MFA in Creative Writing

Welcome from Program Director Paul Selig

The low residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program is a 48 credit, rigorous, student-centered program for writers who chose to live their lives and hone their writing skills at the same time. The four-semester program combines a low-residency model in which students can immerse themselves in craft, literature, critique and practicalities, experiment with different genres and commune with prominent visiting writers, professionals, and faculty for eight days at the start of each residency, with one-on-one mentoring during the rest of the semester. The low residency MFA in Creative Writing Program is ideal for people with commitments to family, work or other personal obligations, or for people who simply want to improve their writing in the way that most writers end up working: on their own.

 

The low residency MFA in Creative Writing Program offers diversity on many levels. Diversity through a distinguished, award-winning faculty that offers a wide range of specialties and life experiences. Diversity in genre and style, allowing students to study poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, playwriting, screenwriting and cross-genre. Goddard developed the original model for low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing programs, and continues this tradition by fine-tuning an academically rigorous and student-centered program in which writers can pursue their interests in an environment that offers “safe harbor” and “intellectual freedom”.  Goddard College was established in 1938 as a progressive, experimental institution and it still strives to push the boundaries of education through its low residency MFA in Creative Writing Program.

 

Work of the Program

Students in the low residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program work one-on-one with their advisors on a combination of creative writing and critical analysis of related readings. Over four semesters, students learn life-long writing skills and habits, complete a full-length creative manuscript of publishable quality, read more than 45 books and develop the ability to critically analyze through an individually-designed bibliography, and complete a teaching practicum in their own community. The teaching practicum can take place in a variety of settings, from high school or college to community-based organizations and adult learning settings.

 

Throughout each semester, low residency MFA in Creative Writing students engage in a written dialogue with their faculty advisor through the exchange of five packets and responses. Faculty advisors respond to the packet work with praise and challenge, posing questions, analyzing strengths and weaknesses in the student’s writing, discussing approaches to a particular genre or problem, and suggesting writing exercises, books, or other resources.

 

Students interested in obtaining elementary or secondary teacher licensure may do so by transferring to the Goddard College Education and Licensure Program for two semesters following the completion of their MFA studies.

 

The Faculty

The MFA in Creative Writing Program faculty are distinguished and award-winning, offering a wide range of specialties and life experiences. Program faculty are active writers, published and produced internationally, and well-recognized in their fields. Current and recent faculty have been awarded numerous grants, fellowships and awards.

 

The Residency

Each semester in the low residency MFA in Creative Writing Program begins with an eight-day residency. Students meet individually and in small groups with their faculty advisor to discuss their creative work and develop their study plan and bibliography for the semester. Low residency MFA in Creative Writing students also network within an inspiring community of their peers, attend keynotes, publishing panels, student and faculty readings, workshops on craft and literature, and master classes. Visiting writers, industry professionals, and program alumni enrich the residency, sharing their expertise and craft through readings, workshops, and informal discussions. The low residency MFA in Creative Writing Program provides an inspiring and invigorating week each residency of complete immersion as a writer, thinker, and artist.

 

Students entering the low residency MFA in Creative Writing Program choose one of two low residency site options for the duration of their studies:

• The Plainfield, Vermont Residency Option on the campus of Goddard College in beautiful Central Vermont.
• The Port Townsend, Washington Residency Option at the Fort Worden site, located within a vibrant arts community on the Pacific Coast.*

Related Conferences

• The Clockhouse Writers' Conference meets every summer, overlapping with the low residency MFA in Creative Writing Program's Plainfield, Vermont residency, and holding workshops, formal readings and writing groups on the Goddard Campus.
• Port Townsend Writers Conference: The summer low residency MFA in Creative Writing Program's Port Townsend, WA residency is designed to overlap with the Port Townsend Writers Conference (PTWC), allowing students to collaborate with conference participants and enjoy selected PTWC workshops, readings and presentations.

 

 

*Goddard College is authorized by the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) and meets the requirements and minimum educational standards established for degree-granting institutions under the Degree Authorization Act. This authorization is valid until May 31, 2009, and authorizes Goddard College to offer the following programs: Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts. Any person desiring information about the requirements of the Act or the applicability of the those requirements to the institution may contact the HECB office at P.O. Box 43430, Olympia, WA 98504-3430.