Inspired by my friend, who was looking for writing programs, I discovered PocketMFA in January 2024. PocketMFA offers a mentored-guided workshop experience modeled after a traditional MFA. Since it was new, I was a little apprehensive, but several mutual connections knew people involved and it seemed like a great project to occupy myself while my husband was deployed.
I am so glad I tried PocketMFA. Not only did I learn a lot from my mentor, Sydney J. Shields, but I truly learned own my writing process. Two years later, and a majority of my workshop group--4 out of the 7 writers--continue to meet They're genuinely my friends, a great support system, and writers I respect and trust.
Takeaway: It is a decent time commitment--2.5 hour workshops every week, plus assignments outside of the workshop--and fairly expensive, but it was well-suited for what I needed at that particular time of my life. If my husband had not been deployed, I doubt I would've tried it.