Hello, dear readers. Guess what I did this month?

C’mon, guess.

No. I didn’t run away to Hogwarts.

No, I didn’t spend 29 days straight binge-watching all of Netflix.

No… I didn’t have a whirlwind four weeks travelling the country and the world as a participant on The Amazing Race Canada.

I applied to grad school.

Specifically, UBC’s Optional-Residency MFA in Creative Writing. I compiled a lengthy portfolio (70 pages, to be precise), wrote an unnervingly short literary resume, and prepared a Statement of Intent that hopefully reads differently than the hundreds of other Statements the school will receive. (It should… I chose to read no examples of similar documents so it would stand out from the templated two-pagers of the grad-school groomed applicants.)

Why did I apply to this program, you ask?

Some applicants will be applying so they can teach creative writing.  Many and more applicants will be applying so they can make a living as a writer. (I admit, that would be surreal in the best way.) But me? I just want to be better.  I want to learn from authors I admire; I want to help and be helped by passionate peers; I want to do something personal and fulfilling. And I want to do these things without sacrificing the security and experience provided by my current career.  I am determined to “have it all,” whatever that looks like for me, and hopefully UBC is equally as enthused about giving me that opportunity.

Have a spooky weekend, friends.