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McClain is the author of two collections of poetry: Previously Owned (Four Way Books, 2022), longlisted for the Massachusetts Book Award, and Scale (Four Way Books, 2017). He teaches at 91��� and in the Brooklyn Writers Foundry low-residency M.F.A. program and serves as poetry editor of the Massachusetts Review.

What does applying for the MacDowell Fellowship entail? And what’s special about MacDowell?

To answer your second question, and for those who may be unaware, is a center for artists in Peterborough, New 91è����. Over its existence, the center has supported the work of such artists as James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, among many others. MacDowell’s stated mission is to “to nurture the arts by offering talented individuals an inspiring residential environment in which to produce enduring works of the creative imagination.” In the Acknowledgments section of many of my most cherished books is a shout-out to MacDowell. So, it seemed an incredibly special place to apply to, with a long history of supporting some of our most celebrated authors and artists. But, perhaps needless to say, I was also intimidated.

The actual application process is somewhat standard: There’s an application fee; applicants describe the project they intend to undertake if offered residency space and time, list artistic achievements, provide a work sample/portfolio—all fairly standard fare. It was my first time applying for a MacDowell, and I understood how competitive the residency could be. Only about 300 artists are offered fellowships each year (between two seasons). Often more than 4,000 artists apply.

What do these kinds of fellowships mean to you as an artist?

The gift of space and time to dedicate to one’s creative practice can be incredibly rejuvenating and affirming, especially for those artists who are responding to the regular responsibilities of their day-to-day lives (read: ALL of them)—work, family matters, rehearsals, recitals, soccer practice, hosting your campus’s reading series, school governance work, this bill must be paid, etc., etc.

For artists such as myself, the demands of academia are quite encompassing, and while academics are reliant on breaks between terms, summer, and the occasional sabbatical, life still happens, interruptions still get in the way. So, to have this time to concentrate and center my practice is incredible. That can’t be overstated. Time truly matters.

What will you work on during your fellowship?

The work sample/portfolio I submitted contains new poems that I believe may contribute to an eventual third collection. I will also, if not already completed, complete several craft essays in the works.

Anything else?

For anyone who might be applying for prizes, awards, fellowships, residencies, or programs, just know, persistence is absolutely key. As much as talent and craft and ability are crucial for certain kinds of recognition in this field, one cannot discount the role that luck also has to play. I’ve submitted for certain publications and prizes multiple times and, to this day, have never received them.

On the contrary, I’ve applied for other opportunities once and received them. It sounds trite, or trivial, but I would like to say keep trying. Often, especially in this field, it’s a numbers game. Keep writing. Keep trying. Rejection is part of the process, but it isn’t all of the process. Keep going. Let me be a witness: Sometimes something truly great can happen.