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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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MFA Creative Writing

Readings & Events are where writers meet writers.

May The Fourth Be With You

Apr 27th, 2018 by Coleen

May is less than four days away! Let’s all wear Karate suits and dance around May pole to celebrate flowers and sunshine 😉 The zodiac prophesies that there will be a mind blowing event on May 4th.

You are suspicious?! It’s really happening  in University of Notre Dame, and the graduating seniors with a Creative Writing Concentration will read selections from their excellent theses. Here are the bios of these cool writers:

Alison Bartoszewicz is a writer, a sprinter, a painter, a yoga instructor, and a really amateur juggler. Her thesis, The Island of Misfit Humans Sings its Anthem of Rapport, is a collection of short stories about the “strangers” who point us homeward. Next fall, Alison will be teaching English at Finca del Niño in Trujillo, Honduras.

Katie Campbell is a senior English major with a minor in Gender Studies and a concentration in Honors Creative Writing. This year she’s been focused on writing her senior thesis, a collection of narrative poems called wanderchild. She enjoys telling stories in any and all forms, and loves the emotional connection that poetry can form with reader. She would like to thank Professors Joyelle McSweeney and Valerie Sayers for continually inspiring her.

Neil Lewis misses the warmth of Raleigh, and to cope with this she spent her four years at ND reading and thinking about reading and talking about reading and writing, writing, writing. This fall she will continue doing this, except this time with middle schoolers in Humboldt Park, Chicago. She’s excited about this. She’s also excited about building and riding bikes, doing barrel rolls in her kayak, thinking about iterations of the impending apocalypse, and bird identification.

Theresa McLean is a senior English major with an Honors concentration in Creative Writing. Her senior thesis is the first part of a longer novel in the fantasy genre. She loves fiction because it can give its reader an experience they might never get the chance to experience in their life or is impossible because it would only be able to happen in the world the author created. She especially loves fantasy because it has the power to immerse the reader in a different world and give the reader the experience of being the protagonist fighting through all the challenges and coming out stronger because of them. She strongly believes that fiction has the power to inspire and strengthen those who read it.

Anna Poltrack is a senior English and Film major, concentrating in Honors Creative Writing. Her senior thesis is a science fiction novel about family, human rights, and personal culpability in a world largely populated by androids. Anna is interested in works of sci-fi because they provide a platform on which contemporary issues can be examined without having to be too explicit. She is also interested in short stories, especially flash fictions, because it is a form that continues to mystify and bamboozle her.

Hannah Provost is a writer and a rock climber from New Hampshire, and when she’s not constructing story she’s trying to fully live hers. In the coming year, Hannah will work as a Humanities Teaching Fellow at Culver Academies. Her prose has been published or is forthcoming in Re:Visions, Dime Show Review, and Indiana’s Emerging Writers anthology.

Andrea Vale is a senior English major with a minor in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy, originally from Mansfield, MA. Her thesis, a fiction manuscript, is a war novel without the war: it explores tropes of the infallible ‘lone man,’ the haunted returned veteran, and themes of communication and egocentrism. Andrea plans on pursuing a career as a freelance foreign correspondent after graduation.

Elizabeth Walter a senior English major and Business Economics minor. She has been exploring many types of short writing forms in her years at Notre Dame, including flash fiction, poetry, and short stories. The collection of poems she put together for her thesis is meant to shed a light on the frequency with which women deal with problems such as sexual assault and the fallouts of mental illness. In the future, she will continue writing in her spare time and is attending Notre Dame Law School this fall.

Meghan Watts is a senior English major at Notre Dame, with a concentration in Creative Writing. She will also graduate this month with a Supplementary Major in Gender Studies and a minor in Education, Schooling, and Society. Each of these disciplines of study have had a decided influence on her fiction thesis, “Girl Talk,” which considers the way that communication and silence intersect in female friendships to explore the ways in which these ideas might interact with the traditional components of the bildungsroman. This project, which was advised by Dr. Roy Scranton, uses vignettes, micro fictions, and conversations to illustrate young women and friendships in transition.

The reading will be from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on May 4th in Hammes Campus Bookstore.

I will see you there.

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MFA Thesis Reading

Winter is particularly harsh for night owls, including me. When we stay up late with endless papers and deadlines, we are at least glad that the spring is coming, and we can throw off our winter coats soon. When we are so exhausted and collapse on bed without thinking about quilts, we make a fatal mistake. The winter strikes the next morning, and we are too frozen to find our precious blankets. We really wish we can undergo mutation to have thick fur of bears, so we can sleep despite our misinterpretations of the season.

But the good news is, despite the false sign, the spring is eventually coming, and please mark May 3rd in your calendar, a day with a event that will definitely inspire you to crawl out of the bed in the first month of the *actual* spring 😉

The MFA thesis reading is happening on May 3rd, featuring top-notch poetry and fiction of graduating MFA students. Over 2017 -2018 academic year, they have enriched workshops with idiosyncratic writing styles, and have successfully defended their thesis. Now it’s time to celebrate and hear their excellent work. Here are the bios of these fabulous writers:

Abigail Burns earned her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she studied English literature, creative writing, and rhetoric. Her writing primarily focuses on how grief and loss work to shatter our sense of normality. Queer rhetorical theory and writers like James Baldwin, Jeanette Winterson, and Toni Morrison, all influence her work. Abby’s other interests include social movements, intersectional feminism, migration studies, and cheese curds.

Erik-John Fuhrer is inspired by hybrid forms of literary expression that elide literary and generic boundaries. In his own work, he is interested in destabilizing the boundary between the human and the nonhuman. His work has recently appeared in venues such as Crab Fat, Noble/Gas Qrtrly, Dream Pop Press, BlazeVox, and elsewhere.

Madison McCartha’s work has appeared or is forthcoming in Black Warrior Review, DREGINALD, Full-Stop, jubilat, Yalobusha Review, The Pinch, and elsewhere. He has served both as Asst. Editor and Design Editor for Cream City Review, and became the Poetry Editor for Storm Cellar.

Ingabirano Nintunze is a writer, artist, and theatre-maker from Portland by way of Austin. She majored in English Literature and Telecommunication Media Studies at Texas A&M University, where she won undergraduate writing awards in poetry and fiction. She’s a second year MFA in Creative Writing, and in 2019 will be researching as a playwright in New Zealand as a Fulbright scholar. Her writing explores urban and suburban magic, the natural world, belief systems, comparative mythologies, and bridging the mundane with the fantastic.

After graduating high school in northern Michigan, Daniel Tharp attended Kirtland Community College for a year before graduating from Pittsburg State University with a Bachelors of Arts degree and a Masters Degree. In June, 2017 his essay, “Thomas McGonigle: A Lineage of Literary Intimidation,” was published as the lead essay for the Hollins Critic. He currently attends Notre Dame as the Prose Fellow, and will graduate May, 2018 with his Master of Fine Arts degree.

Daniel Uncapher is an MFA candidate at Notre Dame and Sparks prize winner from Water Valley, Mississippi whose work has appeared or is forthcoming in Tin House Online, Chicago Quarterly Review, Baltimore Review, Hawai’I Pacific Review, A-Minor Magazine, Wilderness House, and others.

Jean Yoon: Who or what is Jean? Where did Jean come from? Extruded from some recombination of biological will-to-existence and hashed through the haphazard mechanics of globalism’s recursivity, Jean makes use of their uselessness using the most-abused material known to capital-m Man–that is, language. Thusly do they attempt to celebrate and soften the haphazard violence that attends living in this version of the world. Jean’s literate mark-making can be found in journals like jubilat, open letters monthly, poetry is dead, spf lit mag, hypocrite reader, and others.

The reading will be held in in Eck Center Auditorium on Thursday from 7:00PM – 9:00p.m. on May 3, 2018. I will see you there!

A De-Stressor

Apr 17th, 2018 by Coleen

Did you know that April 18 is national stress awareness day? What better time to celebrate than the end of the semester, and what better way to de-stress than to have a poet come and share their work?

Anais Duplan is the author of a full-length poetry collection, TAKE THIS STALLION (Brooklyn Arts Press, 2016), and a chapbook, MOUNT CARMEL & THE BLOOD OF PARNASSUS (Monster House Press, 2017). Their poems and essays have appeared in Hyperallergic, PBS News Hour, the Academy of American Poets, Poetry Society of America, Fence, Boston Review, The Journal, and elsewhere. Duplan is also an artist and curator who has organized exhibitions at the Distillery Gallery, Elastic Arts, Disjecta, the Radical Abacus, Public Space One, and at Mengi in Reykjaviik, Iceland. Their visual works have appeared or are forthcoming in group exhibitions at Flux Factory, Thomas Robertello Gallery, Daata Editions, the 13th Baltic Triennial in Lithuania, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in LA.

See you there, hopefully not stressed,

A Reading by Jeff VanderMeer

Apr 16th, 2018 by Coleen

Good news: The End of World is coming, and we will soon be released from our existential crisis! Just kidding, we still have to grapple with this strange world where a random dude will risk being crashed by a car and preach his own “end of world” prophecy with a huge bell on the road when the traffic is the worst. However, aren’t you curious about what apocalypse looks like? Will it actually be what the biblical account said that angels will knock at your window at 5 a.m., while you shout that it is not time to work yet, and they will drag you out with your dinosaur pajamas so you don’t have a chance to put your nice suit and spray your perfume to be presentable in front of God? Or will all of us just sunk into a bottomless black hole where you saw $$ falling out when banks were torn because they are too big to fit in the hole and you hope it can happen before the end of the world?

At least, fiction writers are interested in the concept of apocalypse. Jeff VanderMeer’s trilogy  Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance  centers a apocalyptic world beset by environmental damages, and the narrative of survival occurred within that world. All the characters in the novels are  identified by their job titles rather than names. From their journals, we can glimpse into their anxiety about uncertainty of their fate in their exploration of Area X (which resembles a wasteland) after the mysterious codes that revealed to them and the unexpected disappearance of their team members. The innovative and disturbing narrative is worth checking out when Jeff VanderMeer will come to read at Notre Dame.

VanderMeer will read from his latest novel, Borne, at the Eck Center on Wednesday, April 25, 2018, at 7:00PM, and discuss the making of the film Annihilation at a screening at DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 26, 2018, at 7:00pm. These events are free and open to the public.

Jeff VanderMeer is the 2016-2017 Trias Writer-in-Residence for Hobart-William Smith College. His most recent fiction is the NYT-bestselling Southern Reach trilogy ( Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance),  which won the Shirley Jackson Award and Nebula Award. The trilogy made over 30 year’s best lists, including Entertainment Weekly’s top 10, and prompted the  New Yorker  to call the author “the weird Thoreau.” The trilogy has been acquired by publishers in 28 other countries, with Paramount Pictures acquiring the movie rights. VanderMeer’s nonfiction has appeared in the  New York Times , the  Guardian , the  Washington Post , the Atlantic.com, and the  Los Angeles Times . He has taught at the Yale Writers’ Conference and the Miami International Book Fair, lectured at MIT, Brown, and the Library of Congress. His forthcoming novel from Farrar, Straus and Giroux is titled  Borne . He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, with his wife, the noted editor Ann VanderMeer.

A three-time World Fantasy Award winner and 15-time nominee, VanderMeer  serves as the co-director of Shared Worlds, a unique teen SF/fantasy writing camp located at Wofford College and now entering its tenth year. Previous novels include the Ambergris Cycle, with nonfiction titles including Wonderbook, Booklife, and The Steampunk Bible. Widely regarded as one of the world’s best fantasists, Jeff VanderMeer grew up in the Fiji Islands and spent six months traveling through Asia, Africa, and Europe before returning to the United States. These travels have deeply influenced his fiction. He is the recipient of an NEA-funded Florida Individual Artist Fellowship for excellence in fiction and a Florida Artist Enhancement Grant.

His wife Ann VanderMeer was the fiction editor for Weird Tales for five years and won the Hugo for her work there. She now serves as an acquiring editor for Tor.com. She is also an award-winning publisher, and co-editor with Jeff on Best American Fantasy 1 and 2, Fast Ships, Black Sails (pirates), Steampunk 1 and 2, New Weird, The Weird, The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, The Time Traveler’s Almanac, and many more. Together, they have taught writing workshops and given lectures all over the world. This literary “power couple” (Boing Boing) has been profiled on Wired.com, NYT blog, and on national NPR.

Ann and Jeff live in Tallahassee, Florida, with two cats.

The reading will be on Wednesday April 25 th , 2018, at 7:00 p.m. in the Eck Center Auditorium.

Best, Lavinia

The Last MFA Reading

Apr 13th, 2018 by Coleen

Do you love to run in soft moss with bare feet when you are toddler? Do you believe that there are little mysterious creatures in them? While most of our childhood imagination might only extend to what lives exist in the moss, few people will heed the ground beneath the moss, and incorporate *mother earth* in the myth making. However, our talented poet Jake Schepers’s poetry series “Ugly Ground, Swell Moss”  focuses on the dynamic between the ground and the moss on multiple (biological, philosophical, and erotic) levels, and introduce readers to “ugly” yet appealing ground that the moss and other plants vie for.

If you have been to carnivals, you’ll know that you see strange spectacles, including girls with cat ears dancing. But Kimberly Swendson’s poems will take you to a more idiosyncratic carnival with a performer throwing kneecaps to audiences. Her poetry plays with bilingualism, sexual violence, abject and diverse themes in unique imagery.

It’s indeed a misery thing to be the only person who survives the apocalypse and exhausts the last bit of energy through mass destruction of furniture out of fear for existential loneliness. However, the apocalyptic world in Patricia Hartland’s poetry is entirely different. There are more than one survivor, and undisturbed by the sinister outlook of the desolate world, they conducts acts of travesty (jonny sprouted prongs/for extra arms! willow/kept a leopard in the street!”). Her poems also have performative quality with a chorus of voice intersecting on the page.

Here is a bio of these three wonderful poets:

Patricia Hartland went to Hampshire College for a BA in Comparative Literature and Poetry, and just earned an MFA from the Iowa Translation Workshop where she translated poetry, prose, and theatre from French, Martinican, and sometimes Hindi/Urdu. Her thesis was a critical introduction and translation of Shenaz Patel’s  The Silence of Chagos , a polyphonic fiction of reportage. She is currently basking in Hélène Cixous’  Manna , which is a conjuration of dissipated self-borders and actioned poetics—residues of word alchemy that make her excited to try writing, too.

Jacob Schepers is a graduate of Calvin College and the University at Buffalo. He is also a doctoral candidate in English at the University of Notre Dame and holds a graduate minor in the History and Philosophy of Science. His interests include lyric theory, elegy, embodied cognition and performance, and the role of science and technology in poetry. While completing his MA at the University at Buffalo, he was a winner of the 2013 Outriders Poetry Project Competition for his book,  A Bundle of Careful Compromises , published by Outriders in 2014. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in  PANK ,  Verse ,  Dream Pop ,  The Destroyer , and  The Common , among others.

Kimberly Swendson is a Colorado native poet with roots in Santa Fe, NM where she has lived seasonally for six years. There she managed a local biodynamic, organic produce business for Mesa Top Farm cultivating heritage vegetables and working as a cattle hand. She also owns and operates a small kennel, Mesa Top Berners, breeding show-quality Bernese Mountain Dogs.

As recent graduate of CU Boulder,  Baby,  served as her honors thesis and first major collection of poetry, which can be found online at  homeofbaby.wordpress.com . Her poetic interests include translation, domesticity and space, and lyric’s place in contemporary writing. In the not too distant future, she hopes to pursue routes in publishing and PhD work in contemporary Italian literature.

If you want a trio of moss on ground, carnival and the post-apocalyptic land, come to our last first year MFA reading this semester at 620 Clinton St. South Bend (house of the unofficial mayor of South Bend!) on April 20th 2018. The doors open at 7 p.m. , and poetry reading is from 8 to 9 p.m.

I will see you there!

Anais Duplan’s Reading

Apr 11th, 2018 by Coleen

I have never ridden a horse until my junior year in high school, where I stayed in the farmland in rural Arkansas for half a year. I was quite nervous when a farm owner taught me how to ride. Before the ride, I always used carrots to bribe the horses for good behaviors on my ride. Sometimes I was afraid though, that they would mistake my fingers for carrots. One time on a ride, my horse was quite calm at the first, but after the while, it started to sprint for whatever stimuli that alerted it. I panicked it, and pulling the string was no use either. Luckily, I didn’t fall off the horse and remained mostly unscathed except a scratch by a tree branch. I think the optimal rider should be a dog rather than an experienced human rider, because dogs are intelligent and horses won’t conspire against an animal. Next time, I will rely on a furry rider and be more chill on the horse back.

Anyways, my point is I will constantly fail in my attempt to take a stallion . It is an cool phrase, isn’t it? In Anais Duplan’s “Take That Stallion”, the stallion’s implications extends not only to animals that serve as instruments of war, but only bestiality of soldiers released in the battles. Other than scenes of war that imbues violence with beauty, her poetry also takes on diverse voices. The first poem of “Take That Stallion” is written in the perspective of Kim Kardashian, and utilizes dialogue to narrate the complex dynamic in the wealth family. Other poems take on the voices of violent persona, and delve into their distorted psychology.

Here is the bio for this idiosyncratic poet:

Anaïs Duplan  was born in Jacmel, Haiti. Anaïs Duplan is the author of a full-length poetry collection, Take This Stallion (Brooklyn Arts Press, 2016) and a chapbook, Mount Carmel and the Blood of Parnassus (Monster House Press, 2017). Their poems and essays have appeared in Hyperallergic, on PBS News Hour, the Academy of American Poets, Poetry Society of America, Fence, Boston Review, The Journal, and in other publications. Duplan is also an artist and curator who has facilitated exhibitions at the Distillery Gallery, Elastic Arts, Disjecta, the Radical Abacus, Public Space One, and at Mengi in Reykjavík, Iceland. Their visual works have appeared or are forthcoming in group exhibitions at Flux Factory, Thomas Robertello Gallery, Daata Editions, the 13th Baltic Triennial in Lithuania, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in LA. Anaïs is the founder of the Center for Afrofuturist Studies, an artist residency program for artists of color in Iowa City and is the joint Public Programs Fellow at the Museum of Modern Art and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

The reading will be on Wednesday April 18 th , 2018, at 7:30 p.m. in the Hammes Bookstore.

I will see you there,

Acapella Jams?

Apr 10th, 2018 by Coleen

Happy International Barbershop Quarter Day!

That’s April 11. Are you in a barbershop quartet? Me neither. Would you care to be in one? Me neither. Do they even perform in barbershops? I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a real barbershop quartet. I’ve only ever seen them on film and television. I don’t think there’s any reason to observe this holiday.

I’m going to go to Johannes Göransson’s translation reading instead. He’ll read from a range of translation projects on April 11, at Hammes Campus Bookstore. Among the translated projects will be Hackers by Aase Berg, Which Once Had Been Meadow by Ann Jaderlund, the special Swedish poetry issue of the journal Interim ( https://www.interimpoetics.org/ ), Karantanen Ater Min Kropp, by Sara Tuss Efrik, and more.

I’ll be there, I hope you come, if you don’t have plans to watch four guys sing in a barbershop.

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A Hole-in-One Reading

Apr 4th, 2018 by Coleen

The 2 nd Day of the Masters begins on Friday the 6 th . I wonder who’ll be out in front. Tiger is supposed to stage an epic come-back this year, but that viral video of Jordan Speith skipping the ball over the water hazard looked pretty ridiculous. Will the weathered veteran edge out the young prodigy? Will a no-name arrive on the scene at Augusta and catapult himself to super-stardom? Who knows? Who cares? Good question.

What do golf and public readings have in common? They both feature reserved clapping. Nobody in the world really feels lukewarm about either event; like golf, a reading is sounds like the most boring or most interesting thing you could do with your weekend, depending on your taste. Both feature tiny projectiles launched at lethal speeds across acres of manicured landscape. The list goes on.

So teeing off at 7:30 in the Duncan Student Center will be Christina Leo, Anne Malin Ringwalt, and Lavinia Xu.

Christina graduated from Louisiana State University in 2015 with degrees in English and Mass Communication, concentrating in Creative Writing and Journalism, respectively. Once a student of oil painting and travel writing in Florence, Italy, she interned with LSU Press and Country Roads Magazine, then worked for two years as a staff writer for a lifestyle magazine, inRegister, where she interviewed a 101-year-old Olympic sprinter, a Vietnamese pilot who twice thwarted death, and an Aurora Shooting survivor, among others. During that time, she also served as a mentor for New South Story Lab, a nonprofit offering free creative writing workshops for local high school students who love a good Star Wars reference.

Anne Malin Ringwalt is a writer and musician. A graduate of Emerson College, Ringwalt is particularly interested in poetry, prose, philosophy and performance. Her poetry appears in Hobart, Rogue Agent, Vinyl and Talking River, and her chapbook “Like Cleopatra” was published by dancing girl press in 2014. Her prose appears in the Adroit Journal and DUM DUM Zine: Punks and Scholars, and was recognized by the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program in 2013. She makes music with Fawn and co-curates Petoskey Memory, a collaborative arts and community project. AM can be found floating between Southeastern Wisconsin, Northern Michigan and Southern California.

Lavinia Xu was born in Nanjing, China, and she earned her BA from Ohio State University where she studied English Literature, Creative Writing and Logistics. She started to write poetry in her freshman year when a composition class sparked her interest in poetry. Her poetry explores Chinese identities/myths, and subversive potential of fairytales. Her work has appeared in Paris American. She is co-editor of Off The Coast, an online poetry magazine that features voices of both marginalized and foreign writers, and Farrago, which is cofounded by her and her fellow poets in Ohio.

So join us in the Duncan Student Center, Meeting Room 1 North w134, Friday, April 6, and remember to wear a green jacket.

Teju Cole’s Reading

Mar 19th, 2018 by Coleen

Hi all, welcome back from spring break! Hope you all get some time off to travel, and find efficient ways to avoid dangerous situations despite misleading signs. If you find it so hard to settle back into school/job (sometimes coffee won’t do the job), and want to relive your travelling experience a bit more, come to Teju Cole’s reading in which he will read books on travelling back and forth between Nigeria, U.S. and Europe, as well as how culture encounters help different protagonists perceive their lives in new angles. Here is the bio of the celebrated writer Teju Cole:

Teju Cole is a writer, art historian, and photographer. He is the Distinguished Writer in Residence at Bard College and photography critic of the New York Times Magazine. He was born in the US in 1975 to Nigerian parents, and raised in Nigeria. He currently lives in Brooklyn. He is the author of four books.

His novella,  Every Day is for the Thief , was named a book of the year by the New York Times, the Globe and Mail, NPR, and the Telegraph, and shortlisted for the PEN/Open Book Award. His novel,  Open City , also featured on numerous book of the year lists, and won the PEN/Hemingway Award, the New York City Book Award for Fiction, the Rosenthal Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Internationaler Literaturpreis, and was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the New York Public Library Young Lions Award, and the Ondaatje Prize of the Royal Society of Literature. His essay collection, Known and Strange Things, was shortlisted for both the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay and the inaugural PEN/Jean Stein Award for “a book that has broken new ground by reshaping the boundaries of its form and signaling strong potential for lasting influence.”  Known and Strange Things  was named a book of the year by the  Guardian, the Financial Times, Time Magazine , and many others. His most recent book is  Blind Spot  (June 2017), a genre-crossing work of photography and texts.

His reading will be from 6:00PM – 7:30PM on Thursday March 22 in Eck Center Auditorium, and I will see you there!

An Opening of Literary FLOODgates

Feb 23rd, 2018 by Coleen

It’s raining and flooding all over South Bend, so get your canoe or raft or kayak or paddleboard or whatever it is you us, because a reading will be held anyway!

So if it’s Monday night at 7:30 PM, come dry off in the warmth of the Hammes Campus bookstore and hear some groundbreaking fiction from Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi.

Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi is  the author of Fra Keeler and Call Me Zebra. She is the winner of a 2015 Whiting Writers’ Award, a National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” honoree, the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship, a Fulbright Fellowship in Fiction to Catalonia, Spain, and a Fellowship from the Institució de les Lletres Catalanes in Barcelona. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review, Guernica, BOMB , and the Los Angeles Review of Books Quarterly Journal , among other places. She has lived in Iran, Spain, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, and currently teaches in the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing at the University of Notre Dame.

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Creative Writing MFA alumni spotlight: Tom Coyne ('00)

Published: October 31, 2022

Author: Paul Cunningham

“It's difficult to overstate the impact that the Notre Dame creative writing program had on my life. I entered the program at age 22, terrified, hoping I could somehow hold my own in workshop. I left with a stack of papers that got me an agent that got me a book deal that became a movie and more books, because Notre Dame gave me the time and community and just enough confidence to chase what I'd been otherwise convinced was an unreasonable life. My mentors at Notre Dame showed me what I did well, but more importantly, they taught me my shortcomings, and that awareness has guided just about every sentence I've written since.”

Tom Coyne's ('99) latest book A Course Called America was released by Simon & Schuster in May and had a brief life on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. John Paul Newport of The Wall Street Journal calls  A Course Called America a "heartfelt, rollicking ode to golf [...] Coyne describes playing golf in every state of the union, including Alaska: 295 courses, 5,182 holes, 1.7 million total yards. Along the way, he dives deep into the essence of the game—its joys, its agonies and addictions, its hold on golfers’ souls. But most of what you’ll remember after putting the book down are the people he encounters, in all their great American diversity and passion.” Kirkus Reviews describes  A Course Called America  as "oozing with rich golf history and lore [...] a delightful, entertaining book that even nongolfers can enjoy."  Publishers Weekly calls it "an entertaining blend of travelogue, memoir, and sports writing." 

Coyne left his teaching post at St. Joseph's University to take a position as Senior Editor at The Golfer's Journal , and last August he hosted poet laureate Billy Collins on a trip across Ireland for an upcoming travel documentary. Follow him on Twitter: @coynewriter

Originally published by Paul Cunningham at english.nd.edu on October 25, 2022 .

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2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

By LivingUnderABigRock December 4, 2023 in Literary

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LivingUnderABigRock

The process begins , figured I would start a thread on here with a story.

I just submitted to one of my top choices with a letter that references another school! It's very brief and the rest of the letter references the correct school, but take this as a sign that mistakes happen and it's okay to give yourself some space! Always have someone else read over your letter and other materials. I must have gone over mine ten times and still missed this, despite checking everything else and keeping a mostly unique letter for each school. Who knows if this will be enough to deny me flat out, I'm sure my very poor writing will be enough lmao!

Either way, best of luck to everyone. December 15th is still a few weeks away, but would love to hear from how everyone's doing and share responses.

P.S: Seems like UTK is the first school most will hear any news about since they have a first and second round system. I have seen some hear on being moved to the second round as early as December 16th. Obviously not an acceptance but a good sign that there is some quality to your writing that a school might be interested in.

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February 29

Crying in front of two hundred construction workers and I can’t tell them why because they wouldn’t understand. But you people will.  Irvine!

mr. specific

February 20

Got into Michigan! Crazy. Just an email notification. Not complaining, but I thought they'd call. l

jadedoptimist

February 21

Oh my god guys. Oh my god. I'm on the Syracuse waitlist!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone! I guess I'm just going to post my stats and schools... Talking about this process seems to make it a little less scary, and I've found some solace in reading through last year's thread, so it's only proper that I pay it forward.

I'm 22 years old and one year out of undergrad, where I got a BS in biology and minored in CW. I have one short story published in a lit magazine. I've only applied for fully-funded programs, all of them in fiction. Ten total! They're ASU, UMn, UW-M, UW-S, NAU, UNLV, UNLV-R, SFU, BSU, and OSU. 

I'm trying to temper my expectations--I realize it's extremely unlikely that I'll get into any of these programs--but I hope I get at least one 'a!' 

Wishing all of you the best of luck! 

just heard back from poetry faculty at UIUC that i’m on the waitlist!

i didn’t think i had a chance so this is great news!! still waiting to hear back from 7 other schools… wishing everyone so much luck :’)

EDIT: if anyone has any tips on waitlist formalities (i.e following up w/ the school) or any stories about being on MFA waitlists please let me know!

• darr1 , seeleimraum and triciadawn

Applied to 11 programs + a Hail Mary to Stegner and am now just anxiously awaiting results starting next month. I did: Indiana-Bloomington, UW-M, Michener, Zell, Iowa, NYU, Brown, JHU, UVA, Syracuse, Vanderbilt. This is my first year applying. I’m 36 and on my second career and have kids, I have low expectations for this year but also just want to know any information at all so I can know what my next year will look like. 

• BowserNintendo

Hey folks! Excited and scared out of my mind for this process and honored to be in your company. I’m 26, graduated in 2020 with a BA in Education and minor in Asian Studies. Applied to Brown, Cornell, Michigan, Michener, New Writer’s Project, Sarah Lawrence, Iowa, UMass Amherst, and UW-M for fiction and Northwestern for CNF. I have done minor literary stuff (published an essay and short story) but have never held a fellowship, internship, residency, etc or anything of the sort  

0a /0w/0r/10p

Good luck everyone! 

decayingballads21

Hi, all! I thought I'd help keep this thread going too after reading last year's thread! This will be my first year applying after contemplating for years (I've been a Draft lurker since 2016). Applied to Arkansas, Ole Miss, Minnesota State, BU, New School, Columbia, Hunter, and UNCG for fiction. And the usual suspects: Iowa, Michigan, UW-M, NYU. Very excited for results to come out! Best of luck to everyone! 

0a/0w/0r/12p

seeleimraum

~Hi folks, this is my second time applying to poetry MFA programs (first attempt was during undergrad 5 years ago): Iowa, UMichigan, Cornell, Vandy, UOregon, Indiana Univ, UC Irvine, Virginia Tech, UIdaho, UNCG, UMontana, USouth Carolina, UC Boulder.  0a/0w/0r/13p - biting my nails and ordering a weighted blanket in the meantime. Good luck y'all!~

Hey everyone, this is my first time applying as I'm finishing my undergrad this year! I applied in poetry to Cornell, Brown, Michigan, Iowa, Vanderbilt, Michener, Northwestern and Virginia. Good luck all!!!!

Wishing everybody the best this cycle!!

First time applicant, lurked for a couple years now. Have seen enough amazing writers apply multiple years that I’m keeping my expectations healthy 😅 Applying in poetry to Iowa, Michigan, Syracuse, Indiana, Minnesota, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Michener, Arizona, and UC-Irvine.

0a/0w/0r/10p

I see a lot of people applying to UofM I know it's a great program, but does anyone have any insight as to if their admissions team favors in-state residents? I have seen sources say that for undergraduate UofM is twice as likely to admit someone from Michigan rather than an out-of-state student, and I wonder if this carries over in some ways? 

Would be good to know if this is true with other schools as well. Or maybe it would make people more anxious to know that this has an effect! haha

Either way, Best of luck to everyone!

• decayingballads21 and Jim VK

3 hours ago, BasilicaHands said: I see a lot of people applying to UofM I know it's a great program, but does anyone have any insight as to if their admissions team favors in-state residents? I have seen sources say that for undergraduate UofM is twice as likely to admit someone from Michigan rather than an out-of-state student, and I wonder if this carries over in some ways?    Would be good to know if this is true with other schools as well. Or maybe it would make people more anxious to know that this has an effect! haha   Either way, Best of luck to everyone!    

I don’t think location is a factor in MFA admissions. The most important thing is your writing sample. 

bluebikeyikes

Hi everyone! I'm applying to 7 programs for CNF in the U.S.: OSU, SAIC, Wash U., Northwestern (MFA + MA), Oregon State, U. of Pittsburgh, and U. of Washington. I've also applied to all three programs in Canada. Best of luck everyone! 

0A/0W/0R/11P

18 hours ago, bluebikeyikes said: Hi everyone! I'm applying to 7 programs for CNF in the U.S.: OSU, SAIC, Wash U., Northwestern (MFA + MA), Oregon State, U. of Pittsburgh, and U. of Washington. I've also applied to all three programs in Canada. Best of luck everyone!  0A/0W/0R/11P

Hey everyone!  bluebikeyikes, glad to see another CNF applicant. I’m applying to all those US schools as well (just not u Washington)

Best of luck to everybody! 

justasmidge

Also wishing the best for everyone this cycle! 

First time applicant, but if I got in, this would be my second master's. I got my first one ten years ago and am happy to have a career that I love in transportation policy and planning. But I've always loved to write and after attending a few writing workshops last year, I feel it's time to make good on that. What has been fascinating about this admissions process is that there is a lot of camaraderie and a really good spirit of people wanting to help others out. I can certainly say that for public administration back when I was applying in 2012, I didn't know any of my fellow applicants. It is certainly a very welcome difference : D 

I'm specifically applying to NYC-based programs as I'm in a position in my career where I can't leave, both for professional and financial reasons. Thankfully, I'm used to a schedule where chaos reigns as I also was a full-time student with a full-time job during my first master's degree and used to be a campaign organizer where I was working 80+ hour weeks. I know it's going to be a lot but if I get in, I'll figure it out. 

I'm applying to fiction tracks of NYU, Columbia, Stony Brook, Brooklyn, The New School, Sarah Lawrence, Hunter, and City College of New York. 

Does anyone else wish that they could put down musicians as writing influences? I honestly would love to put Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus down because they've really inspired me but I don't want to veer too off course. 

• SarahRuth and triciadawn

2 hours ago, decayingballads21 said: Hey everyone!  bluebikeyikes, glad to see another CNF applicant. I’m applying to all those US schools as well (just not u Washington) Best of luck to everybody! 

Wow, that's great! I'm glad to see another CNF applicant applying to these programs as well!

1 minute ago, bluebikeyikes said: Wow, that's great! I'm glad to see another CNF applicant applying to these programs as well!

Me too!! I haven’t seen many. How are you feeling about your apps and the whole process?? Idk why I’m more nervous bc I feel like there’s less CNF applicants but also feel like everyone’s amazing so idk. I’m scared!! But excited. But scared!

9 minutes ago, decayingballads21 said:   Me too!! I haven’t seen many. How are you feeling about your apps and the whole process?? Idk why I’m more nervous bc I feel like there’s less CNF applicants but also feel like everyone’s amazing so idk. I’m scared!! But excited. But scared!

I'm definitely feeling anxious as well! I only have one app left (U of Washington Bothell) and it's wild to think that OSU might get back to us in as soon as ten days! I'm scared haha. But also excited to meet more amazing writers no matter my next step looks like!

Just now, bluebikeyikes said: I'm definitely feeling anxious as well! I only have one app left (U of Washington Bothell) and it's wild to think that OSU might get back to us in as soon as ten days! I'm scared haha. But also excited to meet more amazing writers no matter my next step looks like!

It’s nice to meet you!! And I wish you the best of luck.

I know I’m literally so nervous about OSU. That’s my top program 😭 fingers crossed for us!!  what are your top programs? 

34 minutes ago, decayingballads21 said: It’s nice to meet you!! And I wish you the best of luck. I know I’m literally so nervous about OSU. That’s my top program 😭 fingers crossed for us!!  what are your top programs? 

It's nice to meet you too! And yes, best of luck, OSU is a great program! I hope we get in : )

Honestly, I would be grateful to get any fully funded offer as I only applied to schools that I'm excited for. Right now, I'm slightly leaning towards Northwestern and U of Washington as they have MFA + MA and I'm interested in integrating critical/theoretical aspects into my writing

On 1/12/2024 at 3:32 PM, justasmidge said: Also wishing the best for everyone this cycle!  First time applicant, but if I got in, this would be my second master's. I got my first one ten years ago and am happy to have a career that I love in transportation policy and planning. But I've always loved to write and after attending a few writing workshops last year, I feel it's time to make good on that. What has been fascinating about this admissions process is that there is a lot of camaraderie and a really good spirit of people wanting to help others out. I can certainly say that for public administration back when I was applying in 2012, I didn't know any of my fellow applicants. It is certainly a very welcome difference : D  I'm specifically applying to NYC-based programs as I'm in a position in my career where I can't leave, both for professional and financial reasons. Thankfully, I'm used to a schedule where chaos reigns as I also was a full-time student with a full-time job during my first master's degree and used to be a campaign organizer where I was working 80+ hour weeks. I know it's going to be a lot but if I get in, I'll figure it out.  I'm applying to fiction tracks of NYU, Columbia, Stony Brook, Brooklyn, The New School, Sarah Lawrence, Hunter, and City College of New York.  Does anyone else wish that they could put down musicians as writing influences? I honestly would love to put Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus down because they've really inspired me but I don't want to veer too off course.   

Hey, fellow NYC schools applicant here! I used to live in the city and I’ve been dying to move back!   

Hi everyone!

Longtime(ish) lurker finally compelled to make an account. It's awfully quiet in here and the wait is grating. I am a first-time applicant to fiction programs. I hope everyone is holding up well. Sending you all good luck!

sunnysequoia

Hello everyone! Lovely to see fellow nonfiction candidates here. I'm nearly 27, five years out of undergrad where I completed my B.A. in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis, and a first-time applicant.

I'm applying to what may be an excessive number of 16 programs LOL. I was torn between pragmatically wanting full funding and the fantasy of pursuing my writing dreams in New York. Even after acknowledging that it wouldn't be smart to pursue an MFA in a program where I'd be worrying about outrageously high living costs and massive debt, I couldn't bring myself to not apply to my New York schools. In the end, I figured I might as well apply, and if I get in, I can decide then whether I can make it work.

My fully funded schools are: UMass Amherst, Rutgers U Camden (full funding available but not guaranteed), U of Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Miami U, U of Minnesota, U of Iowa, Wash U St. Louis, U of Arizona, and Oregon State. The rest are Sarah Lawrence, Hunter College, NYU, The New School, U of San Francisco, and SF State. (I did rule out Columbia due to the enormous class size, lack of funding, and ludicrous $110 application fee. The last was also the case for NYU, and I applied there only after I received a fee waiver for another school. I decided that I wasn't going to apply to two schools with such an exorbitantly high fee that they feel entitled to charge just because they are a private, for-profit university, and I preferred NYU over Columbia.)

I'm three-quarters of the way done with my applications. Only ones left are Rutgers, Hunter, USF, and SFSU with deadlines through mid-February. I'm so mentally checked out at this point that I'm just not stressing over my remaining ones LOL, especially since 3 of them are for non-fully funded programs. I likely won't apply to them on the off chance that I am accepted into any fully funded program before their respective deadlines.

Good luck to everyone in this process!

0a/0w/0r/12p/4 still applying  🙃

• triciadawn and Chex

There was a fiction acceptance in draft just posted, for Ohio state. Does anyone know if fiction, poetry and CNF acceptances come out separately or at the same time? I’m so nervous 

46 minutes ago, decayingballads21 said: There was a fiction acceptance in draft just posted, for Ohio state. Does anyone know if fiction, poetry and CNF acceptances come out separately or at the same time? I’m so nervous 

According to the notification spreadsheet from last year, it looks like results for CNF & poetry came out around the 19th over a few days, with acceptances coming out first, then waitlists, then rejections for all genres on the 25th. No results for fiction acceptances in the spreadsheet, as far as I can see. 

3 hours ago, Chex said: Hi everyone! Longtime(ish) lurker finally compelled to make an account. It's awfully quiet in here and the wait is grating. I am a first-time applicant to fiction programs. I hope everyone is holding up well. Sending you all good luck!  

I know it’s been so quiet this year compared to previous cycles! Best of luck to you too! Where did you apply? 

• Chex and GoldenTree

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Universities

University of Notre Dame

MFA in Creative Writing

University of Notre Dame, Indiana

College of Arts and Letters

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Fully Funded MFA Programs in Creative Writing

As part of our series  How to Fully Fund Your Master’s Degree , here is a list of universities that have fully funded MFA programs in creative writing. A Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing can lead to a career as a professional writer, in academia, and more.

Fully funded MFA programs in Creative Writing offer a financial aid package for full-time students that includes full tuition remission as well as an annual stipend or salary during the entire program, which for Master’s degrees is usually 1-2 years. Funding usually comes with the expectation that students will teach or complete research in their field of study. Not all universities fully fund their Master’s students, which is why researching the financial aid offerings of many different programs, including small and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad, is essential.

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Here is the list of 53 universities that offer fully-funded MFA programs (Master’s of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing.

University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL): Students admitted to the MFA Program are guaranteed full financial support for up to 4-years. Assistantships include a stipend paid over nine months (currently $14,125), and full payment of up to 15 credit hours of graduate tuition.

University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ): All accepted MFA students receive full funding through a graduate teaching assistantship for 3 years. This package includes tuition remission, health insurance, and a modest stipend (in 2018 it was about $16,100 per academic year).

Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ): 3-year program. All students admitted to the MFA program who submit a complete and approved teaching assistantship application are awarded a TA by the Department of English. Each assistantship carries a three-course per year load and includes a tuition waiver and health insurance in addition to the TA stipend ($18,564 per year). In addition, students have diverse opportunities for additional financial and professional support.

University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR): Four-year program. Teaching assistantships currently carry an annual stipend of $13,500 for students with a BA. TAs also receive a waiver of all tuition costs and teach two courses each semester. Nearly all of our accepted students receive TAs. Additionally, the students compete each year for several fellowships.

Boise State University (Boise, Idaho): 3-year fully funded MFA program dedicated to poetry and fiction. All students receive a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a Teaching Assistantship with a stipend of $11,450 per year.

Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH): 2-year program, graduate assistantships (including stipend and scholarship) are available for all eligible face-to-face students. 100% tuition scholarship. Graduate stipend (the 2020-21 stipend is $11,500).

Brown University (Providence, RI): All incoming MFA students received full funding. All graduate students receive a fellowship that pays a monthly stipend and provides tuition remission, the health fee, and health insurance. The stipend for the 2020-2021 academic year is $29,926. Also, students in good standing receive a summer stipend of $2,993.

Boston University (Boston, MA): Tuition costs will be covered for every admitted student for the MFA degree in the BU Creative Writing Program. In addition, admitted students will receive university health insurance while they are enrolled, and all admitted students will receive stipend support of roughly $16,000 for the academic year.

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY): All MFA degree candidates are guaranteed 2 years of funding (including a stipend, a full-tuition fellowship, and student health insurance).

University of California Irvine (Irvine, CA): 3-year program. The Department is committed to providing 3 full years of financial support to all domestic students in the MFA Programs in Writing. Financial support for MFA students is given in the form of Teaching Assistantships providing full tuition coverage as well as University health insurance. Students will earn an estimated $22,569 for the academic year.

University of California San Diego (La Jolla, CA): MFA in Writing students are eligible for financial support if they study full-time, maintain good academic standing and make timely progress toward the degree. All students are eligible for full funding, including international students provided they meet the English language certification requirement for teaching assistants.

University of California Riverside (Riverside, CA): All incoming students are granted a full fellowship and stipend for their first year. After the first year, students receive full tuition and a salary through teaching assistantships.

Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL): 3-year program. All of the MFA students qualify for a position as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. The GTA position comes with a tuition waiver and a stipend. The standard stipend is $9,000, but some enhanced stipends are available. The Graduate College offers several fellowships for current graduate students.

Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL): The majority of students receive support in the form of a teaching assistantship and are provided with a stipend, a tuition waiver, and a health-insurance subsidy. MFA students receive a three-year assistantship. For 2022-23, MA/MFA stipends will be $16,400, and typically these amounts go up each year. Also, The FSU Graduate School offers several fellowships and awards.

Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville, GA): The MFA Program offers workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, and students take cross-genre workshops. All students admitted to the MFA program receive a Graduate Assistantship for all 3 years that includes a stipend and tuition remission.

University of Houston (Houston, TX): MFA students can receive a teaching assistantship for 3 years. Starting salary for MFAs is $17,935/9 months. Students in the Creative. As part of the assistantship, students are awarded either a Graduate Tuition Fellowship, which remits tuition, or a Creative Writing Program Fellowship, which covers the cost of tuition.

University of Idaho (Moscow, Idaho): All English Teaching Assistants (TA’s) are offered full tuition waivers. Teaching Assistants are given a stipend of $14,000 per year. Also offers three scholarships and three outstanding fellowships to support qualified MFA, graduate students.

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL): Three-year MFA program. Students accepted into the MFA program will receive full tuition waivers, guaranteed teaching assistantships.

Indiana University (Bloomington, IN): M.F.A. programs offer a generous teaching package to creative writing students. All applicants receive consideration for appropriate fellowships that will carry a stipend of about $19,000, plus tuition and fee-remission that covers roughly 90% of the cost of enrollment.

Iowa State University (Ames, IA): 3-year MFA program. Starting half-time 20 hours per week teaching assistantships for MFA students total $19,250 over 10 months and also receive a full-tuition waiver scholarship (approximate value $10,140) and health insurance coverage. The department has several resources available through which to offer fellowships and scholarships to qualifying new students.

University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA): 2-year residency program. Financial assistance is available for all students enrolled in the program, in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. Most fellowships and assistantships provide either tuition scholarships or full tuition remission.

John Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD): 2-year program. All students receive full tuition, health insurance, and a generous teaching fellowship, currently set at $30,500 per year. Some students work as assistant editors on The Hopkins Review. They often win prizes such as Stegner Fellowships or grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

University of Maryland (College Park, MD): This 3-year program accepts 8 applicants who are fully funded by Teaching Assistantships for up to three years of graduate study. Our aid packages include a stipend of about $20,000 per academic year and 60 credit hours of tuition remission.

Miami University (Oxford, OH): All students admitted to the MFA program in Creative Writing hold generous Graduate Assistantships (which include a summer stipend). Non-teaching assistantships may also be available.

University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL): An intensive two-year study with a third year option. The James Michener Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships support all our graduate students. Awards include a full tuition waiver and annual stipend of $18,915.

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI): All MFA students accepted into the program are offered a full tuition waiver, a stipend of $23,000/yearly as well as $5,000 in summer funding, and health care benefits. Additionally, various fellowships and prizes are awarded each year to MFA students.

University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN): All admitted MFAs receive full funding, in the form of teaching assistantships or fellowships. Teaching assistantships carry a full tuition waiver, health benefits, and a stipend of about $18,600. Also, a variety of fellowships are available for graduate students.

University of Mississippi (University, MS): All of our students are fully funded.  We offer two main sources of funding, the Grisham Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships.

University of Nevada Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV): 3-year program. All MFA students admitted to the Creative Writing International program at UNLV are offered Graduate Assistantship funding of $15,000 per year (which includes in-state tuition and provisions for health insurance).

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL): Funding is provided for 3 full years, summers included. Tuition is covered by a tuition scholarship during any quarter in which you are receiving a stipend.

University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN): Every student admitted to the MFA receives a full-tuition scholarship, a fellowship that carries a full stipend of $16,000 per year and access to a 100% health insurance subsidy.

North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC): A two-year, fully-funded program, They accept only about a dozen students each year and offer full funding in the form of a graduate teaching assistantship to all eligible admitted applicants.

Ohio State University (Columbus, OH): All admitted students are fully funded for our 3-year MFA program in Creative Writing. In addition, all students receive either a graduate teaching associateship, a Graduate School fellowship or a combination of the two. For graduate teaching associateships, the student receives a stipend of at least $17,000 for the nine-month academic year.

University of Oregon (Eugene OR): A two-year residency MFA program. All incoming MFA students funded with a teaching appointment. Student instructors receive tuition remission, monthly stipends of approximately $18,000.

Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR): All students admitted to the MFA program will automatically receive a standard teaching Graduate Teaching Assistantship contract, which provides full tuition remission and stipend of approximately $12,800 per year to cover living expenses. In addition to tuition remission, all graduate students have the option to receive 89% coverage of health insurance costs for themselves and their dependents.

University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA): 3-year MFA program. All students admitted to the program will receive Teaching Assistantships for two or three years. All Teaching Assistantships include salary, medical benefits, and tuition remission.

Rutgers University–Newark (Newark, NJ): Each full-time incoming student receives in-state Tuition Remission and a Chancellor’s Stipend of 15K per year. Students are also eligible for Teaching Assistantships, and Part-Time Lectureships teaching Comp or Creative Writing. Teaching Assistantships are $25,969 (approximate) plus health benefits.

University of South Florida (Tampa, FL): 3-year program. MFA students receive a tuition waiver, a teaching assistantship that comes with a stipend, and enrollment in group health insurance.

Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, IL): Almost all MFA students hold graduate assistantships, which provide stipends for the academic year and full remission of tuition. The annual stipend, which comes with tuition remission, ranges from $13,000 to $14,500.

Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY): Three-Year M.F.A. in Creative Writing. All students are fully funded. Each student admitted receives a full-tuition scholarship in addition to an annual stipend of $17,500.

University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC): 3-year MFA program. The MFA at Carolina is pleased to provide fellowship and/or assistantship funding to all accepted students, earning our program the designation of “fully funded” from Poets and Writers.

University of Tennessee — Knoxville (Knoxville, TN): There is no cost to apply to the MFA program. All of our PhD candidates and MFA students are fully funded, with generous opportunities for additional financial support.

University of Texas in Austin (Austin, TX): All students in the New Writers Project receive three years of full funding through a combination of teaching assistantships (TA), assistant instructorships (AI), and fellowship support. The complete package includes full tuition remission, health insurance, and a salary.

University of Texas James Michener Center (Austin, TX): A three-year, fully funded residency MFA program that provides full and equal funding to every writer. All admitted students receive a fellowship of $29,500 per academic year, plus total coverage of tuition.

Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN): Each year a small, select class of talented writers of fiction and poetry enroll in Vanderbilt’s three-year, fully-funded MFA Program in Creative Writing. The University Fellowship provides full-tuition benefits, health insurance, and a stipend of $30,000/yearly. In 2nd year and third-year students have the opportunity to teach for one semester.

University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA): Three-year MFA program. Students will receive fellowship support and/or teaching income in the amount of $20,000 each academic year, as well as full funding of your tuition, enrollment fees, and the health insurance premium for single-person coverage through the university.

Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA): Three-year MFA degree offers tracks in Poetry and Fiction, and all students are fully and equally funded via GTA-ships of more than $20,000 per year.

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO): Because of selectivity and size they are able to offer all the new students full and equal financial aid for both years in the program in the form of a University Fellowship, which provides a complete tuition waiver plus a stipend sufficient for students to live comfortably in our relatively inexpensive city. All MFA students receive health insurance through Washington University.

Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY): Three-year, fully-funded, residential MFA program in creative writing offering generous assistantships, which will allow MFA students to gain valuable experience tutoring and teaching.

West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV): A three-year program. All Master of Fine Arts students receive a full tuition waiver and an assistantship, which includes a stipend valued at $16,750.

Wichita State University (Wichita, Kansas): Most of the MFA students are GTAs who teach two composition classes each semester. They pay no tuition, receive $4,250 each semester and may buy discounted health insurance. The MFA program also awards two $12,500 fellowships each year.

University of Wisconsin–Madison (Madison, WI): All accepted MFA candidates receive tuition remissions, teaching assistantships, generous health insurance, and other financial support. In addition to the approximately $14,680 paid to each MFA annually in exchange for teaching, every MFA candidate will receive another $9,320 in scholarships each year.

University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY): All of our full-time MFA students are fully funded with two-year graduate assistantships. Currently, assistantships include a stipend of $12,330 per academic year, a tuition and fees waiver, and student health insurance. Students also receive summer stipends of up to $2,000 for the summer.

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University of Notre Dame

Department of English

College of Arts and Letters

Exploring the worlds within words

From the Bible to Station Eleven , from Frederick Douglass to Rupi Kaur, reading makes us who we are. Through close attention to language and form, the study of literature, and the practice of creative writing, scholars and writers in the Department of English explore how we make meaning together.

Meet our faculty

Major in English

Creative Writing at Notre Dame

Explore our Graduate Programs

As a student here, you will work with faculty at the leading edge of their fields, gain access to excellent resources, receive generous support, and participate in a dynamic and inclusive intellectual community.

A Curious Mind: Joseph Earl Thomas ’19 MFA looks at life through many lenses

August 29, 2024

Creative Writing MFA Alumni Spotlight: Betsy Cornwell ('12)

August 16, 2024

Newberry Fellowship and NEH award bolster Matthew Kilbane's search for archival insights about poetry

August 07, 2024

MVP Fridays – Javier Zamora: "What can immigrant stories teach us?"

Time: Fri, Sep 20 at 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location: Geddes Hall Andrews Auditorium

Creative Writing Reading Series ft. Michael Dumanis and Bianca Stone

Time: Wed, Sep 25 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Location: 232 Decio Commons

Kroc Institute Book Launch for Sandra Gustafson: Peace in the US Republic of Letters, 1840-1900

Time: Thu, Sep 26 at 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Location: C103, Hesburgh Center for International Studies

Irish Literature Lecture: Clair Wills, "Making Sense of the Missing: The Family, the Church and 'the Home' in Twentieth-century Irish society"

Time: Fri, Sep 27 at 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Location: Hesburgh Center Auditorium