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Pacific University

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MFA Program

Poetry: Ellen Bass, Eduardo C. Corral, Kwame Dawes, Danusha Laméris, Dorianne Laux, Shara McCallum, Joseph Millar, Mahtem Shiferraw

Fiction: Claire Davis, Siddhartha Deb, Jack Driscoll, Pete Fromm, Frank X. Gaspar, Molly Gloss, Cate Kennedy, Valerie Laken, Mary Helen Stefaniak, Willy Vlautin, Kellie Wells

Nonfiction: Chris Abani (multi-genre), Sanjiv Bhattacharya, Claire Dederer, W. Ralph Eubanks, Mike Magnuson, Kao Kalia Yang

The program offers merit and need-based scholarships, including the Kwame Dawes Mapmakers Scholarship, to exceptional students of color and the Katherine Dunn Scholarship, awarded to exceptional female students in need. The program also offers teaching associate positions to MFA graduates. In addition, the program offers the Mapmakers Teaching Assistantship and the Mapmakers Alumni Institute, teaching and ongoing outreach opportunities for students and alumni who’ve been awarded the Mapmakers Scholarship.

Students attend two 10-day residencies each year, in January and June, and one final 10-day residency at the end of the program. The June residency takes place at the Pacific University campus in Forest Grove, Oregon, and the January residency takes place in the beachside resort town of Seaside, Oregon. The program hosts a nightly reading series, lectures, panels, roundtable discussions, and the annual storytelling event BoxerSlam. Other features include the opportunity to take an elective semester in disciplines such as digital publishing, playwriting, or screenwriting.

The priority application deadline is September 1 for the spring term and March 1 for the fall term. The program accepts applications two and a half months after the priority deadlines for each semester, December 1 and May 31 for respective semesters.

As part of the program’s mission to welcome writers from underrepresented communities, we offer a Masterclass for Writers of Color, online, once per term.

Jamaica Baldwin, Michelle Bitting, Catherine-Esther Cowie, Anastasia Edel, Bryan Allen Fierro, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Pingmei Lan, Mariana Lin, Marti Mattia, Rooja Mohassessy, Lisa Allen Ortiz, Deborah Reed, Leigh Camacho Rourks, Sam Roxas-Chua

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Forest Grove, Hillsboro & Eugene Campuses Closed

Update: Pacific University’s Forest Grove, Hillsboro and Eugene campuses, and all Pacific healthcare clinics, remain closed all day Friday, Jan. 19. More Details

MFA News | Master of Fine Arts in Writing

For breaking news, please follow us on Twitter  and join us on Instagram .

Alumni News--Highlights ​​​​​

• New Story Collection -- Mary Salisbury (Fiction, 2010).  Salisbury is announcing the publication of her story collection  Side Effects of Wanting , forthcoming from The Main Street Rag publishing company. 
• NEA Fellowship   -- Jamaica Baldwin  (Poetry, 2017).  Baldwin is one of 35 writers who received the 2021 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship . Baldwin’s poetry has appeared in the Missouri Review and TriQuarterly , as well as many other magazines and publications. She is also the winner of the 2021 RHINO Poetry Editors Prize for her poem, “Father Weaver.”  
• New Poetry Collection --   Adrienne Christian  (Poetry, 2011).  Christian has released her latest collection, Worn (Santa Fe Writer’s Project 2021). Her work has appeared in Prairie Schooner , Hayden’s Ferry Review , CALYX , phoebe , The Los Angeles Review as The Editor’s Choice, and other journals and magazines. She is the author of two other poetry collections: 12023 Woodmont Avenue (Willow Books 2013) and A Proper Lover (Main Street Rag 2017). She is a fellow of both Cave Canem and Callaloo Writing Residencies. In 2018, she won the James Gaffney/Society of American Poets Outstanding Poetry Award and in 2021 she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.  
• Tacoma, Washington, Poet Laureate   -- Abby Murray  (Poetry, 2009). Murray was chosen by the Tacoma Washington Arts Commission as the city’s Poet Laureate for 2019 to 2021. Her first book,  Hail and Farewell  (Perugia Press 2019), won the 2019 Perugia Press Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. In 2016, Abby launched  Collateral , a literary journal published twice a year. Her work can be found in Prairie Schooner , Adroit Journal , Poets Reading the News , and Rattle .
• Mapmakers Alumni Institute -- Catherine-Esther Cowie  (Poetry, 2020). A former Pacific University MFA Mapmaker Scholar, Cowie is organizing a series of quarterly panels and other programming as part of the inaugural year of the Mapmakers Alumni Institute. The first, titled "The Long Shout," featured fellow Pacific poet Joshua Boettiger, and guest poets Valzhyna Mort and Celia Sorhaindo . The second, "Beyond Ekphrastic," was part of the June 2021 residency, and featured poets Diana Khoi Nguyen , Allison Moore (Poetry, 2020), and Adrienne Christian (Poetry, 2011). Cowie's work has appeared in The Common , West Branch Journa l, SWWIM , Potomac Review , and Southern Humanities Review . Her collage art has been featured in The Indianapolis Review and ctrl+v journal. She is the co-founder of imakeuselessstuff.com , a website featuring digital and analog collage courses. 
• Fulbright Scholar Award -- Jo Brachman (Poetry, 2018).  Brachman has been selected for a Fulbright Scholar Award to Sweden for the 2021-2022 academic year. Jo will complete a book of her own poetry about the women of  Ravensbrück , the largest concentration camp for women in the German Reich. Lund University houses the world's largest collection of Ravensbrück artifacts and personal belongings of the survivors. 
• Award    -- Ellen Michaelson   (Fiction, 2010).  Michaelson’s novella  The Care of Strangers (Melville House 2020) was chosen as the 2019-2020 Miami Book Fair/de Groot Prize winner , and has also been a finalist/semifinalist for the Brighthorse Prize and the William Faulkner Society Writing Competition. Her work has also appeared in Portland Monthly, Women in Solitude (SUNY Press), and Literature in Medicine.
• New Poetry Collection -- Julia Levine (Poetry, 2019). Levine released her fifth collection of poems,  Ordinary Psalms ,  in which the speaker, struggling to accept her impending blindness, asks everyday life to help her learn how to see beyond appearances into fundamental truths.
• Two New Books -- Tom Griffen     (Poetry, 2015).    This past year saw the release of two books by Griffen,  With a Good Heart: A Walk From LA to Brooklyn  and  Imagine the Sea: One Hundred Poems From a Long Walk ,  a companion book of poetry.
• Debut Memoir -- Ronit Plank   (Nonfiction, 2017). Plank has published her book  When She Comes Back: A Memoir   (Motina Books 2021). Her earlier work has appeared in The Atlantic , The Washington Post , The HuffPost  and The Rumpus . She is currently working on her weekly podcast, And Then Everything Changed , which highlights those who have survived hardship and have made it their goals to help others. Plank is also the creative nonfiction editor at The Citron Review .
• Independent Press Award -- Dion O'Reilly  (Poetry, 2019). O’Reilly’s poetry book Ghost Dogs was selected as the First Place Winner for the 2021 Independent Press Award. The book was also an honorable mention for the 2021 Eric Hoffer award. Her writing appears The Massachusetts Review , New Letters , Sugar House Review , Rattle ,  Bellingham Review , and elsewhere. Her work has also been nominated several times for a Pushcart Prize. 
• Will Rogers Humanitarian Award -- Norris Burkes (Nonfiction, 2015). Burkes received the  2019 Will Rogers Humanitarian Award  sponsored by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. He writes a column on spirituality and is syndicated in nearly 40 papers around the country. Burke has released a book, as well:  Thriving Beyond Surviving: Stories of Resilience From a Hospital Chaplain  (CreateSpace Publishing 2016).
• New Poetry Collection -- Elizabeth Levinson  (Poetry, 2011). Levinson’s new collection, Running Around , is out from Finishing Line Press. Her work has appeared in several journals such as Grey Sparrow , Apple Valley Review , and Slipstream . Her first chapbook, As Wild Animals , is currently available from Dancing Girl Press & Studio.
• Debut Novel -- Larry Feign  (Fiction, 2012).  Feign published his novel,  The Flower Boat Girl , based on the true life story of the 19th-century Chinese woman who became the most powerful pirate in history. He also published a series of children's books under the pen name MD Whalen.
• Debut Poetry Collection -- Anna Van Valkenberg  (Poetry, 2016). Anna Van Valkenberg has released her debut poetry collection, Queen and Carcass (Anvil Press 2020). Her poetry and reviews have been featured in The Puritan , Prism International , December Magazine , and The Rusty Toque . Her work has also been shortlisted for the Pangolin Poetry Prize and nominated for the AWP Intro Journals Project. She was recently interviewed by Miramichi Reader to explore her thoughts behind the poetry collection.
• New Poetry Collection -- L.I. Henley’s (Poetry, 2011) novella in verse, Whole Night Through , was published in October 2019 from What Books Press. It is set in a stark, economically depressed Mojave Desert town near the largest military base in the country and is loosely based on a compilation of real homicides.
• Debut Story Collection -- Sara Rauch (Poetry, 2014). Rauch’s debut short story collection, What Shines From It  (Alternating Current Press 2020), received the 2017 Electric Book Award. Her work has appeared in several literary magazines including Paper Darts , WomenArts Quarterly and Hobart . She is currently working on a novel and collection of lyric essays. Rauch writes a Tiny Letter called The Art of Landing .  
• Stubborn Writers Contest -- Cynthia Nooney (Fiction, 2019). Nooney received first prize in nonfiction for her piece  “Here is How” in the 2020 Chestnut Review 's Stubborn Writers Contest. She’s also published in the New York Times , San Francisco Chronicle , 805 Living , and other publications.  She is working now on a collection of stories.
• New Poetry Collection -- Linda Neal  (Poetry, 2020). Neal’s collection  Not About Dinosaurs is out from Lulu. Her poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals, including Prairie Schooner , Santa Fe Literary Review, and SLAB . She has won awards from Beyond Baroque Foundation, Pacific Coast Journal, PEN Women Writers, and San Luis Obispo Golden Quill. Her first collection, Dodge & Burn (Bambaz Press), was released in 2014.
• Chapbook Publication -- D.R. James  (Poetry, 2013). D.R. James published a new chapbook, Flip Requiem (Dos Madres Press 2020). His poems have appeared in a variety of journals and anthologies including Galaway Review , Rattle , and Writer's Digest . He has two published books, If god were gentle (Dos Madres Press) and  Since Everything Is All I’ve Got (March Street Press), and multiple other chapbooks.
• New Poetry Collection -- Janelle Cordero  (Poetry, 2013). Cordero released her second poetry collection, Woke to Birds (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press 2019). Woke to Birds follows her first full length collection, Two Cups of Tomatoes . Her writing has been published in various literary journals including The Louisville Review , Atticus Review, and Harpur Palate .  

Faculty News

Ellen Bass was honored in April with a  John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship . 

The foundation awards fellowships to artists, writers, scientists, historians and scholars in a variety of disciplines to assist them in furthering their work. The foundation typically sifts through about 3,000 applications a year.

Bass is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. Her most recent book,  Indigo , was published by Copper Canyon Press in 2020. Other poetry collections include  Like a Beggar  — which was a finalist for The Paterson Poetry Prize, The Publishers Triangle Award, The Milt Kessler Poetry Award, The Lambda Literary Award, and the Northern California Book Award —  The Human Line , and  Mules of Love , which won The Lambda Literary Award. 

Photo by Dan Eccles

What Alumni Are Saying

Jamaica Baldwin (Poetry, 2016)

“I can’t think of any other MFA program that has the caliber of faculty that Pacific has. And not just quality, but quantity. No matter who you end up with as an advisor, you know you are in terrific hands. It is really a community at Pacific, a community that values what every student brings to the table. Their focus is to help you become the best version of the writer you already are, and not the writer they want you to be. That generosity of spirit and care for each writer’s individual voice is priceless.”

Jamaica Baldwin 's first book,  Bone Language , will be published by YesYes Books in 2023. Her work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in  Prairie Schooner ,  World Literature Today ,  The Adroit Journal, and The Missouri Review , among others. She is a 2021 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, winner of the 2021 RHINO Poetry editor's prize, and winner of the 2019 San Miguel de Allende Writers Conference Contest in Poetry. Her writing has been supported by Hedgebrook, Furious Flower, and the Jack Straw Writers program. Jamaica is currently pursuing her PhD in English at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a focus on poetry and Women and Gender Studies.

Pingmei Lan (Fiction, 2017)

"The Pacific MFA program has given me a unique set of memories: faculty advisors who believed in me, challenged me, and supported me. Fellow student writers who not only exchanged writing works but also shared their lives with me.” 

Pingmei Lan grew up in Beijing, China. Her writing has appeared in  Epiphany ,  Tahoma Literary Review , and  The Florida Review . She is a winner of the 2019 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers.

Leigh Camacho Rourks (Fiction, 2012)

"Applying to Pacific was one of the best decisions of my life. The gift of the program is the way the saturation of residency builds permanent bonds, not just with the amazing community of writers Pacific attracts, but with the writing life itself. At the center of residency are the craft talks the faculty prepare. Incredible and diverse, these talks set the discussion so that everywhere you go--at workshop, at breakfast, lunch, dinner, out for a stroll, at readings--people are in lively discussion (sometimes even friendly argument) about the elements of craft, about writing. Anywhere else I have studied, lectures are simple moments in time, but at Pacific, they are ongoing things with lives of their own outside the classroom. When you leave residency, those discussions go with you. Even when you graduate and leave the program, they are there for you. They live in the life-long friendships you build with your cohort and professors, they live in your work. I can sit down to write, come across a problem, a puzzle to solve in my project and pull up a memory of one of those lectures to help. Then I can email or call one of my partners from the program--we talk nearly daily--and sort out solutions. I am never alone, no matter how lonely the writing life can seem. That is unique. That is special. That is the gift of Pacific. "

Leigh Camacho Rourks is a Fellow at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she teaches Creative Writing and American Literature. She is the author of the St. Lawrence Book Award winner  Moon Trees and Other Orphans. She is a recipient of both the Glenna Luschei Prairie Schooner Award and the Robert Watson Literary Review Prize , and her work has been shortlisted for several other awards, including the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction and the Mysterious Press Award. Her writing has appeared in a number of journals, such as Kenyon Review, Prairie Schooner, Pank, TriQuarterly, December Magazine, Greensboro Review , and others.

Michelle Bitting (Poetry, 2009)

"My longing to return to Pacific never goes away. This program’s faculty of exceptional mentors embodies a fierce loyalty to the art of writing as well as an authentic, living connection to the world of published expression today. Yet, it is their passionate love of craft and creation itself, coupled with intense dedication to each student’s growth that succeeds in forging a lasting bond between the Master of Fine Arts experience and developing writer. I will never forget my time there."

Michelle Bitting ’s latest collection, Broken Kingdom   (C & R Press, 2018), won the first annual Catamaran Poetry prize in Spring 2018. Her second collection,  The Couple Who Fell to Earth  (C & R Press, 2016), was named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2016. She has poems published in The American Poetry Review, AJP, Prairie Schooner, Narrative, Diode, The New York Times, Vinyl, Plume, the Paris-American, Fjords, Tupelo Quarterly  and others. Her book,  Good Friday Kiss  (C & R Press, 2008), won the DeNovo First Book Award and  Notes to the Beloved  (C & R Press, 2017) won the Sacramento Poetry Center Book Award and also earned a starred Kirkus Review. She has won awards from  Glimmer Train  and the Beyond Baroque Foundation and been a finalist for the  Poet's & Writer's  Magazine California Exchange, the Rona Jaffe Foundation, the Julia Peterkin, and Rita Dove poetry awards. Her poems have been nominated for Pushcart and Best of the Net prizes, and most recently, The Pablo Neruda,  American Literary Review  and  Tupelo Quarterly  Poetry Awards. Photo by Alexis Rhone Fancher .

Anastasia Edel (Fiction, 2014)

"The best part of Pacific MFA program is its intense focus on teaching the craft of writing. You don’t have to belong to a specific school or philosophy to benefit from the program’s fantastic, dedicated faculty. You set the pace and make it as hard as you want (I made it very hard). Pacific pushed me out of my comfort zone, helped me break out of old patterns and habits, and opened opportunities of working in different forms and genres. It stretched my mind and my imagination. I came to the program a zealous amateur and emerged a professional without losing one bit of my passion for writing." Anastasia Edel is a Russian-American writer living in California. She is the author of “Russia: Putin’s Playground” (Lightning Guides 2016) , a historical and cultural guide to modern-day Russia. Her fiction and essays have appeared in  Quartz , World Literature Today, and c ream city review. The New York Times  recently published three  Op-Ed pieces by Edel, one by which was the most emailed piece of the day. She also published several essays in  The New York Review of Books .  

Heather Sappenfield (Fiction, 2011)

"The craft talks, the workshops, the semesters with one-on-one attention from some of the country’s best writers, the camaraderie with fellow students, the sense of community among everyone present—all of this feels like a gift while you’re there. Yet it’s a gift that resonates beyond graduation. Because those things are with you every day, in each word you write. I think the residencies at Seaside are what I miss the most. It all feels mystical and moody and perfect for inspiring writing. I’m a tremendous Lord of the Rings fan, and the Pacific MFA program, especially there at Seaside, is like Minas Tirith, the white city of Gondor, home of learning and noble things that we all aspire and hearken back to."

Heather (H. E.) Sappenfield ’s fiction has won numerous awards and finalist positions, most notably the Danahy Fiction Prize, the Writer’s Digest Contest, and the Flannery O’Connor Award. It has also received Pushcart Nominations and appeared in the publications Meridian , Tampa Review, Shenandoah, So To Speak , and Joyland , among many others. Her first novel,  The View from Who I Was (Flux, 2015), was nominated for the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and her second novel,  Life at the Speed of Us (Flux, 2016), was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. Her interviews with Bonnie Jo Campbell and George Saunders have appeared in The Writer’s Chronicle. She lives in Vail, Colorado, with her husband and daughter.

Lisa Allen Ortiz (Poetry, 2014)

"Pacific MFA is run by writers and attended by writers—people who look and listen and read and make, and then gather to testify about the craft and art of writing. It’s not a careerist program. It’s not a competitive program. Pacific MFA is a supportive and lively program, run with intelligence, compassion and vision. Applying to the program is one of my life’s best decisions, and I will always be grateful for the teachers and community I found in Seaside and Forest Grove."

Lisa Allen Ortiz is author of Guide to the Exhibit  (Perugia Press, 2016), winner of the 2016 Perugia Press Prize. She is also the author of two chapbooks:  Turns Out (Main Street Rag Press, 2011) and Self Portrait as a Clock (Finishing Line Press, 2013). Her poems and translations have appeared in Best New Poets 2013,  Verse Daily, Narrative , The Literary Review and Beloit Poetry Journal . She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and awarded two Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg prizes.

Tim O'Leary (Fiction, 2015)

"My Pacific University MFA gave me a new life!  After a long career in advertising, I was creatively and mentally burned-out, and had lost my passion and enthusiasm. The incredible Pacific faculty creatively reinvigorated me, honed my writing skills, and gave me the tools to begin a new life as a writer."

Timothy O'Leary won the 2015 Aestas Short Story Award, was a finalist for the Mississippi Review Prize, the Washington Square Review Prize in fiction, and the Mark Twain Prize for humor writing. He has been a Pushcart Prize nominee, and his work has been published in many magazines and anthologies, including Talking River , Fredericksburg Literary Review , and Pooled Ink . His collection of short stories, Dick Cheney Shot Me in the Face, and Other Tales of Men in Pain , was published by Unsolicited Press in 2017. Born in Billings, Montana, he received his MFA from Pacific University, and resides in the Columbia Gorge, near Portland, Oregon.

Alexandra Lytton Regalado (Poetry and Fiction, 2014)

"After a decade dedicated to motherhood and publishing other people’s work—my own poetry manuscript gathering dust at the back of a drawer—I came to Pacific’s MFA program ready to reconnect with my writing self. I traveled across the continent and, although I consider myself a shy and reserved person, I felt immediately welcomed into the Pacific community. In my classmates I found lifelong writing partners and dear friends. My faculty advisors took their roles seriously. They were honest and careful readers and their detailed response letters full of keen observations, provocative questions, and specific recommendations provided the right balance of encouragement and critique. The residency presentations focused on unique topics that addressed important craft elements—when I wasn’t laughing or oohing or ahhing, I was frantically trying to write it all down. Most importantly, Pacific taught me to establish routines and become a productive writer. I learned to trust myself as an editor. I left Pacific with a ready-to-publish poetry manuscript, a collection of short stories, and a clearly established personal commitment to reading and writing every day."

Alexandra Lytton Regalado 's poetry collection,  Matria  (Black Lawrence Press, 2017), won the 2015 St. Lawrence Book Award. She is also the winner of the 2015 Coniston Poetry Prize and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best New Poets. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in  cream city review, Gulf Coast, MiPOesias, Narrative, The Notre Dame Review, OCHO, Phoebe, Puerto del Sol, Radar Poetry  and elsewhere. Co-founder of Kalina publishing, Alexandra is author, editor, and/or translator of ten Central American-themed books, most recently the bilingual Salvadoran poetry anthology  Theatre Under My Skin  (Kalina, 2014). Her ongoing photo-essay project about El Salvador, through_the_bulletproof_glass ,  is on Instagram. Alexandra has a black belt in Kenpo Karate and currently lives in San Salvador with her husband and three children.

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Pacific University, Oregon

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Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Writing Pacific University, Oregon

Study options.

• International

What will I learn?

Pacific University’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Writing program celebrates writing as an art that has the potential to make a difference in the world.

Our MFA in Writing program offers a high level of craft and conversation, upheld by the good humor and care of a community of individuals who share a passion for art. We value and promote diversity, equity and inclusion, and our work in this regard is ongoing. The talents, skills and perspectives of our individual members together create a culture of belonging, collaboration, discovery and respect. We believe in inspiration but also in revision. We believe there is no one way to write and no right way to write. Above all, we believe in quality and originality in any guise. We know that the writer’s life is a full and complex one, and the MFA in Writing program welcomes students who have full-time jobs and other obligations. Our writers will meet you where you are.

Pacific’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing program presents learning in its truest sense, meaning, simply, that we are all in this together.

Masters of Fine Arts Program Learning Outcomes

All Pacific students, in all programs across the University, are inspired by a guiding mission to “Think, Care, Create and Pursue Justice in our World.” These concepts—Think, Care, Create, Pursue Justice—have been shaped into five categories of broadly shared Institutional Learning Outcomes.

Critical Thinking

Communication

Application of degree knowledge and skills

Social Responsibility

Diverse and Intercultural Perspectives

Taking these Institutional Learning Outcomes as our guide, and using the University mission’s concepts as an organization principle, the MFA in Writing works toward these core Program Learning Outcomes. Upon completion of the program, degree recipients will demonstrate mastery-level rhetorical skill and imaginative originality in creative works.

Which department am I in?

Full time (2 years).

Expected March 2025

26 August 2024

Forest Grove Campus,

2043 College Way,

Forest Grove,

97116, United States

Entry requirements

For international students.

Qualified applicants should hold an undergraduate degree or be close to completing one at the time of application. Admission is based primarily on the quality and promise exhibited in the application manuscript and personal essay. Applicants should address their ability to participate productively and supportively in a writing community and to sustain commitment through extended independent work periods during the guided study.

English Language Proficiency Requirement (for non-English native speakers or international applicants): Completion of a bachelor’s or higher degree at an accredited college or university where English is the only language of instruction is accepted. If this is not an option, Pacific accepts the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo exams.

Paper-based: 600 overall score: minimum per section - 54-55 reading; 55 listening; 55 structure/written expression. Computer-based: 250 overall score: minimum per section - 21 reading; 22 listening; 22 structure/writing.

Internet-based: 100 overall score: minimum per section - 20 reading; 21 listening; 22 writing; 22 speaking.

IELTS: 7.0 overall score and 7.0 minimum sub-scores per section.

Duolingo: a minimum of 120 out of 160 and minimum 120 or higher in sub-categories of Literacy, Comprehension, Production, and Conversation.

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Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

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Creative Writing Gets Out There

Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa, the esteemed husband-and-wife writer/producer team, have acquired the film and television rights to SWLF Instructor John Larison’s novel Whiskey When We’re Dry.

The Visiting Writers Series

Our vibrant Visiting Writers Series brings a diverse roster of nationally-known writers to the OSU campus. All of our events are free and open to the public, and followed by a Q & A and book-signing.

About Words

A short film series that prompts writers to reflect on their creative discipline, the personal philosophies they invoke, and how writing connects them to the rest of the world.

45th Parallel is a literary magazine affiliated with Oregon State University’s School of Writing, Literature, and Film in Corvallis. 45th Parallel seeks work by established and emerging voices in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual art, and comic

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Oregon State University's high residency MFA program in Corvallis has a long tradition of excellence in producing and teaching creative writing, going all the way back to the 1950s when the future distinguished novelist William Kittredge was a student here, and Bernard Malamud won a National Book Award while teaching in the English Department.

This is a distinguished past, but our present is even more remarkable. Creative Writing has never been more vital or successful at OSU than it is right now, with a nationally competitive pool of applicants in fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction, full funding for all our students through GTA positions, full tuition waivers, and a vibrant Visiting Writers Series.  Below you'll find some highlights of the program.

Full Funding

To enable our School to fully fund our incoming students, the MFA Program now offers three sources of financial support:

1.) 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 $16,000 per year to cover living expenses.

2.) All applicants will be considered for external (non-teaching) GTA positions in academic and professional units beyond the School of Writing, Literature, and Film. Over the last five years, for example, SWLF graduate students received GTA appointments in the College of Engineering, the Division of Outreach and Engagement, the Writing Center, the Academic Success Center, the Graduate School, the Valley Library, and the Writing Intensive Curriculum Program. These positions  are suitable for applicants with an interest in public relations (including podcasting, video journalism, social media, and magazine writing) and provide full tuition remission and a stipend of approximately $16,000 per year to cover living expenses.

3.) All applicants are automatically considered for Oregon State Provost Fellowships, which cover all of resident or non-resident tuition and provides a $25,000 stipend for living expenses during the first year. All Provost Fellows receive a standard GTA contract in their second year.  We also nominate strong applicants for university-wide  Graduate Scholarships  to supplement the GTA contract, and we have a strong record of success in securing these awards.

In addition to tuition remission, all graduate students have the option to receive 89% coverage of health insurance costs for themselves and their dependents.

About Words: Episode 1 - Keith Scribner

Distinguished Faculty

MFA faculty have published more than 40 books, several of which have been New York Times and New Yorker Notable Books, and have received prestigious prizes, such as the National Jewish Book Award, the award for Best Poetry of the Year from the Poetry Foundation, and 6 Oregon Book Awards. Their work appears regularly in top national magazines such as The Paris Review , Poetry , McSweeney’s , and The New Yorker , and in anthologies such as Best American Short Stories and The Pushcart Prize :  Best of the Small Presses. The faculty’s many national prizes for writing, such as the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Hemingway Short Story Award, the John Ciardi Prize, and the Whiting Award are complemented by a commitment to teaching and one-on-one mentorship. 

A Vibrant Writing Community

Our Visiting Writers Series brings 4-5 nationally known writers and poets to campus each year. A Literary Northwest series celebrates the burgeoning literary scene in the Willamette Valley and the Northwest.

In 2011, thanks to the generosity of OSU alumni Patrick and Vicki Stone, the biennial Stone Award in Lifetime Literary Achievement was established – one of the nation’s most generous literary prizes. Joyce Carol Oates was the inaugural recipient of the award in 2012, followed by Tobias Wolff in 2014, Rita Dove in 2016, and Colson Whitehead in 2019.

About Words: Episode 3 - Colson Whitehead

Personalized Mentorship

Most quarters, MFA students take a 4-credit literature or craft course, along with the 4-credit workshop in their genre (poetry, fiction, or nonfiction), and 4 credit hours of thesis advising, for a total of 12 credits each quarter. These classes have a maximum enrollment of 10-12 students, providing ample opportunity for direct instruction of each student. 

Students produce a thesis at the end of their second year of study. The thesis is a sustained piece of imaginative writing of literary merit. Generally, length, form, and content are to be mutually agreed upon by the student and the thesis advisor, with final approval resting with the advisor. Typically, a thesis is between 70 and 120 pages in length for fiction and nonfiction, and may be a short-story or essay collection, a novel, or a sustained nonfiction work. Poetry theses are between 35 and 48 pages in length.

Professional Development

In addition to our external graduate teaching assistantships, we also offer internships in literary editing, publishing, arts administration, and alternative pedagogies (e.g., teaching in youth correctional facilities) to name just a few. We also strongly encourage our students to travel with our faculty to the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference to meet publishers and fellow creative writers.  Oregon State's MFA Program was a co-sponsor of AWP 2019 in Portland. The biennial EdFest brings in a panel of editors, publishers, agents, and writers to address a range of topics related to professional development and literary citizenship.

Finally, we encourage our students to interact with other graduate programs within and beyond the School of Writing, Literature, and Film, including the MA in English , Environmental Arts and Humanities , Women, Gender, and Sexuality , Ethnic Studies, and the Center for Latino/a Studies and Engagement. As these relationships suggest, we consider networking within and beyond the sphere of professional writing to be an essential component of our competitive program.

"What is Hyperbole?" A Guide for English Students and Teachers

Professor Elena Passarello answers the question "What is Hyperbole?" for the Oregon State Guide to English Literary Terms , a public education YouTube video series.

Pedagogical training.

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) receive sound support for their teaching and its evolution through a sequence of professional development activities, which enhance their effectiveness (and often enjoyment) as instructors.

In addition to the Assistantships offered within the School of Writing, Literature, and Film, students also have the opportunity to apply for a range of other teaching-related opportunities with the Writing Center , the Writing Intensive Curriculum program, or INTO-OSU (a program of English-oriented courses for international students).

First-year GTAs teach WR 121, OSU’s first-year composition course. Based on School needs, first and second-year GTAs with appropriate training may be eligible to teach selected sections of advanced academic writing or serve as graders for literature of film courses. Second-year MFA GTAs typically have the opportunity to teach at least one section of a lower-division creative writing course in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction.

About Words: Episode 4 - Taylor Grieshober

Post-Graduate Success

Our current and past students have published books and chapbooks with publishers including Simon & Schuster, Thomas Dunne Books (Macmillan), Hawthorne Books, Engine Books, West Virginia University Press, Forest Avenue Press, CutBank Books, and Gimmick Press. Their essays, stories, poems, and hybrid works have appeared in over 100 print and online literary journals, magazines, and anthologies including The Oxford American , Atticus Review , Prairie Schooner , The Greensboro Review , American Poets , The Normal School , Crazyhorse , Passages North , Brevity , Chicago Quarterly Review , Essay Daily , Hayden’s Ferry Review , New Delta Review , PANK , Seneca Review , The Collagist , Crab Creek Review , Witness , TriQuarterly Online , DIAGRAM , Entropy , Ninth Letter , The Minnesota Review , North American Review , Five Points , Iron Horse , Quarterly West , Sonora Review , Midwestern Gothic , The Georgia Review , Mid-American Review , Indiana Review, Pleiades , and Sycamore Review .

Learning Outcomes

In the MFA program, we recognize that the pursuit of excellence in the arts must be understood in diverse, patient, and supple ways. Some of our graduates (like many writers) will not pursue further advanced degrees or traditional academic careers, or even careers obviously linked to the creative arts. And the realities of the literary publishing world entail long apprenticeships before the first book might be expected. Therefore when the MFA discusses outcomes for our students, we keep in mind that each of our students will choose different career and artistic paths. The development and application of outcome measures must be thoughtful and individualized for each graduate. In general, students who graduate with the MFA degree will:

• Demonstrate a rich and articulate understanding of the elements of the genre(s) in which they write.
• Develop and employ techniques of intensive revision.
• Make polished, creative work of publishable quality.

If you are interested in applying for our MFA program, please see the MFA Application Guidelines .

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Email: [email protected]

College of Liberal Arts Student Services 214 Bexell Hall 541-737-0561

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Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing

Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing

The Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing program is unique in that it considers language as one among many available materials. Situated in a school of art and design known for its strong support of interdisciplinary practices, our program encourages experimentation within and across writing forms, genres, and mediums along with a variety of publishing formats to include print, digital, sound, performance, and text-image works. This is writing as studio art.

The program offers tracks in prose, poetry, cross-genre, and literary translation. Portland-based residencies in winter and summer are supplemented with mentor-based independent work throughout the rest of the year.

Low-Residency Model

Residency Dates

PNCA's Low Residency Creative Writing January 2024 Residency Talks, Workshops, Readings, and Performances

PNCA's Low Residency Creative Writing January 2024 Residency Talks, Workshop, Readings, and Performances include new faculty Jennifer S Cheng, Megan Milks, Lara Mimosa Montes, and Emilly Prado and Guest Artist Gabrielle Civil. 

2023 National Portfolio Day Hosted at PNCA

Launch your future in art and design! Visit with counselors, admissions team members, and faculty from art and design schools for a portfolio review before applying to colleges or universities.

PNCA Graduate Symposium: Art + Social Consciousness

PNCA welcomes the Portland community to participate in this year’s Graduate Symposium with keynote speakers featuring: Nina Elder + vanessa german!

Amanda Ross-Ho and Catherine Taft, in conversation, hosted by PNCA & ILY2

The Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies, in collaboration with ILY2, is pleased to announce a conversation between artist Amanda Ross-Ho and writer and curator Catherine Taft.

MFA Open Studios: November 2nd + 18th

The Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies welcomes the Portland community to see what our MFA students have been making!

Writing in Portland

Our annual residencies are in the heart of Portland, Oregon where we are deeply integrated into its community of artists and writers who have made a real commitment to making art that is revelatory, experimental, and that advocates for social justice.

The program draws upon our existing strong relationships with partners in our burgeoning Portland literary scene—including Write Around Portland (WRAP), IN TRANSLATION Reading Series, Literary Arts, Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC), Regional Arts & Cultural Council (RACC), Mother Foucault’s bookshop, Powell’s Books, Passages Bookshop, Poetry Press Week, Tender Table, Street Books, along with a host of local, regional, and national small presses, e.g., Tavern Books, Gramma Poetry, New Directions, Wave Books, Hawthorne Books, among others.

Thanks to a Collins Foundation Grant, we are able to fulfill our envisioning principle of encouraging equity in race, gender, and sexual identification/orientation in American literary culture.

For more information or for any questions about the program, email Jay Ponteri , Director of Low-Res MFA in Creative Writing, or Graduate Admissions .

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Creative writing (mfa).

Oregon State University has a long tradition of excellence in producing and teaching creative writing, going all the way back to the 1950s when the future distinguished novelist William Kittredge was a student here, and Bernard Malamud won a National Book Award while teaching in the English Department.

This is a distinguished past, but our present is even more remarkable.

Creative Writing has never been more vital or successful at OSU than it is right now, with a nationally competitive pool of applicants in fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction, full funding for all our students through GTA positions, with full tuition waiver, a vibrant Visiting Writers Series, and the new Stone Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement. For information on the high-residency program and its GTA fellowships, please contact the SWLF main office at [email protected] , call 541-737-3244, or visit their website.

A low-residency variant of the program is also available on the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend, Oregon.

  Creative Writing Website

  College of Liberal Arts

 Corvallis  OSU-Cascades

Primary Contact

Creative writing director, admissions requirements, required tests, english language requirements .

English language requirements for international applicants to this program are the same as the standard Graduate School requirements .

Additional Requirements

Please, before applying to this program, always refer to the application guide to confirm application requirements.

Application Process

Please review the graduate school application process and Apply Online .

Dates & Deadlines ?

Admissions deadline for corvallis students, admissions deadline for osu-cascades students, funding deadline for all applicants, concentrations , mais participation.

This program is not offered as a MAIS field of study.

AMP Participation ?

This program does not participate in the Accelerated Master's Platform (AMP)

Contact Info

Graduate School Heckart Lodge 2900 SW Jefferson Way Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331-1102

Phone: 541-737-4881 Fax: 541-737-3313

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Introduction

Pacific’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing program celebrates writing as an art that has the potential to make a difference in the world. With an emphasis on the creative process, award-winning writers work closely with students to support and inspire evolving craft and voice.

The low-residency format allows students to earn a graduate degree over the course of two years through five intensive residencies, coupled with guided study during four semesters. Students earn 15 credits each semester and apply those 15 credits toward the minimum of 60 required for successful completion of the program. A student may earn an MFA in Writing in fiction, nonfiction or poetry.

Each semester begins with a 10-day residency. One is held in January at the Oregon Coast and the other is held in June on the Pacific University campus in Forest Grove. Residencies include workshops, lectures, panels, classes and readings, featuring writers who act as faculty members for the program and visiting writers and publishing professionals who participate only during the residency.

At the residencies, students are paired with a writer who serves as an advisor for the independent study that follows. Student and advisor meet in conferences to develop a study plan for the subsequent guided study when the student will devote 20-25 hours each week to writing and reading.

The MFA program offers a high level of craft and conversation, upheld by the good humor and care of a community of individuals who share a passion for art. We believe in inspiration but also in revision. We believe there is no one way to write and no right way to write. Above all, we believe in quality and originality in any guise. We know that the writer’s life is a full and complex one, and the MFA program welcomes students who have full-time jobs and other obligations.

Faculty Advisors

The writers who teach as part of the faculty for the MFA program are outstanding for both their level of national or regional literary achievement and for their teaching records and abilities. They are hired as independent contractors to instruct and advise MFA students. While writers are not regular Pacific employees, they are bound by all federal and state laws as well as many Pacific University and all MFA policies. In this catalog and in other MFA materials, these writers are referred to as “faculty.”

Most faculty who serve as advisors for students teach and run workshops during the residency that precedes the semester, though the program reserves the right to assign non-residency faculty as advisors in some circumstances. During the residency, faculty members give readings, deliver lectures, conduct classes and serve on panels. Some of the visiting writers and publishing professionals also participate actively in residency events but do not serve as advisors in the following semester.

Admission: Master of Fine Arts in Writing

Eligibility/Prerequisites

The MFA program seeks students who have demonstrated talent, commitment to the writing process, an openness to critique, and a dedication to individual voice and vision.

Applicants to the MFA program should hold an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution. Exceptions may be made to this requirement contingent upon the understanding that students must complete their undergraduate degree before enrolling in the MFA thesis semester. All exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may be granted in special circumstances such as when the applicant is close to completing an undergraduate degree, has a strong writing record with published works, and shows maturity of purpose and work habit.

Admission is based primarily on the quality and promise exhibited in the application manuscript and personal essay. Applicants should address their ability to participate productively and supportively in a writing community and to sustain commitment through extended independent work periods during the guided study.

Application Process The Master of Fine Arts in Writing program accepts new students twice a year for semesters beginning with the January and June residencies; students may enter the program at either time.

For priority consideration, submit all application materials by August 15 for the semester beginning in January or March 1 for the semester beginning in June. Applications received after these dates will be considered as space allows and may be processed for the following semester.

For information on what materials to submit, see the MFA Application Procedure & Forms page: http://www.pacificu.edu/as/mfa/admissions/applicationprocedure.cfm .

Non-degree-seeking students of the Residency Writers Conference (residency only) may apply for admission to the full program through the second week of the semester. In this situation, matriculation into the program would typically begin with the current semester. Since the application for Residency Writers Conference requires half the elements of an application for the full MFA program – creative sample, critical sample, personal essay – the student’s matriculation would be considered conditional upon the receipt of two letters of reference, transcripts, and a new Intent to Enroll form showing enrollment in the full program.

Transfer of Credits Petitions for transfer of credits from another Master of Fine Arts creative writing program will be considered by the Admissions Board. In no instance will more than 15 semester credits transfer. No other credit waivers or transfers of any other credits will be allowed. Transfer of one semester’s credit elsewhere does not guarantee that the student will finish the Pacific MFA in three additional semesters. The time it takes to finish the program depends on the student’s ability to successfully complete both the critical essay and the creative manuscript.

Policies: Master of Fine Arts in Writing

Assessment Assessment occurs at midterm and semester end. For both assessments, the student and advisor each write a narrative analysis addressing the following:

• The student’s semester performance and progress toward completion of the program
• The number and merit of the student-advisor exchanges, as well as the effectiveness of assignments
• Expectations and tentative plans for the coming semester as discussed with the advisor

The midterm assessments are advisory only, used by the MFA program for counseling purposes when necessary, and do not become part of the student’s permanent record. In addition, students are invited to contact the MFA director during the semester if they have concerns about their work and exchanges, especially if they anticipate problems meeting a due date. In most cases, minor adjustments to due dates can be arranged in conversation between the student and advisor..

Assessments completed by the student and advisor at the end of the semester become part of the student’s official record and the narrative transcript is used to assign credit (the MFA program does not use grades). Students receive a hard copy letter of credit/no credit and a copy of their narrative transcript prior to the next residency.

Award of Semester Credit Semester credit is granted only in 15-hour units and requires documentation by way of the semester study plan, residency review, midterm and final semester assessments, semester bibliography, analytical and creative work, and a log of exchanges. These semester assignments require a minimum time commitment of 20-25 hours of study per week. After the faculty advisor has evaluated the student’s semester work and has recommended credit in the Narrative Transcript, the MFA program reviews the student’s semester portfolio. If all is in order, the program awards credit. Prior to the next residency, the student is advised of the award of credit in a letter from the director. Comments and counsel for the student regarding the upcoming semester may be included.

Students who attend only a portion of the residency or who participate in the residency but fail to complete all semester work will receive no credit.

Students who complete semester requirements but whose analytical or creative work does not meet program expectations may be granted credit even though the work falls short of the criteria for the granting of the degree. Decisions about the awarding of credit are made between the final due date for receipt of semester project evaluations and the next residency, as are decisions regarding whether or not a student will continue on in the program.

A student whose analytical or creative work does not demonstrate the competency to advance to the next semester may enroll in up to one extra semester or take a leave of absence to develop the necessary skills. If the revised manuscripts from this additional semester of work are not successful, as determined by the Admissions Board, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Due Dates and Extensions Students are responsible for turning in required work by the assigned due dates and recording their exchanges with their advisors in a log. All semester work must be satisfactorily completed by the end of the semester to receive credit. Students who fail to meet due dates with their advisors or the MFA office and who fail to make other arrangements for completing work lose their right to further exchanges and to credit for that semester. In such cases, students may be required to take an additional semester to complete the unfinished work and earn the required credit toward the degree.

In exceptional circumstances, a student may petition the MFA Academic Board for an extension of due dates to earn semester credit. For details, see below under Incomplete Grade .

Academic Standing, Probation and Dismissal

Students receive ongoing assessment throughout the residency and the guided study. While most excel in the program, those students who find they are unable to complete their work or who have other academic concerns should contact the MFA director or their advisor immediately to discuss a plan of action. This might include a Petition for Exception to MFA Policy, an accommodation arranged through the Office of Accessibility and Accommodation Services, or other options.   A student who fails to complete the degree requirements as outlined in the MFA Handbook or whose work does not demonstrate graduate-level competency is not permitted to progress in the curriculum. Student status and attending action plans are identified and described below.

Acceptable and In Good Standing The student demonstrates all of the following:

• Satisfactory progress in completing assignments and meeting deadlines
• Satisfactory progress in the development of analytical and creative writing skills
• Adherence to University and MFA rules or procedures
• Appropriate professional/ethical conduct and attitudes

Notice of Concern A student may receive a “notice of concern” if an advisor, faculty or staff member expresses concerns about the student’s performance in any of the areas defined above. A notice of concern is designed to bring the student’s attention to an issue (e.g., failing academic performance; missed deadlines; inadequate or problematic communication with MFA advisors, faculty members, and/or program staff) so that the student may address and improve the performance in the area of concern and thus avoid receiving an academic warning or losing their acceptable academic standing. The MFA director sends a notice of concern to a student via email and/or the letter of credit. This notice may include an action plan for remediation.  Students who receive two notices of concern within a semester and do not improve their performance will receive an academic warning.

Academic Warning and Suspension A student who receives an official academic warning is no longer a student in good standing and must address the issue(s) to the satisfaction of the advisor, staff member, and/or director within two weeks of receiving notification. The academic warning includes a plan of action for any one of the following:

• Failure to meet deadlines and/or failure to contact advisor or MFA staff within three days of missed deadlines
• Incomplete work
• Insufficient progress in analytical or creative writing skills
• Failure to comply with University or MFA program rules or procedures and/or unprofessional/unethical behavior

A student who does not address the issue(s) within two weeks of receiving the academic warning, or who receives additional notices of concern or academic warnings for other issues, will be suspended from the program for the rest of the semester and receive no credit.

Academic Probation

A student who receives an academic warning and/or who is suspended from the MFA program will be placed on academic probation and will be given one semester to regain good academic standing. A student on probation must have an approved plan for addressing one or more of the following:

• Repeated failure to meet deadlines and/or failure to contact advisor or MFA staff within three days of missed deadlines
• Failure to meet the terms of an action plan designed as the result of an academic warning
• Lack of compliance with University or MFA program rules or procedures and/or unprofessional/unethical conduct at a level of greater magnitude than that considered to warrant a warning

A second semester of unacceptable performance will result in academic dismissal from the program.

Dismissal A student may be dismissed from the program for any one of the following:

• Failure to meet deadlines and/or failure to contact advisor or MFA staff within three days of missed deadlines for more than one semester
• Incomplete work for more than one semester
• Insufficient progress in analytical or creative writing skills for more than one semester
• Academic probation for more than one semester at any time in the program
• Failure to meet the terms of an action plan designed as the result of an academic probation
• Flagrant or intentional violations of the University or MFA program rules and procedures and/or inappropriate, unprofessional/unethical or illegal conduct

Students who have been dismissed may reapply to the program after a period of absence, depending on the circumstances of dismissal. Decisions on student status are determined by members of the MFA faculty and/or Admissions Board. Students may appeal status decisions within 10 days of notification of the original action to the MFA Board of Directors, which includes the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Accreditation and Awarding of the Degree Pacific University and the Master of Fine Arts in Writing program are accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The Master of Fine Arts degree is granted by the Pacific University President and the Board of Trustees upon recommendation of the Academic Board of the MFA in Writing program and the approval of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Auditing Students Alumni, current students, and applicants accepted into the MFA program may choose the option to audit an MFA semester at the discretion of the program and as space allows. Students who request this option typically attend a residency and adapt their semester study plan to focus entirely on their creative manuscript, although faculty will encourage students to include some readings in their semester work. While auditing students enroll in, pay for, and participate in MFA residencies and guided study, they are not required to complete assignments or turn in a portfolio at the end of the semester. Students must declare the audit option before the end of the add-drop period; once the audit option has been declared the course cannot revert back to the graded option.

Students who audit receive no credits and this is reflected on a transcript as ‘AU’ instead of a grade. Course auditing is not applied toward degree requirements even if the student returns to the program in the future as a degree-seeking student.

Non-Degree-Seeking Students Alumni, current students, and applicants accepted into the MFA program may choose the option to study as non-degree-seeking students at the discretion of the program and as space allows.

Earning Credit As a Non-Degree Seeking Student Non-degree seeking students may earn 15 credits for each full semester (residency and guided study). These students must complete all academic requirements as outlined in the MFA Handbook and Pacific catalog. While the non-degree seeking student may earn credit, it does not apply to the MFA degree until the student is enrolled as a matriculated, degree-seeking student. Students switching from non-degree seeking to degree seeking must have approval from the Admissions Board.

Transfer Credit Request for transfer credit is evaluated on an individual basis. No more than 15 credits can be transferred.

Credit Load Students must register for 15 credits for each semester. Part-time enrollment is not allowed.

Honors The MFA program does not award graduation honors.

Grading System All courses are graded Pass/No Pass.

Add/Drop/Withdrawal Schedule Students may add or drop through the second week of the semester. After this time and through the 65% mark of the semester (approximately three months into the semester), students may withdraw and receive a W grade on the transcript. After this point, students not completing the course will earn a No Pass grade.

Readmission Policy/Process Students who leave the program before earning the degree may be able to apply for readmission if their situations have changed. See the Program Director for more information.

Time Limits to Complete Degree It is generally expected that all degree requirements will be completed within three years, although exceptions can be granted by the Program Director.

Incomplete Grade In exceptional circumstances, a student may petition the MFA Academic Board for an extension of due dates to earn semester credit. In this case, the student would need to complete the Student Petition for Exception to MFA Policy/Incomplete Grade and submit it to the program director, who will offer a recommendation to the MFA Board. The MFA Board will review the petition and either approve or deny it. Students may petition to earn credit only when a portion of semester coursework has been completed satisfactorily and health or other emergency reasons prevent the student from finishing all requirements by the established due dates. The petition should detail the circumstances that led to the request as well as dates and plans for completing the semester work. The advisor and the student should agree upon a timeline for the completion of all work, with the following limitations:

• Fall semester Incompletes must be completed by the following April 15 to earn credit.
• Spring semester Incompletes must be completed by the following November 15 to earn credit.

If the agreed-upon course work is not completed in the period allotted and an extension has not been granted, no credit will be given for the semester. Please note that extensions on due dates may incur additional fees, jeopardize credit, or delay decisions about advancement toward the degree.

Tuition: Master of Fine Arts in Writing

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The Creative Writing Program at the University of Oregon is a two-year residency in which Master of Fine Arts (MFA) students concentrate in either poetry or fiction. The Program emphasizes the workshop, integrating concentrated time for writing with craft seminars and individualized reading tutorials.

You’ll hear our program is not for the faint of heart. It isn’t—and we’re proud of that. We hope to offer our students the rigorous apprenticeship we undertook with our own teachers.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Proficiency in close reading. We expect our MFA candidates to read widely and meticulously while pursuing their studies. Our aim is for each student to encounter a variety of historical periods, aesthetic styles, and critical approaches. Any student graduating from our program should be capable of examining a single text for its many formal conventions and the style or styles with which it is conversant.
• Development of vocabularies for assessing literature, with an emphasis on craft. Our graduate students are expected to acquire the clear and sophisticated language that enables them to speak at length about a range of craft considerations for any single piece of literature. This applies to the published works they encounter in our craft seminars, but it is equally essential in the Creative Writing Workshop, when they comprehensively critique the works of their peers.
• Application of the formal elements of craft in either genre. We expect our apprentice poets and fiction writers to be able to identify, assess, and deploy many of the formal conventions they encounter in the Creative Writing workshop and craft seminar. We believe that the practice of exploring formal challenges is necessary for the MFA student in order to build on his or her own resources as an artist. We especially believe that a knowledge of such conventions is a responsibility of any writer in our MFA program.
• Familiarity with fundamental concepts, forms, modes, and traditions in literary fiction and/or poetry. At the graduate level, this outcome is particularly geared toward and measured by the MFA exam that all of our graduating students take at the end of their second year. Our expectation is that our students will demonstrate a command of the texts they have encountered while earning their degrees, along with the multitude of aesthetic concepts, compositional possibilities, and artistic concerns to which they have been exposed.

NOTE: The list of outcomes above builds on the basic expectations we also hold for  our undergraduate students in the Creative Writing Program. Because our pedagogical  goals are continuously fundamental in nature, both at the undergraduate and graduate  level of study, we view our curriculum and the varietal redundancies below as a  cumulative process, one through which our poets and fiction writers build a portfolio of  knowledge whose components are interactive. This is to say we view historical periods,  critical modalities, and aesthetic movements to be in constant conversation with one  another. 

Additionally, what distinguishes the outcomes below from their undergraduate  counterparts is that we expect all our MFA candidates to wear two hats simultaneously:  that of the apprentice writer and that of the apprentice teacher, given that all of the  people enrolled in our program teach Creative Writing classes in their first year and  Composition in their second. The following outcomes should be considered very much  in this context, in that our graduate students are expected to both pursue these goals as  scholars then contemplate the many ways these skills translate to their own pedagogical  experience.

The entirety of our curriculum is structured with the expectation that we enable our  MFA graduates to continue to grow intellectually and develop as writers and masters of  the craft once they have received their degrees, long after they have left the University  of Oregon.

Master of Fine Arts Degree Requirements

The candidate must complete the graduate work during six consecutive terms in residence at the university. The candidate must pass a written examination on a reading list of works of fiction or poetry.

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Master of Fine Arts

Creative and environmental writing.

Unique, affordable, and rigorous, the Eastern Oregon University low-residency MFA in Creative Writing is where your writing practice and intellectual curiosity will find a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive community of writers. We also offer a special (optional) concentration in Landscape, Ecology, and Community.

Renowned poets discuss nature, injustice at Ars Poetica 

Allison Adelle Hedge Coke joins MFA faculty members for a virtual reading and talk April 28.

The 2nd Annual La Grande Lit Week

July 17-22, 2023, update: due to mid-afternoon heat concerns, the events scheduled, between 3:45-5:45 pm on july 22 at hq have been shifted., please see updated schedule below., free literary readings and conversations,, showcasing our great downtown, daily one-hour classes led by lit week authors for just $20, ( click here for registration ; full class descriptions available here ).

The La Grande Lit Week is a project of the Eastern Oregon University MFA Program in Creative Writing , bringing together faculty and visiting writers during its annual residency for seven days of literary events in Northeastern Oregon on the I-84 corridor. The line up features winners of the Oregon Book Awards, the Washington State Book Awards, and the Pacific Northwest Book Awards, as well as authors touring new or recent books. Most of the featured authors will be in conversation with EOU MFA faculty after their readings. Please see the full schedule below.

We give thanks to our partners and sponsors. In 2022, the Union County Chamber of Commerce provided a helpful seed grant for the inaugural La Grande Lit Week. Other partners include Fishtrap, JaxDog Café and Books, Liberty Theatre Cafe, Side A Brewery, Cook Memorial Library, La Grande Parks and Recreation, hq, The Local, Elgin Opera House, and Art Center East. And all thanks to our students and faculty who are our biggest supporters.

We also humbly acknowledge the original inhabitants of the land that La Grande and EOU are upon: the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Nez Perce people. We celebrate their traditions, languages, and stories. We acknowledge their continuing connection to this land, water, and community and pay our respects to these original stewards of northeastern Oregon.

All readings and conversations are free and open to the public. For those interested in honing their own writing craft, one-hour “community classes” will be offered by Lit Week writers on special topics. Registration for each class is $20. Classes will be held in Badgley Hall on the EOU campus. Click here for registration. Further questions may be directed to Nick Neely, Assistant Professor of English/Writing, [email protected] .

2023 La Grande Lit Week Schedule

Monday, july 17, 6:30 pm, cook memorial library, 2006 4th st.

Michelle Nijhuis is an award-winning science journalist and the author of Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in the Age Extinction . She’ll be in conversation with MFA faculty member Kathryn Miles , whose most recent book is Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders .

Wednesday, July 19

6:30 pm, market place fresh foods (rooftop), 1912 fourth st.

EOU MFA faculty reading featuring Megan Kruse , Melissa Matthewson , and Joe Wilkins .

7:30 pm, Market Place Fresh Foods (rooftop)

Eileen Garvin is the author most recently of the bestselling novel The Music of Bees , which is set in Hood River where she lives, and the memoir How to Be a Sister . She’ll be in conversation with MFA faculty member Claire Boyles , author of Site Fidelity.

Friday, July 21

12:45-3:45, badgley hall, eou, one university blvd.

One-hour community classes offered by Sindya Bhanoo, John Daniel, Jessica Gigot and others. Registration required.

4 pm, Loso Hall Lobby, EOU

Kathleen Flenniken , Jessica Gigot , and John Daniel . Flenniken’s most recent poetry collection is  Post Romantic ; she is a winner of a Washington State Book Award and the state’s former poet laureate. Gigot’s latest book is the essay collection A Little Bit of Land , and her second book of poems, Feeding Hour , won a Nautilus Award and was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Daniel is the winner of three Oregon Book Awards in poetry and nonfiction; his latest book of poetry is Lighted Distance s : Four Seasons on Goodlow Rim and his previous book is the novel Gifted .

7 pm, The Local, 1508 Adams Ave

Sindya Bhanoo is a journalist and the author of the story collection  Seeking Fortune Elsewhere , winner of the 2023 Oregon Book Award for Fiction and the New American Voices Award. She’ll be in conversation with EOU MFA faculty member Megan Kruse , author of Call Me Home.

8 pm, The Local

EOU MFA Alumni Reading

Saturday, July 22

9 am-12 pm, badgley hall, eou.

One-hour community classes taught by Garrett Hongo, Kathleen Flenniken, Emme Lund, and others. Registration required.

1:15 pm, Schwarz Theatre (Loso Hall), EOU

MFA student thesis readings: Gabriel Boehmer , Christen Careaga , Rebecca DeLore, Christopher Densmore , Jensen Heike , Patsy Lally , Becky Murray , Gregory Rawlins , and Kasey Zmrhal .

Followed by the MFA program graduation ceremony.

4:45 pm, hq 3 pm, Schwarz Theatre

Garrett Hongo is the author most recently of the memoir The Perfect Sound and is a previous finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. He’ll be in conversation with EOU MFA faculty member Christopher Kondrich , author of Valuing: Poems , a winner of the National Poetry Series.

Followed by Hongo’s playlist related to The Perfect Sound .

3:45 7 pm , hq, 112 Depot Street

A group reading from Cascadia Field Guide , featuring poets and writers John Daniel, Kathleen Flenniken, Garrett Hongo , Nick Neely , Dao Strom , and Joe Wilkins .

7 8 pm , hq, 112 Depot Street

Emme Lund is the author of the novel The Boy with a Bird in His Chest , which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in Fiction and a Pacific Northwest Book Award, and longlisted for The Center for Fiction 2022 First Novel Prize. She lives in Portland. She’ll be in conversation with EOU MFA faculty member Molly Reid , author of The Rapture Index: A Suburban Bestiary .

8:15 9 pm , hq

To conclude Lit Week, a visual-audio-poetry performance by Dao Strom , author of Instrument which won the 2022 Oregon Book Award in Poetry.

Admission Requirements

Applications for the 2024-2025 academic year are now closed. The next application period for the EOU low-residency MFA will open in October 2024 with a priority application deadline in January 2025 for best consideration (please check back for the updated deadline). After the priority deadline, applications will reviewed on rolling basis if space remains available. Accepted applicants must signal their intention to enroll in the program within one month of official acceptance by making a nonrefundable $500.00 deposit. The Master of Fine Arts degree requires two types of admission: (a) Admission to Eastern Oregon University with “Graduate Student” status; and (b) Admission to the MFA program. Both applications should be submitted at the same time.

Admission requirements for the MFA program

Admission requirements for the MFA program:  1. Admission to Eastern Oregon University with “Graduate Student” status. 2. Grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0, calculated on either of the following two options: (a) Last 60 quarter hours completed of undergraduate upper-division coursework; or (b)  15 quarter hours of approved graduate-level coursework. 3. Official college transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate coursework. 4. Two letters of professional reference attesting to the applicant’s ability to be successful in a graduate program. 5. A short (750 word) essay explaining your reasons for wishing to pursue the MFA in Creative Writing at EOU and how you will integrate the demands of the program with your current responsibilities. 6. Creative Portfolio of your best creative work (10-15 pages of poetry; 15-20 pages of fiction or non-fiction).

Transfer Credit

The MFA Program allows a limit of 15 graded graduate-level credits (quarter hours) to be transferred from another accredited graduate-level institution.   If you have regularly attended Summer Fishtrap Gathering, Fishtrap Outpost, and/or Fishtrap’s Yearlong Workshop, you also may petition the MFA Director directly to convert up to 15 hours to graduate-level credits.  All graduate-level courses taken prior to program admission, and all graduate-level transfer courses, will be reviewed for appropriateness of transfer into the MFA program. Courses will not be accepted that are not appropriate to the MFA degree requirements. Courses completed prior to seven academic years before admission will be reviewed for appropriateness of transfer into the MFA program, but are not guaranteed to be accepted.

Applying for the MFA program

Submit electronically both the EOU Graduate Admission application and the MFA Program Application (i.e., cover sheet and creative portfolio), along with all required supporting documents, and official transcripts. Students who would like to participate in the Landscape, Ecology, and Community concentration should express this wish in their cover letters. Student who would be interested in studying on a part-time basis that would extend their time in a program to a third year should also highlight this intention in their cover letter.

Special note regarding admission to EOU

All MFA students are required to be fully admitted to the MFA program and EOU in order to complete the MFA degree. However, some students may desire to enroll in genre courses or elective courses on a part-time/non-admitted status. Enrollment in graduate writing workshops, seminars, and Individualized Studies requires full MFA program and EOU graduate student admission. Part-time and/or non-admitted course enrollment is permitted, but with the following exceptions: 1. Graduate student admission to EOU is required if a student will be registering for more than eight credits in any given term. 2. Graduate student admission to EOU and MFA Program admission is required, regardless of the number of registered credits per term, in order to receive financial aid. Financial aid is available both for full-time and part-time graduate students. Contact the EOU Financial Aid office at 541-962-3550 for information regarding submission of the FAFSA form and application procedures. Remember: All MFA students must be fully admitted both to EOU and the MFA program in order to enroll in any of the writing workshops and to receive the MFA degree. Students are strongly encouraged to apply for admission early in the program. For any application questions, please contact the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences program assistant Kayla Standley at 541-962-3508.

Our MFA is flexible in requiring just one residency commitment a year: back-to-back weeks in July at the storied Fishtrap Gathering of Writers at Wallowa Lake near the artsy town of Joseph, and in nearby La Grande on EOU’s campus. These experiences offer distinct vibes under the same skies, separated by a scenic 1.5-hour drive around the Wallowa Mountains, known as the Little Alps of Oregon. Students may opt to attend just two summer residencies or they may attend a third on-campus week in a third summer and take slightly less distance-based coursework.

At Fishtrap, students enjoy a morning generative workshop with the conference’s world-class faculty (see the 2023 line-up ) and gather in the evenings for faculty readings and open mics under the lakeside tent. There’s ample time for writing by the lake or taking trails into the Wallowas. For those unable to get away from home for two weeks, a virtual Fishtrap workshop option is also available (see the 2023 offering ). Of course, we whole-heartedly encourage in-person attendance: this place, this community, is stunning.

In La Grande, on EOU’s view-filled campus, students take a morning craft class and an afternoon critique-based workshop with our award-winning MFA faculty and in the evenings attend La Grande Lit Week readings and conversations with more award-winning authors at downtown mainstays like our local brewery, coffeeshops, or a brick-lined music venue (Lit Week is open to the public and runs concurrently with the residency). In the afternoon, Lit Week visiting writers also teach 1-hr classes on special topics that are optional for students. During free hours, students write, hike or otherwise explore this outdoorsy area, watch a film, go bowling, and drink a lot of coffee. Meals and conversation late into the night inspire imaginative leaps and grow bonds between fellow students and faculty mentors.

Through the rest of the summer, students continue to work one-on-one at a distance with their EOU workshop instructor to push forward a project they started or shared during the on-campus week.

Rigorous coursework continues remotely during the academic year (see the full course of study ). Our faculty work closely with students on their writing and provide instruction in contemporary literature, rhetoric, and special topics crafted to address student interests. We also provide students with meaningful, hands-on learning opportunities such as optional practicum classes in creative writing pedagogy, editing and publishing, and “professional portfolio,” in which students build professional materials specific to their long-term goals. Opportunities also exist to participate in the editing of our literary journal Oregon East and help with program communications and event planning, whether for credit or as a volunteer.

“I attended EOU as a non-traditional student from 2011 to 2016. All of my professors and mentors during that time were phenomenal, I learned and grew so much as both a writer and a reader. I can honestly say that I would not be where I am professionally if it were not for their guidance and instruction. They were instrumental in helping me publish poems in The Paddock Review, basalt, Red Savina Review, The Tower Journal and Nailed. Not to mention my poetry chapbook, All Those Lilting Tongues, which was just published in September 2018. In addition to those publications, I also teach creative writing courses online for Southern New Hampshire University as an adjunct instructor. I owe all my recent successes to the faculty of EOU’s English and Writing Department.”

Theresa Hamman, '14 & '16 B.A. in English/Writing (2014) Master of Fine Arts in Writing (2016) La Grande, Ore.

Tuition, Fees & Aid

We are committed to being the best value for a low residency creative writing MFA in the west. Click "learn more" below for more details on tuition, fees, and financial assistance. Learn More

• Course of Study

EOU offers a traditional genre-based two-year low residency program that requires 60 credits of course work, including two 14-day summer residencies followed each year by online courses. Learn More

• Faculty Biographies

EOU’s creative writing faculty are an award-winning and committed group drawn from all over the country. Learn More

Applications are now closed for the ’24-’25 academic year

Applications for the ’25-’26 cohort will be accepted starting in october 2024.

At Eastern Oregon University, we share a core belief that creative individuals are an under-appreciated and under-used resource. The creative makers among us have much to offer their communities and we commit ourselves therefore to fostering that creativity. It is our belief, too, that finding community-based solutions to the real problems communities face can and should be a collaboration in which the creativity of artists and writers play vital, enduring roles for enriching the lives of all. The Grande Ronde Valley and nearby Wallowa Valley are gateways to Eastern Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains and Oregon’s largest wilderness, the Eagle Cap Wilderness, all of which provide an exceptional resource for student writers in our Landscape, Ecology, and Community concentration. In collaboration with our program partner, Fishtrap: Writing and the West , and the Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers at Wallowa Lake near Joseph, Oregon, we strive to create a truly one-of-a-kind literary experience for our students .

Subscribe to our program writing digest, The Mutineer

(which curates online events and opportunities from the region and beyond), read recent news from students, alumni, and faculty, explore our visiting writers series , check out the 2nd annual la grande lit week, july 17-23, 2023, study with an eou/fishtrap student teacher, (we’re pleased to announce this new program), contact info.

• Recent News
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Discover your true nature with the Eastern Edge. Learn more .

CRWR Creative Writing Program

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Kidd Workshops 22-23

The Sewanee Review Podcast: Garrett Hongo & Eric Smith

For Poets Robin Coste Lewis and Garrett Hongo, Language Is a Musical Instrument

CRWR Business Plan

2022 Aiken Taylor Award Winner

Jayme Ringleb’s So Tall It Ends in Heaven, forthcoming Fall ’22

How A Woman Becomes A Lake

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Garrett Hongo: A tribute

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Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Creative Writing faculty

[email protected] 206-281-2727 Marston Hall  (2nd floor) Creative Writing (MFA) website

The catalog is temporarily unavailable

This program is not accepting new admits as of Autumn 2023.

The low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Seattle Pacific University is a creative writing program for apprentice writers who not only want to pursue excellence in the craft of writing but who also want to place their work within the longstanding conversation among writers of faith.  The spiritual dimension of this program is not intended to produce didactic, sectarian, or sentimental literature — far from it. Our intention is to assist you in developing a generative, dialogic relationship with the traditions that precede you, demonstrating how those very traditions are alive, and sustaining of spiritual inquiry.

That is to say that our program seeks to extend the tradition of Christian writing in which the highest standards of art, open-eyed exploration of human experience, and a respect for inexhaustible mystery come together to yield new and sustaining vision.

Specialization

You will specialize in one of four tracks — poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or spiritual writing: open genre. At the heart of any low-residency program is the fruitful relationship between mentor and apprentice. Writing is ultimately a solitary experience, so the rhythm of students sending packets of completed material and receiving feedback from faculty mentors is both appropriate and effective. This program allows you to maintain your current job and location while offering two stimulating and intensive residency periods each year in Washington state.

GRE scores are not required to apply to this MFA program, but you must have a bachelor’s degree and must submit official transcripts from previous school(s) attended.

Residencies

The Residencies are intensive and include:

• Classes on craft
• Readings and lectures
• Extended consultations with faculty mentors
• Art and Faith seminars

Faculty at the Residencies includes core faculty mentors along with a number of invited guest speakers — some of America’s most celebrated writers. 

You are required to attend five residencies over the course of two academic years.  The 10-day residencies take place in March and August.

Residency dates for the 2023–24 academic year:

• August residency:   August 3–13, 2023 
• March residency:  March 14–24, 2024

Winter residencies will be hosted at the beautiful Camp Casey Conference Center on Whidbey Island, about 60 miles north of Seattle. Summer residencies will be held at the SPU campus in the vibrant city of Seattle. The SPU campus is located near many lively walkable neighborhoods such as Fremont , Queen Anne , and Ballard .

Correspondence quarters

The relationship between students and faculty mentors is at the heart of the low-residency MFA program. You will engage in one-on-one correspondence with two mentors over the course of the program, studying with each for one year.

All students have two responsibilities: the creative writing project in a chosen genre and the reading list.

The creative project

During the academic quarter, you are responsible for generating three packets (at approximately three-week intervals). Each packet consists of the following:

• A cover letter  in which you share thoughts about the creative challenges you are facing.
• A segment of new or revised creative writing .
• Short annotations on several of the books you have been reading.
• When a critical paper is due, you will also include that document.

Mentors respond with detailed comments, pointing out strengths and weaknesses and suggesting fruitful avenues for further development. While most communication is handled through email (and, on occasion, paper mail), the program also utilizes Canvas  for basic document sharing and Facebook for discussion threads and community building.

The norm for low-residency MFA courses is for students to spend 25 hours per week on their work.

Reading list/critical essays

In close consultation with faculty mentors, you formulate a course of reading. Readings are chosen from two categories:

• Classic works from the longstanding and ever-broadening literary tradition.
• Modern and contemporary works, which serve as models and inspiration for your immediate needs.

Special emphasis is placed on gaining a deeper understanding of the classic works in your chosen genre. By the end of the two-year program, you will have read a minimum of 60 titles.

You will write one short critical paper (approximately seven pages in length) per quarter in preparation for your long critical essay (20 pages), due at the end of your fifth tutorial quarter.

In preparation for each residency, you will read two or more assigned texts from the Common Reading list as assigned. These texts are then studied and discussed during residency at Art and Faith seminars. Recent common readings include texts from these authors:

• St. Augustine
• Eugene Vodolazkin
• Annie Dillard
• Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Shusaku Endo
• James Baldwin
• Gerard Manley Hopkins
• Anna Kamienska
• Denise Levertov
• Cormac McCarthy
• Czeslaw Milosz
• Flannery O’Connor
• Walker Percy
• Richard Rodriguez
• William Shakespeare
• Alexandros Papadiamandis
• Evelyn Waugh
• Simone Weil

Graduation requirements

• Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or spiritual writing.
• And you will complete a thesis under the direction of a faculty mentor.
• A student may study two tracks, but only by adding a third year in the program; the student may apply for this after completing one full year of study and demonstrating excellence in a primary genre.
• You will complete a creative manuscript (i.e., a collection of poems, short stories, essays.)
• In close consultation with faculty mentors, you will formulate a course of reading . By the end of the two-year program, you will have read a minimum of 60 books.
• For each of the first four tutorial quarters, you complete a short critical paper on a subject relevant to your chosen course of study. In the fifth tutorial quarter of the program, you will complete a long critical paper.
• Recommendation for the degree can be made only after the successful completion of at least six quarters of work and five residencies (64 graduate credit hours), as well as the approval of the program director and faculty mentor.
• During the final residency, you will give a public reading of your work.

Admission requirements

To qualify for admission consideration, prospective students must turn in an online application packet to the Graduate Admissions . Please bear in mind the following things:

• You may begin the program during either of the 10-day residencies, the winter residency in March or the summer residency in August.
• We accept applicants on a rolling basis.  Apply before November 1 to begin the program at the residency on Whidbey Island the following March. Apply before May 1 to begin the program at the residency at the SPU campus in Seattle that upcoming August.
• The creative manuscript will be given special emphasis. You must submit 25 to 30 double-spaced pages of prose in your chosen prose genre — fiction, creative nonfiction, or spiritual writing — or 10 pages of poetry, if poetry is your selected track. (In the case of prose, you must decide whether to send an excerpt of a longer manuscript or stories or essays that fall within the page limit.) The steering committee does not accept fiction applications with writing samples that are in genre fiction (science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, western, etc.).
• You must also submit a three- to four-page (double-spaced) personal essay describing your development as a writer and as a person of faith.
• Three letters of recommendation must be submitted. Two should be focused on your abilities as a writer; one should touch on your academic achievements.
• A $50 nonrefundable application fee is required and cannot be waived.

*Applicants may apply in only one track to enter the program, but may apply for a third year of study in an additional genre track upon the successful completion of the first year. Though GRE scores are not required, all applicants should have a bachelor’s degree and must submit official transcripts from all previous school(s) attended.

We also have modest,  partial, merit-based scholarships to assist outstanding applicants. There is no separate process to apply; all admitted students will be considered for aid. 

• Graduate Admissions
• [email protected]
• 206-281-2091 or 800-601-0603

3307 3rd Ave West, Seattle WA 98119-1997

206-281-2000

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Author and ‘diehard biology wannabe’ Eileen Garvin weaves her love of nature and writing in newest novel Crow Talk

Like for many, pandemic-era closures were hard on author Eileen Garvin.

In particular, the Oregon-based, Spokane-born author yearned for fresh air, going stir crazy with the closure of national forests and state parks near her home of Hood River.

“I’ve always taken a lot of comfort and energy from being out in the woods,” she said. “And that is from growing up in Spokane and spending a lot of time at Lake Coeur d’Alene when I was a kid.”

So she returned to her family’s cabin on Lake Coeur d’Alene, under birdsong and against the tranquil waters of the 50-square-mile lake, she constructed the fictional June Lake of her latest novel, “Crow Talk,” in which protagonists make a similar pilgrimage to a childhood cabin on a lake under the looming mount Adams.

June Lake is a blend of her childhood memories in Idaho and her adult residence of Hood River.

“What if I created a place like that I loved as a child, and I put it at this place that I loved as an adult. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Mount Adams, but it’s really a beautiful location,” Garvin said. “So what if I made it up and then I put some troubled people there and how might this natural place help them solve their problems? That was the game I decided to play.”

Garvin’s affinity with the pen grew from her love of reading fostered at an early age. Her older sister taught her to read at age 3, before she was enrolled in school, and she hasn’t stopped since.

“My writing began with a love of reading,” Garvin said. “I did not take any creative writing classes. I don’t have an MFA and never studied formally,” she said. “I imagine I always wanted to be a writer, but I wasn’t the kind of kid that was really assertive about what I wanted to do.”

Though she graduated from Seattle University with a bachelor’s degree in English and earned her master’s from the University of New Mexico in the same subject, writing professionally didn’t seem to be in the cards for her. She worked several “writing-adjacent” jobs, she said, as a lawyer, English teacher in American Samoa and Spain, and eventually as a managing editor for a weekly business newspaper in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Enjoying the news business, but wanting to do more reporting, Garvin moved to Hood River, Oregon where she now resides, and freelanced for several print publications.

“There’s just a real delight in interviewing people and gathering research and figuring out how to put a story together and then writing it and seeing it in print and then you move on to the next thing. So that’s my first experience,” Garvin said. “I was hooked after that, I’ve been writing ever since.”

In freelancing, Garvin found the time to invest in writing books. She published her first, a memoir called “How to be a Sister” in 2010. In 2021, she wrote a national bestseller and Northwest Passages feature, “The Music of Bees.” That novel came to her serendipitously, whereas the inception of “Crow Talk” was far more deliberate in her pandemic-era escape to the lake.

While a writer, Garvin has always been drawn to the natural world as a “diehard biology wannabe,” she incorporates natural elements as themes in her books. One of the protagonists is an ornithologist, which she said gave her an excuse to lean into her obsession with writing about birds and nature.

She selected the crow as the title avian, transitioning from her first idea to center a spotted owl, because corvids are so prolific in the region and intelligent, a study by University of Washington crow specialist John Marzluff indicates. Marzluff’s work found that crows could recognize the faces of friends and foes, and teach this wariness to their young.

“I was hooked on how smart they were,” Garvin said. “And noticing them everywhere and wanting to include so many of the stories that I read in Marzluff’s work and the work of others about crow life.”

Though “Crow Talk” characters bond over tending to an injured crow, they’re not her favorite bird, she said. That would be the ever colorful varied thrush, a noisy bird with a bright orange chest and speckled gray-blue wings, also commonly found in the Pacific Northwest.

Garvin will be migrating back to her hometown of Spokane and discussing “Crow Talk” at a Northwest Passages at 7 p.m. May 2 on the Steamplant rooftop event space. She’s eager to take part in her first in-person Northwest Passages talk, her last being virtual due to COVID-19.

“It’s really a vibrant hub for the arts for literary arts in the in Eastern Washington, I’m so pleased to be included in that,” Garvin said. “I love Spokane, I love the downtown. It’s just very familiar.”

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Creative writing MFA graduates will read their work

Come celebrate the 2024 graduates of the MFA program in creative writing as they share selections from their literary works at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27 in the Ulrich Museum of Art.

A reception will be at 2 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend the free event.