I’ve been accepted into Oregon State University’s MFA program. I can’t believe it. I’m 1 of 4 to be accepted. It’s an extremely competitive, fully funded program with tons of other benefits. It has some of my favorite poets as faculty. The opportunities this experience would offer me are tremendous.

But I know fully funded does not mean financial stability. I won’t be making money; I just won’t be spending any on tuition. My teaching stipend won’t cover my rent, the new furniture I’ll have to buy, textbooks, groceries, or the cost of getting out there. Also, I’m recovering from a ton of debt I racked up this year from a pretty serious bad luck streak. I’ve done the math and unfortunately, for multiple reasons, I won’t be able to make it out there without some financial help.

I hate doing this, obviously. I want to be self-reliant, and self-reliant enough to not only take care of myself but also to help others. However, incredible opportunity or not, the reality of living as a poet is consistent hardship, proving yourself over and over again, and financial struggle. I’m used to it. It’d be deeply, deeply appreciated if you considered donating any amount. If you scroll right on past, I get that too.