still an adventure!
Yes, it’s nice to know that life can still be an adventure!
Love this letter, Anne!!! Have you read Nell Painter’s Old in Art School? One of my favorite memoirs on creativity and sustaining it. But you are young, my friend! ❤️
Thanks, Etta! I don’t feel so young sometimes. And thanks for the recommendation. I’ll look for it!