mfa creative writing arizona

Creative Writing, MFA

• Program description
• At a glance
• Degree requirements
• Admission requirements
• Tuition information
• Application deadlines
• Program learning outcomes
• Career opportunities
• Contact information

english, literature, poetry, prose, story

ASU's creative writing program, distinguished by an outstanding faculty whose works have received major national and international recognition, is consistently ranked among top-tier programs in poetry and fiction. The program's curricular strengths, community outreach and close mentorship combine to advance pragmatic, effective outcomes for students, graduates and artist-citizens.

The MFA in creative writing at ASU has always been an unswervingly student-first program. Through small classes, intimate workshops and one-to-one mentoring, the centuries-old apprenticeship model thrives within the New American University. Poets and fiction writers work with outstanding faculty who have published more than 80 books and garnered national and international attention through awards and honors that include:

• Guggenheim, Howard Foundation, Lannan Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and United Artists fellowships
• international Griffin Poetry Prize and Whiting Award
• multiple Pulitzer Prizes
• two medals of achievement from the National Society of Arts and Letters
• two Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets
• Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets

Additionally, in concert with the Master of Fine Arts program, several campus entities contribute to the MFA experience: the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing offers students a wide range of fellowships, support for professional development, and other teaching and leadership opportunities including a Community Outreach Graduate Assistantship. The Center for Imagination in the Borderlands brings writers and other artists for intensive workshops, classes and public events, and offers an artistic development and teaching assistant fellowship and two research assistantships. The Master of Fine Arts program also hosts a newly inaugurated series of craft lectures and an alumni reading series.

Furthermore, students have access to a variety of additional professional development opportunities, including serving on the editorial board of an international literary journal Hayden's Ferry Review, translation experience through the Thousand Languages Project and internships with award-winning independent literary press Four Way Books.

• College/school: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Location: Tempe
• STEM-OPT extension eligible: No

48 credit hours including a written comprehensive exam and the required applied project course (ENG 593)

Coursework (39 credit hours)

Other Requirement (6 credit hours) ENG 592 Research (6)

Culminating Experience (3 credit hours) ENG 593 Applied Project (3)

Additional Curriculum Information The creative writing program requires 48 credit hours of study evenly divided between writing courses and literature courses designed to inform that writing.

While students are expected to satisfy these requirements in the genre in which they were accepted, the program encourages cross-genre study, and electives can include courses taken outside of the creative writing program or even outside of the English department.

A written comprehensive exam and an applied project are required.

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants should have an undergraduate major in English or creative writing; however, exceptional students who do not have either of these undergraduate majors may be admitted on the basis of writing excellence.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

• graduate admission application and application fee
• official transcripts
• statement of purpose
• resume or curriculum vitae
• three letters of recommendation
• creative manuscript
• statement of teaching philosophy
• academic writing sample
• proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English (regardless of current residency) and has not graduated from an institution of higher learning in the United States must provide proof of English proficiency . Applications will not be processed without valid proof of English proficiency. Please note that official scores must be sent to ASU in order for the application to be processed.

The personal statement should include the applicant's writing background, intended area of specialization and a brief self-evaluation of recent work (double-spaced, up to three pages or 750 words). The creative manuscript should be up to 20 pages of poetry or up to 30 pages of prose (prose should be double-spaced). Students applying for a teaching assistantship must submit a statement of teaching philosophy and an academic writing sample.

Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program has the following program outcomes:

• Create original fiction or poetry that incorporates theoretical and foundational literary knowledge.
• Explicate their creative works articulately.
• Analyze and critique the writing of other creative writers.

A Master of Fine Arts in creative writing graduate is prepared primarily for the professional creation of new art, including fiction, poetry and other written forms. In addition to working as novelists, poets and short story writers, graduates go on to careers in education, arts administration, media and entertainment, and in political and community organizations. Career examples include:

• book designer or marketer
• book or magazine editor
• creative writing professor
• essayist or journalist
• grant writer and developer
• literary or events coordinator
• nonprofit administrator
• public relations and communications manager
• screenwriter
• secondary education teacher

Department of English | RBHL 152 [email protected] 480-727-9130 Admission deadlines

• English Department

MFA in Creative Writing

The MFA in Creative Writing at NAU is an interdisciplinary, full-time, two-year program in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid forms. Students participate in writing workshops, undertake coursework in literature, and study critical theory. MFA candidates present a creative thesis of between 45 to 200 pages, depending on genre. Our program’s vibrant literary culture includes the annual literary journal  Thin Air and the biweekly Cinder Skies Reading Series. Typically the program cohort comprises 30 and 35 students who hail from every region of the U.S., as well as Fulbright scholars, most recently from Lebanon, Lesotho, Iraq, and Russia.

 MODALITY Accordion Closed

Since our founding, we have been primarily a residential, in-person program. Currently we remain primarily in-person and do not offer a fully remote option.

 TO APPLY Accordion Closed

The deadline to apply for admission with funding is February 1. Applications after that date may still be considered for admission, but cannot be considered for tuition waivers or graduate teaching assistantships. 

The most important part of the application is the writing sample. Your writing sample should be 10 pages for poetry and 20 pages for prose or a multi-genre application. Poetry should be single-spaced; prose should be double-spaced. Submitting a longer sample is acceptable, but the committee might not read beyond the 10- or 20-page minimum—basically, it will neither hurt nor help your chances.

Submit strong, fresh work that best represents your writerly voice and current artistic interests and impulses. It may be in a single genre or multiple. Your application will also include a personal statement, which is typically one to two pages, and at least two letters of recommendation, along with the regular requirements for NAU graduate admission (transcripts, etc.) Recommendations can be uploaded directly from recommenders, or you can use a dossier service such as Interfolio (have them sent to [email protected] and we will get them added to your file). Most people solicit one or both of their recommendations from former professors and teachers, but we are flexible and open to a wide range of life experiences that may draw upon other sources of recommendation who can speak accurately to your intellectual curiosity, your character, and your work ethic. If you are applying for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, be sure your recommender comments on your ability or potential for teaching.

Information and the link to apply can be found here: https://nau.edu/graduate-college/admissions/ . 

 THE MFA PROGRAM FACULTY Accordion Closed

Our core faculty of award-winning writers and teachers are all tenured or tenure-track, and we deeply value the art of teaching and mentorship alongside writing and publishing our own ongoing work.

SHERWIN BITSUI ( [email protected] ) teaches poetry and poetics. He is the author of three collections of poetry,  Dissolve (Copper Canyon, 2018) , Flood Song (Copper Canyon, 2009), and  Shapeshift (University of Arizona Press, 2003). He is the recipient of a Whiting Award, an American Book Award, and the PEN Open Book Award. His poems have appeared in Narrative, Black Renaissance Noir, American Poet, The Iowa Review, LIT , and elsewhere. He is Diné of the Todí­ch’ii’nii (Bitter Water Clan), born for the Tlizí­laaní­ (Many Goats Clan), and has received fellowships from the Lannan Foundation and the Native Arts & Culture Foundation. blueflowerarts.com/artist/sherwin-bitsui

CHELSEY JOHNSON ( [email protected] ) teaches fiction and writing for television. She is the author of the novel  Stray City  (Custom House/HarperCollins, 2018), and her writing has appeared in  Ploughshares ,  One Story, Gulf Coast, The New York Times, Elle, and NPR’s  Selected Shorts,  among others. She is the recipient of a Stegner Fellowship from Stanford as well as fellowships to MacDowell, the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and Signal Fire Arts. www.chelseyjohnson.com

LAWRENCE LENHART ( [email protected] ) teaches creative nonfiction, editing and publishing, and climate science writing. He is the author of the essay collections  The Well-Stocked and Gilded Cage  (Outpost19, 2017) and  Of No Ground: Small Island/Big Ocean Contingencies  (West Virginia University Press, forthcoming), and a book-length essay about the black-footed ferret (University of Georgia Press, forthcoming). His prose appears in  Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Gulf Coast, Passages North, Prairie Schooner,  and elsewhere. He is a founding editor of  Carbon Copy  and the reviews editor of  DIAGRAM . www.lawrencelenhart.com

KT THOMPSON ( [email protected] ) teaches creative nonfiction, critical theory, and climate science writing. KT is the author of Blanket (Bloomsbury, 2018) and Contingent Love, Unsettled Futures (Duke University Press, forthcoming.) The recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, their creative nonfiction has appeared in Tin House, LitHub, and The Atlantic online, and their scholarly articles have appeared in Social Text, ISLE, Avidly, and The Philosophical Salon. KT is the creative nonfiction editor of ISLE: International Studies in Literature and the Environment. www.k-thompson.com

NICOLE WALKER , MFA program founder ( [email protected] ), teaches poetry, creative nonfiction, and climate science writing. She is the author of, most recently,  The After-Normal: Brief, Alphabetical Essays on a Changing Planet  (Rose Metal Press, 2019) and the Nautilus Award–winning Sustainability: A Love Story  (Mad Creek Books/The Ohio State University Press, 2018) .  Her previous books include  Where the Tiny Things Are ,  Egg ,  Micrograms, Quench Your Thirst with Salt,  and  This Noisy Egg.  Her work has been published  in Orion, Boston Review, Creative Nonfiction, Brevity, The Normal School  and other places. A recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and noted in multiple editions of Best American Essays , she is the nonfiction editor at Diagram and co-director of the biannual NonfictionNow conference. www.nikwalk.com

THE MFA PROGRAM OF STUDY Accordion Closed

Our program balances writing workshops with literary study to build well-rounded writers and readers. The MFA program of study consists of the following 36 units of credit: •  Four graduate workshops —500- and 600-level creative writing courses (which may be repeated up to three times) (12 units of credit total) • Two courses in literature, critical theory, and/or readings in creative writing (6 units) • Four electives —additional workshops, lit courses, and other graduate courses across the university—chosen with your advisor’s approval (12 units) • Two course blocks of thesis hours (ENG 699) for the research, writing and revision of your thesis (6 units; most people take all 6 in the spring of their second year, but some split it 3-3 between fall and spring)

THE MFA THESIS is a creative work of substantial depth and focus that typically spans anywhere from 40 pages (for a poetry collection) to upward of 200 pages (for a long-form prose manuscript.) An accumulation of what you’ve experienced throughout your MFA, the thesis may include new work as well as writing that has benefitted from the workshop experience. It may take the form of a novel, a memoir, an extended nonfiction narrative, a story collection, an essay collection, a poetry collection, or a multi-genre collection.

 TUITION AND FEES Accordion Closed

In 2022-23, annual tuition and fees for Arizona residents cost $12,640. For non-residents, tuition and fees cost $27,940. Typically, almost all MFA students receive partial or full funding, and we in the program will do everything we can to help you cover tuition costs.

 FINANCIAL AID AND OTHER WAYS TO FUND YOUR STUDIES Accordion Closed

Here are some of the ways our students fund their lives and studies, both within the university system and outside of it. For full information, see https://nau.edu/graduate-college/graduate-assistantships-tuition-waivers/ .

• Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) may be awarded for the first and/or second year of the program. In the first year of teaching, GTAs teach one section of the composition class ENG 105 per semester and work a weekly six-hour tutoring shift in the university writing center. The current GTA stipend is $16,000 per academic year. You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to apply for a GTA. Full details at https://nau.edu/english/resources/graduate-assistantships/ .

In the second year of teaching, GTAs may continue with the 105 + writing center load; or, with approval from the Director of Composition, they may teach two sections of composition per semester, one 105 and one 205; or they may apply to teach introductory creative writing courses. Creative writing teaching positions are limited and competitive.

• At-Large Graduate Assistantships are non-teaching positions offered throughout the university. This is an excellent option for those who do not apply for or receive a GTA. They come with full or partial tuition waivers, benefits, and stipends that vary by office, job duties, and degree-level. Positions are regularly updated at nau.edu/graduate-college/graduate-assistantships-tuition-waivers/

Tuition waivers: A limited number of tuition waivers are available to out-of-state or in-state students who can demonstrate financial need. To present yourself as a candidate for one of these awards, please download the English Department tuition waiver form .

• • If you’re an Arizona resident, apply for a waiver of resident tuition; these waivers cover the cost of in-state tuition for fall and/or spring semester.
• If you are not an Arizona resident, apply for non-resident waivers; these waivers cover only the out-of-state portion of University tuition for fall and/or spring semester. If you are awarded a non-resident waiver, you will still be responsible for paying the in-state portion of tuition.
• Veterans are automatically eligible for in-state tuition, and active-duty military receive Department of Defense tuition assistance. For more info: https://nau.edu/graduate-college/veterans-educational-benefits/
• Full-time employees of NAU and their families receive a full tuition benefit and can take graduate classes at no cost. More here: https://nau.edu/office-of-scholarships-and-financial-aid/employee-tuition-reduction/
• Jobs in Flagstaff: And, of course, graduate students work in the community beyond NAU. Current and recent students hold jobs at bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants, nonprofits, county offices, Grand Canyon river guiding, and more.

THE CREATIVE WRITING CERTIFICATE IN ENVIRONMENTAL NARRATIVE Accordion Closed

Some MFA students choose to incorporate this new certificate into their studies (or even stay a third year to complete it). It can also be taken independently from the MFA as a standalone certificate and/or in conjunction with other graduate programs at NAU.

This new eighteen-credit certificate program trains students to write literary fiction and nonfiction that incorporates scientific inquiry and place-based narratives in order to publish work that speaks to a wide audience interested in ecology, sustainability, and climate change and solutions. Students may work in a wide range of genres, including realism, speculative fiction, nature writing, longform nonfiction, and lyric, braided, and poetic forms. The certificate incorporates writing workshops, literary study, science-centered courses, and field work, and culminates in a capstone writing project.  

Note : Although the MFA program can’t offer GTA funding beyond two years, students who begin the GTA in their second year can continue for a third, and environmental certificate students can apply for at-large GA positions and tuition waivers.

 WHERE WE ARE Accordion Closed

Writing about place is intrinsic to the practice of many of us in the program, faculty and students alike, and northern Arizona is a unique, complex, and beautiful place in which to live and write. Known as Kinłání in the Diné (Navajo) language, present-day Flagstaff was founded in 1882; Northern Arizona University was founded in 1899, and Arizona was declared a state of the U.S. in 1912. Long before and ever since these settler establishments, this land and its surroundings are the homelands of Diné, Hopis, Apaches, Yavapais, Hualapais, and many other Indigenous people who have always lived and continue to live here, and whose practices and spiritualities have always been tied to the land and continue to develop in relationship to the land and its other inhabitants today. Cultural humility, conscientiousness, and respect are paramount for those of us who are guests in this land.

Located at 7,000 feet, Flagstaff today is a complex and multicultural city of mountains, forests, extensive trails, observatories, independent bookstores, coffee shops, excellent public libraries, craft breweries, a strong and supportive arts community, small theater companies, readings and spoken word series, Indigenous activism, historic Route 66, elite athlete training, and astonishing geological diversity. The temperate four-season climate, proximity to the Grand Canyon, walkable historic downtown, and abundant natural beauty contribute to a substantial summer-resident and tourist population—and thus a fairly high cost of living. A detailed and ever-growing list of community resources, arts organizations, recreation, and volunteer opportunities is compiled in our MFA Student Handbook and is available upon request.

Additional questions? Contact the MFA program director at [email protected] or any of the other faculty members listed above.

Department of English

Mailing address.

• Creative Writing Masters Fine Arts
• Application Procedures

MFA Application deadline is  January 1, 2022  (This program admits for fall semester only.)

Justin Petropoulos Program Manager of Creative Writing

Ross Blakley 152 Phone: 480-727-9130 E-mail:  [email protected]

Applicants should have an undergraduate major in English or Creative Writing, with a GPA of 3.00 or above; however, exceptional students who do not have either of these undergraduate majors may be admitted on the basis of writing excellence.

Applicants should  submit all the following materials online  via the  Online Graduate Admissions Application  along with the required application fee.

The application fee online via the Graduate Admissions Application ($70 domestic and $115 international)

Graduate Admissions Application

Personal Statement including your writing background, intended area of specialization, and a brief self-evaluation of recent work, (double-spaced, up to 3 pages or 750 words)

Three letters of recommendation

A personal Résumé or Curriculum Vitae (CV)

A Creative Manuscript Sample: up to 20 pages of poetry or 30 pages of prose (prose should be double spaced)

Please submit all materials for the Teaching Assistant Application packet (complete information available here:  Teaching Assistant application packet ), including  an academic writing sample (10-15 pages, double spaced) along with their statement of teaching philosophy

Note: the Creative Writing Program offers tracks in fiction and poetry; we do not have a creative nonfiction track

Official academic transcripts  must be sent in hard copy  to Admission Services Applicant Processing (see below)

Applications that do not include complete transcripts and the application fee will not be considered.

All application materials must be received by January 1. Selection is based on talent and promise, as demonstrated in the manuscript sample; the academic record; evidence of dedication and potential for growth, from the recommendations and personal statement; and compatibility of the applicant’s goals with the purpose and design of the ASU degree program. In recent years, we have been able to accept the top 3% of applicants.

Transfer of Credits

Subject to the recommendation of the MFA steering committee and the program director, a maximum of nine credit hours taken before admission, not as part of a completed degree at ASU and/or another institution, may be used to fulfill MFA degree requirements. All course work for the ASU Master of Fine Arts in creative writing must be completed within a six-year time limit. Financial aid is not extended beyond the third year.

CRTVMFA - Creative Writing

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Northern Arizona University

Arizona, united states.

The MFA in Creative Writing at NAU is an interdisciplinary, full-time, two-year program in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Students participate in writing workshops and take seminars in literature and critical theory. MFA candidates present a creative thesis of between 45 to 200+ pages, depending on genre. Our program’s vibrant literary culture includes the literary journal Thin Air and the biweekly Cinder Skies Reading Series. Graduate teaching assistantships are available to a select number of students. The deadline to apply for admission with funding is February 1.

Located at an elevation of 7,000 feet on the Colorado Plateau, and among the traditional homelands of several indigenous nations, Flagstaff is a multicultural city of mountains, ponderosa forests, trails, observatories, coffee shops, excellent public libraries, craft breweries, historic Route 66, a temperate four-season climate, astonishing geological diversity, and a strong and supportive arts community.

Contact Information

Box 6032 Creative Writing Program, English Dept. Flagstaff Arizona, United States 86011 Email: [email protected] http://nau.edu/english/mfa-in-creative-writing/

Bachelor of Arts in English/Literature +

Undergraduate program director.

\nThe BA in English is a uniquely flexible major which permits interested students to do coursework in both poetry and fiction writing at all levels. Small special topic seminars are available to seniors.

Minor / Concentration in Creative Writing +

NAU offers undergraduate students workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction writing at all levels. The program offers seniors a capstone course in editing and publishing.

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing +

Graduate program director, nicole walker.

Nicole Walker holds a Ph.D. from the University of Utah and teaches nonfiction, poetry, and editing and publishing. Her books include Processed Meats (Torrey House, 2021), Sustainability: A Love Story (Ohio State, 2018, winner of the Nautilus Award), The After-Normal (Rose Metal Press, 2019), Egg (Bloomsbury, 2017), This Noisy Egg (Barrow Street, 2010), Quench Your Thirst With Salt (Zone 3, 2013), and Bending Genre: Essays on Creative Nonfiction (co-editor, Bloomsbury, 2013). Her work has been published in Orion, Boston Review, Creative Nonfiction, Brevity, The Normal School and The New York Times. A recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, she has been noted in multiple editions of Best American Essays and serves as nonfiction editor at DIAGRAM.

https://nikwalk.com

Sherwin Bitsui

Sherwin Bitsui holds an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts and teaches poetry and indigenous poetics. He is the author of Shapeshift (University of Arizona, 2003), Flood Song (Copper Canyon, 2009), and Dissolve (Copper Canyon, 2019) and has received the Whiting Award, a Lannan Foundation Award, an American Book Award, and a PEN Open Book Award.

https://blueflowerarts.com/artist/sherwin-bitsui/

Lawrence Lenhart

Lawrence Lenhart holds an MFA from the University of Arizona and teaches nonfiction, fiction, and climate science writing. He is the author of the essay collection The Well-Stocked and Gilded Cage (Outpost19, 2017) and the forthcoming Backvalley Ferrets: A Rewilding of the Colorado Plateau (University of Georgia, 2023), Of No Ground: Small Island/Big Ocean Contingencies (West Virginia University, 2024), and Experimental Writing: A Writer's Guide and Anthology (Bloomsbury, 2023, co-authored with WIll Cordeiro). His prose appears in journals like Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Gulf Coast, Passages North, and Prairie Schooner. He has been recognized by the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and his essays have been listed as notable in the Best American Essays series (2015, 2016, and 2018). He is the editor in chief of Carbon Copy, reviews editor of DIAGRAM, and president of the Northern Arizona Book Festival.

https://www.lawrencelenhart.com

KT Thompson

KT Thompson holds a Ph.D. from the University of California-Davis and teaches nonfiction, theory, and literature. They are the author of Blanket (Bloomsbury, 2018) and the forthcoming Contingent Love, Unsettled Futures (Duke University Press.) KT's scholarly and creative work has appeared in The New Inquiry, Social Text, ISLE, Tin House, The Atlantic online, the Philosophical Salon, and Avidly, and they have received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant and a Climate Engagement, Education, and Design grant from ECOSS at NAU. KT is the nonfiction editor at ISLE (International Studies of Literature and the Environment.)

http://www.k-thompson.com

Geetha Iyer

Geetha Iyer received an MFA in Creative Writing & Environment from Iowa State University in 2014. Her work is featured or forthcoming in Orion, Gulf Coast, Ecotone, Story, Split Lip, The Forge, and National Geographic. Her writing has received the O. Henry Award, the James Wright Poetry Award, the Calvino Prize, and the Gulf Coast Fiction Prize. She is an Assistant Professor of English at Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff. She was the 2020-2023 Mellon Science and Nature Writing Fellow at Kenyon College. She was born in India, raised in the United Arab Emirates, and calls Panama a waystation home.

https://geethaiyer.wordpress.com

Oscar Mancinas

https://oscarmancinas.wordpress.com

Publications & Presses +

Thin Air Magazine

Reading Series +

Cinder Skies: A High Desert Reading Series ( https://www.facebook.com/CinderSkiesReadingSeries/ )

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15 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in 2024

May 15, 2024

Whether you studied at a top creative writing university or are a high school dropout who will one day become a bestselling author , you may be considering an MFA in Creative Writing. But is a writing MFA genuinely worth the time and potential costs? How do you know which program will best nurture your writing? If you’re considering an MFA, this article walks you through the best full-time, low residency, and online Creative Writing MFA programs in the United States.

What are the best Creative Writing MFA programs?

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this article, let’s start with the basics. What is an MFA, anyway?

A Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree that usually takes from two to three years to complete. Applications typically require a sample portfolio, usually 10-20 pages (and sometimes up to 30-40) of your best writing. Moreover, you can receive an MFA in a particular genre, such as Fiction or Poetry, or more broadly in Creative Writing. However, if you take the latter approach, you often have the opportunity to specialize in a single genre.

Wondering what actually goes on in a creative writing MFA beyond inspiring award-winning books and internet memes ? You enroll in workshops where you get feedback on your creative writing from your peers and a faculty member. You enroll in seminars where you get a foundation of theory and techniques. Then, you finish the degree with a thesis project. Thesis projects are typically a body of polished, publishable-quality creative work in your genre—fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.

Why should I get an MFA in Creative Writing?

You don’t need an MFA to be a writer. Just look at Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison or bestselling novelist Emily St. John Mandel.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of reasons you might still want to get a creative writing MFA. The first is, unfortunately, prestige. An MFA from a top program can help you stand out in a notoriously competitive industry to be published.

The second reason: time. Many MFA programs give you protected writing time, deadlines, and maybe even a (dainty) salary.

Third, an MFA in Creative Writing is a terminal degree. This means that this degree allows you to teach writing at the university level, especially after you publish a book.

Fourth: resources. MFA programs are often staffed by brilliant, award-winning writers; offer lecture series, volunteer opportunities, and teaching positions; and run their own (usually prestigious) literary magazines. Such resources provide you with the knowledge and insight you’ll need to navigate the literary and publishing world on your own post-graduation.

But above all, the biggest reason to pursue an MFA is the community it brings you. You get to meet other writers—and share feedback, advice, and moral support—in relationships that can last for decades.

Types of Creative Writing MFA Programs

Here are the different types of programs to consider, depending on your needs:

Fully-Funded Full-Time Programs

These programs offer full-tuition scholarships and sweeten the deal by actually paying you to attend them.

• Pros: You’re paid to write (and teach).
• Cons: Uprooting your entire life to move somewhere possibly very cold.

Full-Time MFA Programs

These programs include attending in-person classes and paying tuition (though many offer need-based and merit scholarships).

• Pros: Lots of top-notch non-funded programs have more assets to attract world-class faculty and guests.
• Cons: It’s an investment that might not pay itself back.

Low-Residency MFA Programs

Low-residency programs usually meet biannually for short sessions. They also offer one-on-one support throughout the year. These MFAs are more independent, preparing you for what the writing life is actually like.

• Pros: No major life changes required. Cons: Less time dedicated to writing and less time to build relationships.

Online MFA Programs

Held 100% online. These programs have high acceptance rates and no residency requirement. That means zero travel or moving expenses.

• Pros: No major life changes required.
• Cons: These MFAs have less name recognition.

The Top 15 Creative Writing MFA Programs Ranked by Category

The following programs are selected for their balance of high funding, impressive return on investment, stellar faculty, major journal publications , and impressive alums.

FULLY FUNDED MFA PROGRAMS

1) johns hopkins university , mfa in fiction/poetry.

This two-year program offers an incredibly generous funding package: $39,000 teaching fellowships each year. Not to mention, it offers that sweet, sweet health insurance, mind-boggling faculty, and the option to apply for a lecture position after graduation. Many grads publish their first book within three years (nice). No nonfiction MFA (boo).

• Location: Baltimore, MD
• Incoming class size: 8 students (4 per genre)
• Admissions rate: 4-8%
• Alumni: Chimamanda Adichie, Jeffrey Blitz, Wes Craven, Louise Erdrich, Porochista Khakpour, Phillis Levin, ZZ Packer, Tom Sleigh, Elizabeth Spires, Rosanna Warren

2) University of Texas, James Michener Center

The only MFA that offers full and equal funding for every writer. It’s three years long, offers a generous yearly stipend of $30k, and provides full tuition plus a health insurance stipend. Fiction, poetry, playwriting, and screenwriting concentrations are available. The Michener Center is also unique because you study a primary genre and a secondary genre, and also get $4,000 for the summer.

• Location : Austin, TX
• Incoming class size : 12 students
• Acceptance rate: a bone-chilling less-than-1% in fiction; 2-3% in other genres
• Alumni: Fiona McFarlane, Brian McGreevy, Karan Mahajan, Alix Ohlin, Kevin Powers, Lara Prescott, Roger Reeves, Maria Reva, Domenica Ruta, Sam Sax, Joseph Skibell, Dominic Smith

3) University of Iowa

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is a 2-year program on a residency model for fiction and poetry. This means there are low requirements, and lots of time to write groundbreaking novels or play pool at the local bar. All students receive full funding, including tuition, a living stipend, and subsidized health insurance. The Translation MFA , co-founded by Gayatri Chakravorti Spivak, is also two years long but with more intensive coursework. The Nonfiction Writing Program is a prestigious three-year MFA program and is also intensive.

• Incoming class size: 25 each for poetry and fiction; 10-12 for nonfiction and translation.
• Acceptance rate: 2.7-3.7%
• Fantastic Alumni: Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor, Sandra Cisneros, Joy Harjo, Garth Greenwell, Kiley Reid, Brandon Taylor, Eula Biss, Yiyun Li, Jennifer Croft

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs (Continued) 

4) university of michigan.

Anne Carson famously lives in Ann Arbor, as do the MFA students in UMichigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program. This is a big university town, which is less damaging to your social life. Plus, there’s lots to do when you have a $25,000 stipend, summer funding, and health care.

This is a 2-3-year program in either fiction or poetry, with an impressive reputation. They also have a demonstrated commitment to “ push back against the darkness of intolerance and injustice ” and have outreach programs in the community.

• Location: Ann Arbor, MI
• Incoming class size: 18 (9 in each genre)
• Acceptance rate: 2%
• Alumni: Brit Bennett, Vievee Francis, Airea D. Matthews, Celeste Ng, Chigozie Obioma, Jia Tolentino, Jesmyn Ward

5) Brown University

Brown offers an edgy, well-funded program in a place that only occasionally dips into arctic temperatures. All students are fully funded for 2 years, which includes tuition remission and a $32k yearly stipend. Students also get summer funding and—you guessed it—that sweet, sweet health insurance.

In the Brown Literary Arts MFA, students take only one workshop and one elective per semester. It’s also the only program in the country to feature a Digital/Cross Disciplinary Track.  Fiction and Poetry Tracks are offered as well.

• Location: Providence, RI
• Incoming class size: 12-13
• Acceptance rate: “highly selective”
• Alumni: Edwidge Danticat, Jaimy Gordon, Gayl Jones, Ben Lerner, Joanna Scott, Kevin Young, Ottessa Moshfegh

6) University of Arizona

This 3-year program with fiction, poetry, and nonfiction tracks has many attractive qualities. It’s in “ the lushest desert in the world, ” and was recently ranked #4 in creative writing programs, and #2 in Nonfiction. You can take classes in multiple genres, and in fact, are encouraged to do so. Plus, Arizona’s dry heat is good for arthritis.

This notoriously supportive program is fully funded. Moreover, teaching assistantships that provide a salary, health insurance, and tuition waiver are offered to all students. Tucson is home to a hopping literary scene, so it’s also possible to volunteer at multiple literary organizations and even do supported research at the US-Mexico Border.

• Location: Tucson, AZ
• Incoming class size: usually 6
• Acceptance rate: 1.2% (a refreshingly specific number after Brown’s evasiveness)
• Alumni: Francisco Cantú, Jos Charles, Tony Hoagland, Nancy Mairs, Richard Russo, Richard Siken, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, David Foster Wallace

7) Arizona State University 

With concentrations in fiction and poetry, Arizona State is a three-year funded program in arthritis-friendly dry heat. It offers small class sizes, individual mentorships, and one of the most impressive faculty rosters in the game. Moreover, it encourages cross-genre study.

Funding-wise, everyone has the option to take on a teaching assistantship position, which provides a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a yearly stipend of $25k. Other opportunities for financial support exist as well.

• Location: Tempe, AZ
• Incoming class size: 8-10
• Acceptance rate: 3% (sigh)
• Alumni: Tayari Jones, Venita Blackburn, Dorothy Chan, Adrienne Celt, Dana Diehl, Matthew Gavin Frank, Caitlin Horrocks, Allegra Hyde, Hugh Martin, Bonnie Nadzam

FULL-RESIDENCY MFAS (UNFUNDED)

8) new york university.

This two-year program is in New York City, meaning it comes with close access to literary opportunities and hot dogs. NYU also has one of the most accomplished faculty lists anywhere. Students have large cohorts (more potential friends!) and have a penchant for winning top literary prizes. Concentrations in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction are available.

• Location: New York, NY
• Incoming class size: ~60; 20-30 students accepted for each genre
• Acceptance rate: 6-9%
• Alumni: Nick Flynn, Nell Freudenberger, Aracelis Girmay, Mitchell S. Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, John Keene, Raven Leilani, Robin Coste Lewis, Ada Limón, Ocean Vuong

9) Columbia University

Another 2-3 year private MFA program with drool-worthy permanent and visiting faculty. Columbia offers courses in fiction, poetry, translation, and nonfiction. Beyond the Ivy League education, Columbia offers close access to agents, and its students have a high record of bestsellers. Finally, teaching positions and fellowships are available to help offset the high tuition.

• Incoming class size: 110
• Acceptance rate: not publicized (boo)
• Alumni: Alexandra Kleeman, Rachel Kushner, Claudia Rankine, Rick Moody, Sigrid Nunez, Tracy K. Smith, Emma Cline, Adam Wilson, Marie Howe, Mary Jo Bang

10) Sarah Lawrence 

Sarah Lawrence offers a concentration in speculative fiction in addition to the average fiction, poetry, and nonfiction choices. Moreover, they encourage cross-genre exploration. With intimate class sizes, this program is unique because it offers biweekly one-on-one conferences with its stunning faculty. It also has a notoriously supportive atmosphere, and many teaching and funding opportunities are available.

• Location: Bronxville, NY
• Incoming class size: 30-40
• Acceptance rate: not publicized
• Alumni: Cynthia Cruz, Melissa Febos, T Kira Madden, Alex Dimitrov, Moncho Alvarado

LOW RESIDENCY

11) bennington college.

This two-year program boasts truly stellar faculty, and meets twice a year for ten days in January and June. It’s like a biannual vacation in beautiful Vermont, plus mentorship by a famous writer. The rest of the time, you’ll be spending approximately 25 hours per week on reading and writing assignments. Students have the option to concentrate in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Uniquely, they can also opt for a dual-genre focus.

The tuition is $23,468 per year, with scholarships available. Additionally, Bennington offers full-immersion teaching fellowships to MFA students, which are extremely rare in low-residency programs.

• Location: Bennington, VT
• Acceptance rate: 53%
• Incoming class: 25-35
• Alumni: Larissa Pham, Andrew Reiner, Lisa Johnson Mitchell, and others

12)  Institute for American Indian Arts

This two-year program emphasizes Native American and First Nations writing. With truly amazing faculty and visiting writers, they offer a wide range of genres, including screenwriting, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In addition, each student is matched with a faculty mentor who works with them one-on-one throughout the semester.

Students attend two eight-day residencies each year, in January and July, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At $12,000 in tuition a year, it boasts being “ one of the most affordable MFA programs in the country .”

• Location: Santa Fe, NM
• Incoming class size : 21
• Alumni: Tommy Orange, Dara Yen Elerath, Kathryn Wilder

13) Vermont College of Fine Arts

VCFA is the only graduate school on this list that focuses exclusively on the fine arts. Their MFA in Writing offers concentrations in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction; they also offer an MFA in Literary Translation and one of the few MFAs in Writing for Children and Young Adults . Students meet twice a year for nine days, in January and July, either in-person or online. Here, they receive one-on-one mentorship that continues for the rest of the semester. You can also do many travel residencies in exciting (and warm) places like Cozumel.

VCFA boasts amazing faculty and visiting writers, with individualized study options and plenty of one-on-one time. Tuition for the full two-year program is approximately $54k.

• Location : Various; 2024/25 residencies are in Colorado and California
• Incoming class size: 18-25
• Acceptance rate: 63%
• Alumnx: Lauren Markham, Mary-Kim Arnold, Cassie Beasley, Kate Beasley, Julie Berry, Bridget Birdsall, Gwenda Bond, Pablo Cartaya

ONLINE MFAS

14) university of texas at el paso.

UTEP is considered the best online MFA program, and features award-winning faculty from across the globe. Accordingly, this program is geared toward serious writers who want to pursue teaching and/or publishing. Intensive workshops allow submissions in Spanish and/or English, and genres include poetry and fiction.

No residencies are required, but an optional opportunity to connect in person is available every year. This three-year program costs about $25-30k total, depending on whether you are an in-state or out-of-state resident.

• Location: El Paso, TX
• Acceptance rate: “highly competitive”
• Alumni: Watch alumni testimonies here

15) Bay Path University

This 2-year online, no-residency program is dedicated entirely to nonfiction. Featuring a supportive, diverse community, Bay Path offers small class sizes, close mentorship, and an optional yearly field trip to Ireland.

There are many tracks, including publishing, narrative medicine, and teaching creative writing. Moreover, core courses include memoir, narrative journalism, food/travel writing, and the personal essay. Tuition is approximately $31,000 for the entire program, with scholarships available.

• Location: Longmeadow, MA
• Incoming class size: 20
• Alumni: Read alumni testimonies here

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs — Final Thoughts

Whether you’re aiming for a fully funded, low residency, or completely online MFA program, there are plenty of incredible options available—all of which will sharpen your craft while immersing you in the vibrant literary arts community.

Hoping to prepare for your MFA in advance? You might consider checking out the following:

• Best English Programs
• Best Colleges for Creative Writing
• Writing Summer Programs
• Best Writing Competitions for High School Students

Inspired to start writing? Get your pencil ready:

• 100 Creative Writing Prompts 
• 1 00 Tone Words to Express Mood in Your Writing
• 60 Senior Project Ideas
• Common App Essay Prompts

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs – References:

• https://www.pw.org/mfa
• The Creative Writing MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students , by Tom Kealey (A&C Black 2005)
• Graduate School Admissions

Julia Conrad

With a Bachelor of Arts in English and Italian from Wesleyan University as well as MFAs in both Nonfiction Writing and Literary Translation from the University of Iowa, Julia is an experienced writer, editor, educator, and a former Fulbright Fellow. Julia’s work has been featured in  The Millions ,  Asymptote , and  The Massachusetts Review , among other publications. To read more of her work, visit  www.juliaconrad.net

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University of Arizona

Tucson , AZ

http://english.arizona.edu/index_site.php?id=100

Degrees Offered

Fiction, Poetry, CNF

Residency type

Program length.

42 units (3 years)

Financial Aid

TAships and scholarships available

Teaching opportunities

GATs are selected annually to teach one or two courses each semester in the Writing Program. They are appointed by the Head of the English Department on the recommendations of the program faculties. GATships are typically offered to incoming students and may extend, under terms of reappointment, for 4 semesters. Students may apply for and receive a one-semester extension, depending on academic progress, teaching performance, departmental funding and needs.

Editorial opportunities

Sonora Review, founded in 1980, is edited by graduate students in the program.  Other editorial opportunities include Fairy Tale Review and DIAGRAM, among others.

Cross-genre study

• Beth Alvarado MFA (Fiction) 1989
• Howard Axelrod MFA
• Robert Boswell MFA 1984
• Nina Boutsikaris MFA (CNF) 2015
• Nathaniel Brodie MFA (CNF) 2010
• Sommer Browning MFA (Poetry) 2004
• Kevin Canty MFA (Fiction) 1993
• Francisco Cantú MFA (CNF) 2016
• Maud Casey MFA (Fiction) 1995
• Bruce Cohen MFA (Poetry)
• Michael Collier MFA (Poetry) 1979
• Thomas Dai MFA (CNF)
• Noam Dorr MFA 2012
• Monica Drake MFA
• Joshua Dewain Foster MFA (Fiction/CNF) 2008
• Lee Anne Gallaway-Mitchell MFA
• Philip Gerard MFA (Fiction) 1981
• Perry Glasser MFA (Fiction) 1982
• Becky Hagenston MFA (Fiction) 1997
• Tony Hoagland MFA (Poetry) 1983
• Leslie Johnson MFA
• Lawrence Lenhart MFA (Fiction) 2013
• Natalie Lima MFA (CNF) 2020
• Bethany Maile MFA (CNF) 2011
• Gregory Martin MFA 1997
• Sarah Minor MFA (CNF) 2014
• Thomas Mira y Lopez MFA (CNF) 2014
• Dave Mondy MFA (CNF) 2013
• Matthew Morris MFA (CNF) 2021
• Daniyal Mueenuddin MFA 2004
• Antonya Nelson MFA 1986
• Maddie Norris MFA 2020
• Daisy Pitkin MFA 2012
• David James Poissant MFA (Fiction) 2007
• Eric Puchner MFA (Fiction) 1997
• Ben Quick MFA
• Stephanie Reents MFA (Fiction) 2001
• Craig Reinbold MFA (CNF) 2012
• Susan Fox Rogers MFA
• Richard Russo MFA (Fiction) 1981
• Benjamin Rybeck MFA 2011
• Alberto Ríos MFA 1979
• Timothy Schaffert MFA (Fiction) 1994
• Steven Schwartz MFA
• Michael Sheehan MFA (Fiction) 2009
• Aisha Sabatini Sloan MFA (CNF) 2008
• Justin St. Germain MFA
• Katherine E. Standefer MFA (CNF) 2014
• Donna Steiner MFA
• Margo Steines MFA (CNF) 2021
• Dan Thrapp MFA
• TC Tolbert MFA (Poetry) 2005
• Spring Ulmer MFA (Poetry)
• Corinna Vallianatos MFA (Fiction) 1999
• Holly Welker MFA (Poetry) 1991
• David Wojahn MFA (Poetry) 1980
• Rachel Yoder MFA (Fiction) 2007
• Courtney Zoffness MFA (Fiction)
• Arianne Zwartjes MFA (Poetry)

Send questions, comments and corrections to [email protected] .

Disclaimer: No endorsement of these ratings should be implied by the writers and writing programs listed on this site, or by the editors and publishers of Best American Short Stories , Best American Essays , Best American Poetry , The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Pushcart Prize Anthology .

Get your B.A. in Creative Writing

About the Major

Study the genres of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction while developing skills for creative written expression.

Learn how to write well-crafted and compelling works of prose or poetry

Work with faculty in small workshop settings

Learn about contemporary prose or poetry

A Creative Writing degree, which is offered by the Department of English, prepares you for a wide range of occupations! Many grads write for business, industry, and marketing; teach; publish their own creative work; or go on for their MFA.

• Speech writer
• Grant writer

Hands-on Learning

As part of your major, you will take numerous workshops to hone your creative writing skills. You can also participate in creative internships at places such as World of Words, Pine Reads Review, Literacy Connects, and KORE Press.

For your major, you will concentrate in poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, or just take a mixture. Sample courses include:

• ENGL 201: Introduction to the Writing of Creative Nonfiction
• ENGL 215: Elements of Craft in Creative Writing
• ENGL 304: Intermediate Fiction Writing
• ENGL 373B: Survey of British and American Literature from 1660 to 1865
• ENGL 380: Literary Analysis
• ENGL 409: Advanced Poetry Writing

You will also take at least four writing workshops, in which you draft, analyze, and revise manuscripts in a small-class setting

Ready to learn more?

• See degree requirements
• Learn about the Department of English

Get in touch with an SBS advisor:

Laura Owen [email protected]

Email Laura

University of Arizona Fully Funded MFA in Creative Writing

University of arizona, college of social & behavioral sciences.

The University of Arizona College of Social & Behavioral Sciences MFA offers a three-year program in three genres (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction) with active encouragement to work across and between them. All accepted students receive full funding through a 3-year graduate teaching assistantship. The assistantship includes tuition remission, health insurance, and a stipend of approximately $16,100 per academic year. In addition, MFA students are eligible to apply for summer teaching opportunities, summer research grants, and small grants for student research (writing) and travel to conferences. Each year, monetary prizes and awards are given to MFA students for the best individual story, essay, and set of poems written.

• Deadline: Dec 15, 2024 (Confirmed)*
• Work Experience: Any
• Location: North America
• Citizenship: Any
• Residency: United States

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Creative Writing MFA Graduate Reading

Students graduating from the University of Arizona MFA in Creative Writing program read from their work. It takes place at noon on Sat, May 7 at the Rubel Room in the Poetry Center and will also be livestreamed. More information .

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The NYU Creative Writing Program

is among the most distinguished programs in the country and is a leading national center for the study of writing and literature.

Graduate Program

The graduate Creative Writing Program at NYU consists of a community of writers working together in a setting that is both challenging and supportive.

Low Residency MFA Workshop in Paris

The low-residency MFA Writers Workshop offers students the opportunity to develop their craft in one of the world's most inspiring literary capitals.

Undergraduate Program

The undergraduate program offers workshops, readings, internships, writing prizes, and events designed to cultivate and inspire.

Spring 2022 Reading Series

The lively public Reading Series hosts a wide array of writers, translators, and editors, and connects our program to the local community.

Creative Writing Program

Low-residency mfa writers workshop in paris, undergraduate, washington square review, literary journal, a sample residency calendar, write in paris, scholarships and grant opportunities, program of study, dates and deadlines, creative writing, recent highlights from the mfa community.

• Alum Bruna Dantas Lobato   won the 2023 National Book Award in translation

• Faculty member Sharon Olds received the Joan Margarit International Poetry Prize from King Felipe VI in July 2023

• Alumni  Tess Gunty  and  John Keene   each won a 2022 National Book Award in fiction and poetry , respectively

• Books by faculty members  Sharon  Olds  and  Meghan O'Rourke;  and alums  Tess Gunty, John Keene ,  and  Jenny Xie  were named finalists for the 2022 National Book Awards; books by alum  Rio Cortez and faculty member Leigh Newman were also longlisted

• Alum  Ada Limón   has been named the nation's 24th Poet Laureate  by the Library of Congress

• Alum  Amanda Larson 's debut poetry collection  GUT  was selected by Mark Bibbins as the winner of the Poetry Society of America Norma Farber Book Award

• Alum  Sasha Burshteyn  was named a 2022 winner of the 92Y Discovery Prize. Alums Jenna Lanzaro and JinJin Xu were also named semi-finalists for the prize.

• Alum Clare Sestanovich was selected as a  2022 5 under 35 Honoree  by the National Book Foundation

• Alum  Maaza Mengiste  was awarded a  2022 Guggenheim Fellowship

• Visiting graduate faculty member  Brandon Taylor 's collection  Filthy Animals  was named a 2021/22  finalist for The Story Prize  and was shortlisted for the  2022 Dylan Thomas Prize

• Alum  Raven Leilani  won the 2021 Clark Fiction Prize, Dylan Thomas prize, the 2020 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and the Center for Fiction 2020 First Novel Prize for her debut novel  Luster,  and was named a finalist for the 2021 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, the Gotham Book Prize, the 2021 PEN/Hemmingway Award for Debut Novel, the 2021 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award

• Alum Desiree C. Bailey 's debut poetry collection  What Noise Against the Cane  was longlisted for the 2022 Dylan Thomas Prize and was also named a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award in Poetry and the 2022 Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and was published as the winner of the 2020 Yale Series of Younger Poets

• Senior faculty member  Sharon Olds  was named the 2022 recipient of the Poetry Society of America's Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime achievement in poetry

You can read more MFA Community news here and find a list of forthcoming and recently published books by alumni here .   NYU CWP alumni include  Aria Aber, Amir Ahmadi Arian, Julie Buntin, Nick Flynn, Nell Freudenberger, Aracelis Girmay, Isabella Hammad, Ishion Hutchinson, Mitchell S. Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, John Keene, Raven Leilani, Robin Coste Lewis, Ada Limón, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Maaza Mengiste, John Murillo, Gregory Pardlo, Morgan Parker, Nicole Sealey, Solmaz Sharif, Peng Shepherd, Ocean Vuong, Jenny Xie,  and  Javier Zamora. 

Announcements

Ocean Vuong joins the NYU Creative Writing Program Faculty

Mary Gabriel, Author of “Ninth Street Women”, Receives the NYU/Axinn Foundation Prize

Claudia Rankine joins the NYU Creative Writing Program Faculty

Classic podcasts from the lillian vernon reading series.

Anne Carson

Zadie Smith and Jeffrey Eugenides

Terrance Hayes

Where to find us.

Faculty Spotlight

Jeffrey Eugenides is the author of acclaimed novels The Virgin Suicides, Middlesex, and The Marriage Plot. His latest collection is Fresh Complaint. 

Foer was listed in Rolling Stone's "People of the Year," Esquire's "Best and Brightest," and The New Yorker's "20 Under 40" list.

Darin Strauss is the author of several acclaimed novels, including the most recent The Queen of Tuesday: A Lucille Ball Story.

Terrance Hayes’s most recent publications include American Sonnets for My Past And Future Assassin and To Float In The Space Between.

Hari Kunzru is the author of six novels, including the most recent Red Pill, and White Tears, a finalist for the PEN Jean Stein Award.

Sharon Olds is a previous director of the Creative Writing Program. Her 2012 collection Stags Leap was awarded the T.S. Eliot Prize and a Pulitzer.

Ocean Vuong is the author of the bestselling novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous and the poetry collection, Night Sky with Exit Wounds.

Claudia Rankine is a recipient of the 2016 MacArthur Fellowship, and the author of six collections including Citizen and Don’t Let Me Be Lonely.

Katie Kitamura’s most recent novel Intimacies was longlisted for the National Book Award and named a Best Book of 2021 by numerous publications.

Humanities Institute hosts Writing Studio to foster community, craft

Photo courtesy of Pexels

The myth of the solitary scholar is just that: a myth.

To kick off the fall semester, the Humanities Institute at Arizona State University, in partnership with The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ humanities division; the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (SHPRS); the School of International Letters and Cultures (SILC); and the Department of English, is changing the story by convening community through the Writing Studio .

Beginning Aug. 30, each Friday morning, faculty and graduate students will gather at the Humanities Institute at Ross-Blakley Hall on ASU’s Tempe campus, with many others joining from across the country and from around the world on Zoom. Together, they will work to complete individual projects ranging from dissertation proposals to complete book chapters, op-ed essays and fictional prose.

The Writing Studio is led by Christopher Jones , associate professor of history in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies. Jones has long worked with the professional writing coach Rich Furman to cultivate a strong strategy and intentional approach to accomplishing scholarly writing goals. With the Writing Studio, Jones brings this knowledge to the wider ASU community, helping faculty to expand their publishing enterprise and graduate students to meet their dissertation project milestones.

“(The Writing Studio) provides faculty and graduate students a welcoming space to develop writing projects, learn new habits to overcome writing obstacles, build community and enhance their research,” Jones said.

Crucially, it is the uncommon opportunity to bring students and faculty together to accomplish shared goals in community with one another that most defines the spirit of the series.

PhD candidate Farah Najar Arevalo, a doctoral candidate of innovation in global development in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, said, "I joined the Writing Studio during the writing phase of my master’s applied project. I learned how to set writing habits and that some writing challenges are shared, and we are not alone. Now that I am working on my doctoral dissertation, I am grateful to Dr. Chris Jones and the Humanities Institute team who make this space possible, and I promote it with my school peers over and over like a broken record.”

The summer iteration of the Writing Studio continues a series that meets weekly at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters, and biweekly in May and June. Recent publications developed in the studio have appeared in leading journals in the humanities and humanistic social sciences, including Communication Design Quarterly, the Journal of Applied Psychology, the Quarterly Journal of Speech, and Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance.

Underscoring the Writing Studio’s importance to the mission of the Humanities Institute (HI), Professor of English Ron Broglio said, “HI is thrilled to see the Writing Studio flourish as a space for fostering collaborative scholarly endeavors and for providing valuable support for our faculty and graduate students. Such an investment is underscored by the sustaining support of The College’s division of humanities alongside SHPRS, SILC and (the Department of) English.

"We look forward to seeing the growth and success of the Writing Studio as it continues to empower and inspire.”

The fall 2024 iteration of the Writing Studio meets in person (with a virtual option) every Friday, Aug. 30 through Sept. 27. All are welcome.

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