The NewPages Guide to Creative Writing Programs

The NewPages Guide to Creative Writing Programs
West Virginia Wesleyan College
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res)
Website: www.wvwc.edu/academics/gradprograms/MFA/
Address: 59 College Ave, Box 46, Buckhannon, WV 26201
Program Director: Jessie van Eerden
Program Contact: Jessie van Eerden
Phone: (304) 473-8329
Email: vaneerden@wvwc.edu
Degrees Offered: MFA
Type of Program: low-residency
Length of Program: 2 years
Genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Enrollment: 25
Total Credits Required: 49
Application Deadlines: Oct 1 for winter residency, Mar 1
for summer residency (rolling admission)
Scholarships: yes (see website)
Assistantships: no
Core Faculty: Mark DeFoe, Devon McNamara, Richard
Schmitt, Jessie van Eerden, Doug Van Gundy, Eric Waggoner
Visiting Faculty: Gail Galloway Adams, Mary Carroll-
Hackett, Sarah Beth Childers, Laura Long, Karen McElmurray,
Sara Pritchard, Carter Sickels, Aaron Smith, Crystal Wilkinson
Publishing/Editing Courses: yes (see website)
Recent Visiting Writers: Maggie Anderson, Diane Gilliam,
Terrance Hayes, Julia Kasdorf, Ann Pancake, Jayne Anne
Phillips
Program Description: Students join an extraordinarily
warm community every summer and winter for an intensive
ten-day residency that initiates an independent semester of
apprenticeship completed off-site through correspondence with
a mentor. Students work with a mixture of new and returning
faculty, working one-on-one with a different mentor within their
discipline throughout each residency and off-campus period.
Located in central Appalachia, the program welcomes and
fosters writing that explores place and identity, though that
emphasis is secondary to fostering excellence in all writing.
Interested students may substitute a residency in Ireland for one
campus residency. Faculty-student ratio never exceeds 1 to 4.
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Western State Colorado University
MFA/MA in Creative Writing
Certificate in Publishing (low-res)
Website: www.western.edu/mfa
Address: 600 N. Adams St., Gunnison, CO 81231
Program Director: Dr. David J. Rothman
Program Contact: Dr. David J. Rothman
Phone: (970) 943-2058
Email: drothman@western.edu
Degrees Offered: MFA, MA, Certificate in Publishing
Type of Program: low-residency
Length of Program: MFA: 25 months; MA: 13 months
Genres: genre fiction, poetry with emphasis in versecraft,
screenwriting for film and tv, publishing
Enrollment: 36 total in each yearly cohort
Total Credits Required: MFA: 60; MA: 30
Application Deadlines: rolling admissions with corresponding
start dates for fall, spring, or summer terms
Scholarships: yes (see website)
Assistantships: no
Core Faculty: Concentration Directors: Russell Davis
(Genre Fiction), Dr. David J. Rothman (Poetry), and JS Mayank
(Screenwriting)
Visiting Faculty: Michaela Herman-Roessner, Stacia Deutsch,
Candace Nadon, Diane Pharaoh Francis, David Yezzi, Ernest
Hilbert, Bob Shayne
Publishing/Editing Courses: yes (see website)
Literary Magazine: Western Press Books, Think Journal
Reading Series: yes (see website)
Recent Visiting Writers: Joe Haldeman, John Helfers,
Diana Tixier Herald, Robert McBrearty, Jim Minz, Andy Zack, Kim
Bridgford, Tom Cable, Natalie Gerber, Emily Grosholz, Dana Gioia,
Simon Jarvis, Marilyn Krysl (see complete list online)
Program Description: Set within the breathtaking landscapes
and skylines of Gunnison County, the Western State Colorado
University Low-Residency MFA program offers disciplined writers
the opportunity to pursue their passion, network with noted writers,
and realize a deeper understanding of the broader audiences
we write for. Mentored by a dedicated and accomplished faculty,
students establish the skills, networks, and industry knowledge
needed to make their passion their career. Students engage in
four semesters of rigorous online coursework that includes a
combination of weekly online discussion, writing, and critiques with
individual faculty mentors as well as weekly interaction with peers.
Links to all programs at www.newpages.com