mfa in creative writing in canada

• Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Distance) (MFA)
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Creative Writers are at the heart of our cultural industries. Poets, novelists, screenwriters, playwrights, graphic novelists, magazine writers: they entertain, inform and inspire. For more than 15 years, UBC's Creative Writing program has been educating writers through distance education in a program which complements our long-standing on-campus MFA program.

A studio program with the writing workshop at its heart, the distance MFA focuses on the work created by students as the primary text. Through intensive peer critique and craft discussion, faculty and students work together with the same goal: literary excellence.

The MFA granted to distance students is the same degree as granted to on-campus students, and the same criteria of excellence in multiple genres of study apply.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

UBC's Optional-Residency (Distance) MFA was the first distance education MFA program in Canada and remains the only full MFA which can be taken completely online. It is designed to be uniquely flexible, allowing students across Canada and around the world to study writing at the graduate level while still living in their local communities and fulfilling career and family obligations.

The program is unique globally for its multi-genre approach to writing instruction: students are required to work in multiple genres during the course of the degree. As a fine arts program rather than an English program, students focus on the practice of writing rather than the study of literature. Students may work on a part-time basis, taking up to five years to complete the degree.

My time in the Creative writing grad program at UBC has given me the discipline and focus I need to complete long-form writing pieces and larger poetry projects.

Kwaku Darko-Mensah Jnr.

Quick Facts

Program enquiries, admission information & requirements, program instructions.

The optional residency MFA (distance) program only has a July intake.

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum academic requirements.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

• Canada or the United States
• International countries other than the United States

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

Overall score requirement : 90

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement : 6.5

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE is not required.

2) Meet Deadlines

3) prepare application, transcripts.

All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.

Letters of Reference

A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.

Statement of Interest

Many programs require a statement of interest , sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.

Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Distance) (MFA)

Citizenship verification.

Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.

4) Apply Online

All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.

Tuition & Financial Support

Financial support.

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union .

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans .

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement .

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Options

Graduates of the MFA program have found success in varied fields related to writing and communication. The MFA qualifies graduates for teaching at the university level and many graduates have gone on to teach at colleges and universities in Canada, the United States and overseas as well as holding writing residencies. Many publish books and win literary awards. Others go on to work in publishing, and graduates have become book and magazine editors.

Although the MFA is a terminal degree, some graduates go on to further study in PhD programs in the US, UK and Australia.

The Optional-Residency MFA is particularly well suited to teachers: our teacher-students have been able to gain an advanced degree while continuing their careers.

• Research Supervisors

This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.

• Belcourt, Billy-Ray (Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry)
• Hopkinson, Nalo (Creative writing, n.e.c.; Humanities and the arts; Creative Writing: Speculative Ficton, Fantasy, Science Fiction, especially Other Voices)
• Irani, Anosh
• Koncan, Frances
• Leavitt, Sarah (Autobiographical comics; Formal experimentation in comics; Comics pedagogy)
• Lee, Nancy (Fiction; Creative Writing)
• Lyon, Annabel (Novels, stories and news)
• Maillard, Keith (Fiction, poetry)
• Marzano-Lesnevich, Alex (Nonfiction)
• McGowan, Sharon (Planning of film productions from concept to completion)
• Medved, Maureen (Fiction, writing for screen)
• Nicholson, Cecily (Languages and literature; Poetry)
• Ohlin, Alix (Fiction; Screenwriting; Environmental writing)
• Pohl-Weary, Emily (Fiction; Writing for Youth)
• Svendsen, Linda (Fiction, television)
• Taylor, Timothy (fiction and nonfiction)
• Vigna, John (Novels, stories and news; Fiction, Literary Non-Fiction, Creative Writing)

Related Programs

Same specialization.

• Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Same Academic Unit

• Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Theatre (MFA)
• Master of Fine Arts in Film Production and Creative Writing (MFA)

At the UBC Okanagan Campus

• Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Further Information

Specialization.

Creative Writing combines the best of traditional workshop and leading-edge pedagogy. Literary cross-training offers opportunities in a broad range of genres including fiction, poetry, screenplay, podcasting, video game writing and graphic novel.

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Considering UBC for your graduate studies?

Here, you can choose from more than 300 graduate degree program options and 2000+ research supervisors. You can even design your own program.

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Program Information

Since September 2006, the University of Guelph has offered an exciting Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Program in Creative Writing, located in the University of Guelph-Humber building on the north campus of Humber College in Toronto. Our stellar faculty includes Catherine Bush , Carianne Leung , Canisia Lubrin , and Judith Thompson , and associated faculty Kevin Connolly , Kyo Maclear , and Michael Winter , among others. We offer workshops in the following genres: creative nonfiction, drama, fiction and poetry. Defining characteristics of the program include the innovative plenary courses “Writers on Writing” and “Writers in the World,” a semester-long mentorship with a professional writer, the participation of a wide range of well-established writers from Canada and abroad as associated faculty, mentors and visitors, and alliances with a variety of cultural organizations in the Toronto area. We emphasize reading as essential to the art of writing and promote the idea of an engaged writing practice. We offer students such pedagogical initiatives as the Parkdale Project, the opportunity to design and teach creative writing workshops in downtown Toronto schools. We attract a diverse student body and are proud of the trail-blazing publication and production accomplishments of our growing number of alumni. Through the program, we aim to offer students stimulating, challenging, and engaging ways to shape a writing life.

The Creative Writing MFA takes full advantage of its location in Toronto, an international literary and cultural centre. The program has been designed to provide students with a wide range of opportunities to interact with the community, and especially to connect students with well-established writers from across Canada and abroad as workshop instructors, mentors, and visitors. Our partnership with Harbourfront’s International Festival of Authors is a distinctive feature of the program. Through the IFOA we offer annual Master Classes with authors visiting the festival. We offer additional winter Master Classes and panels on such topics as structuring the novel, teaching writing, and writers and money. Our partnership with the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival offers MFA students annual reading spots at the Festival. We host a monthly program reading series, Speakeasy , in downtown Toronto. We also offer a teaching practicuum, the Parkdale Project : MFA students co-teach six once-a-week writing workshops to Grade Seven and Eight students at Parkdale Public School, or act as solo instructors for two high school level workshop sessions with Parkdale Collegiate students. We offer play reading opportunities for our playwriting students and intensive voice workshops to train students in how to read their work. Additional partnerships with the Humber School for Writers , Humber College , and Toronto theatres provide extraordinary extracurricular, volunteer, and work opportunities for our MFA students.

Program Design

Required courses include three intensive semester-long workshops, two plenary courses (“Writers on Writing” and “Writers in the World”), an individual study course, and a thesis.

Normally, students take one workshop and one plenary course in the first (fall) semester of study; one workshop, or two, in the second (winter) semester; the individual study course in the third (summer) semester; and the other plenary course and a final workshop, if necessary, in the fourth (fall) semester. The remaining two semesters of the two-year program are devoted to the thesis.

NOTE: With permission, MFA students may take one or two courses at the University of Guelph—e.g., MA courses in the School of English and Theatre Studies in which the student has a strong interest and the subject material feeds into work being done within the MFA program.  Normal course requirements for the MFA program may be modified to accommodate this.

About the Courses

(0.5 credits each).

We admit 12-13 students in each cohort. The average workshop size will be between 8 and 12 students.

Generally students take one and sometimes two workshops in their primary genre. Students are required to take at least one workshop outside their area of primary interest. The admissions process is used to identify areas of interest and to ensure a reasonable level of balance within the program.

In making workshop assignments to faculty, we try to ensure that a student working in the same genre twice will do so with different instructors. (The requirement that workshops be taken in at least two genres is important because sustained exposure to and practice in another genre may reveal or develop new creative strengths.)

The workshops are strongly focused on writing, but each also involves a substantial reading component. It is worth noting here that the most consistent and urgent advice given to new writers by established professionals is to read—widely, voraciously, and well. Through the reading component of the workshops, students learn to read as writers. They grow in an understanding of the writer’s craft; they will be able to discuss technique knowledgably and to incorporate insights gained from their reading into the writing they produce for the workshop.

A very important part of the workshops is the interaction between students and the responses they provide to one another’s work; attendance is therefore mandatory. Please note that these are intensive courses. The writing requirement of the workshops is substantial, as is the workload overall. 

Plenary Courses

Plenary courses meet once a week. Student presentations on selected readings make up a significant part of the course.  Student participation is paramount.  There will also be written assignments.  

1) WRITERS ON WRITING

This plenary course allows students to acquaint themselves with and vigorously debate the varied ways in which writers describe their art and practice, and includes readings from such writers as Italo Calvino, Anne Carson, Sheila Heti, Dennis Lee, Harold Pinter, and David Shields, among others. We will examine how writers understand and describe their creative processes, techniques, and aims, and engage with a range of subjects including the competing roles of experience and imagination, the place of theft and influence in creativity, the usefulness of the idea of perfection, questions of representation, including the nature of realism, and the use of formal structures in poetry and prose.

2) WRITERS IN THE WORLD

This plenary course involves students in significant, often highly contentious debates on the role of writing in the world—debates that form a context within which the solitary writer creates his or her own imaginative worlds. Issues to be considered include varying conceptions of the writer’s role and responsibilities, the idea of a national literature, the way value is assigned to a work of literature, transgression in writing, the changing copyright climate, and the impact of the internet on writers’ professional lives. Work by writers including Chinua Achebe, Margaret Atwood, Dionne Brand, J.M. Coetzee, Orhan Pamuk, Salman Rushdie among others will be examined.

Individual Study Course Mentorship Semester 

(0.5 credits).

Great care will be taken to achieve a good match between student and mentor. The mentorship is designed to accommodate the variable learning needs of individual students.  The design and schedule of the individual study course will be arrived at through consultation between the Coordinator, the student, and the mentor. Students work closely with their mentors and have regular contact with them through whatever combination of face-to-face meeting, telephone, mail, e-mail, and/or Skype consultation works best for the individuals concerned. 

(CREDITS ARE NOT ASSIGNED)

Each student will have a thesis advisor and a two-person advisory committee made up of the advisor and one additional faculty member. When it has been determined by the advisory committee that the thesis is ready for examination, the thesis will be evaluated by a three-person examining committee. An oral examination is the final phase of the thesis requirement. The examining committee, whose first and most crucial task is to assess the merits of the thesis itself, will conduct this examination.

MFA in Writing

Master your imagination. We’re one of three programs in Canada that offers an MFA in Writing. Our program emphasizes both how to write and how to teach writing. You’ll focus on perfecting your work in your own genre. We also encourage you to explore new forms, like graphic novels or interactive media.

You’ll work with internationally published writers in a supportive environment. When you leave our program, you’ll take a polished body of work with you. We want you to graduate with skills that will get you a job as a writer or teacher.

You’ll work closely with our experienced faculty, who will respect and nurture your creative voice. In our workshop classes, you’ll receive both helpful criticism and positive feedback. You’ll also learn how to teach creative writing and encourage creativity in others. If you’re interested in publishing, you can intern with a literary magazine or B.C. publisher.

You can specialize in one of five genres: fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting and poetry. Typically, we only accept one applicant per genre per year.

Degree programs offered

• Writing (MFA)

Quick facts

Areas of focus.

• Creative nonfiction
• Playwriting

Faculties and departments

• Faculty of Fine Arts
• Department of Writing

Contact Valerie Tenning at [email protected] or 250-721-7306 .

< Explore more programs

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Writing & Publishing

Master of fine arts in creative nonfiction, we’ve got your book..

Whether you are a mid-career writer, a journalist, or an aspiring author, King’s MFA is designed for you. Bring us your idea for a novel, a collection of short stories, a narrative nonfiction book, a collection of essays, or a biography or memoir and we can help you turn it into a manuscript that’s on the road to publication.

We’ll help you learn the craft and practice of being an author as you hone your skills under the mentorship of award-winning writers and editors. With the additional help of top publishing professionals in Canada and the United States, you’ll do all this and more in just two years. The bonus, of course, is that you earn a prestigious MFA degree along the way.

Download our free ebook Mastering Nonfiction: Tips & Techniques from the Mentors and Faculty of the King’s MFA in Creative Nonfiction

The MFA is a two-year limited residency program. During annual June residencies on the campus at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, students deepen their understanding of the art and craft of nonfiction writing through lectures, seminars, panels, workshops and readings as well as work intensively on their own projects with their mentors. During two online six-day January residencies, one featuring guests primarily from New York and one featuring guests from the Canadian publishing industry (most based in Toronto), students learn about the latest trends in the publishing industry and discuss their writing projects with editors, agents and publishers based in North America’s main publishing hubs. Between residencies, students take part in occasional online webinars and readings and continue to work off-campus on their two major projects—a book proposal and their book manuscript—with the support and guidance of their mentors. This low-residency feature, and the exclusive focus on creative nonfiction, make the King’s MFA the only program of its kind in Canada.

Director of Writing & Publishing, Gillian Turnbull , Cohort Directors Kim Pittaway ,  Stephen Kimber and Dean Jobb – along with the stellar group of writing mentors – are all published authors, award-winning journalists and highly successful writing instructors. Together they have written or edited more than fifty books and been nominated for at least a hundred national magazine or newspaper awards. So far, almost 50 graduates of the program have published or are under contract to publish nonfiction books , and our alumni have been finalists for and winners of numerous nonfiction book awards, including the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction, the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award (Non-Fiction), the Pottersfield Creative Nonfiction Contest and more.

We invite you to take the challenge. Join other talented writers and our award-winning faculty and turn your great idea into an equally great book.

Read about MFA book deals

The MFA is a limited-residency program, with one nine-day summer residency and an online one-week winter residency each year. Students will pursue independent writing and research in the interim, in collaboration with a project mentor. Students are free to live anywhere in these interim periods.

The summer residencies run for nine days in June, and are focused on the crafts of structure, research and writing. They aim to develop a strong narrative focus and scope for your work. The residency is a high-volume learning experience that comprises morning sessions with mentors, afternoon readings, lectures and guest lectures and evening sessions featuring student readings and talkback.

The winter residencies run online for one week in January, and are focused on the business of writing, and developing the skills necessary to be a working writer in nonfiction. Students will meet with literary agents, editors and publishers, and learn crucial skills like developing marketing plans for their book. In addition, they will meet with their mentors to continue development on their book proposal and manuscript.

In the interim terms, students work with a mentor to progress on their book proposal and manuscript. They will establish a contract of deliverables with their mentors to be reviewed and updated each summer and winter session. Students may have a variety of mentors over the course of the program. Mentors are assigned to help students develop specific skills vital to the progress of their project.

Explore courses

Summer/fall, nonfiction writing craft i, wpub6100.03, nonfiction mentorship i, wpub6101.06, nonfiction publishing i, wpub6102.03, nonfiction mentorship ii, wpub6103.06, nonfiction writing craft ii, wpub6200.03, nonfiction mentorship iii, wpub6201.06, nonfiction publishing ii, wpub6202.03, nonfiction mentorship iv, wpub6203.06, the mfa was like a ‘sheltered workshop.’ i’d never written a book before, and certainly never something so personal. the program gave me a structure and the support i needed to help me to write it.

Pauline Dakin

Author, Run, Hide, Repeat (Penguin Canada 2017), MFA in Creative Non-Ficton, 2015

Faculty & Staff

Jessica j. lee, mfa mentor, creative nonfiction, gillian turnbull, director of writing & publishing, kim pittaway, cohort director, mfa in creative nonfiction, inglis professor, cohort director, mfa in creative nonfiction, dido devlin, administrative support, writing & publishing, cooper lee bombardier, david hayes, lezlie lowe, mfa mentor, creative nonfiction & instructor (part-time), lori a. may, ken mcgoogan, omar mouallem, lorri neilsen glenn, karen pinchin, carol shaben, kelly s. thompson, harry thurston, ayelet tsabari.

Students cover travel, meal and accommodation costs themselves for the summer residencies. These expenses are not covered by tuition. If you are in need of accommodation during the summer residency, contact King’s Conference Services .

Get more information about graduate-level writing and publishing programs

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Program overview

Fast-track your skills in the company of other writers. Pursue your thesis with a professor whose expertise  complements your area of interest. Take literature seminars that broaden your understanding of others’ work and your own. The literary culture you encounter will enhance every aspect of your development as a writer.

You’ll have the freedom to explore your creative vision and find your voice as a writer and scholar in the artistically vibrant city of Montreal. Our program’s flexibility allows you to propose a thesis project in traditional or innovative genres and media, including digital.

By pursuing training as a writer in the context of a literature program, you’ll experience a learning environment informed by a multiplicity of insights. Your classmates will include people pursuing scholarly interests as well as those with their sights set on writing careers, publishing and editing, gaming, and teaching.

You’ll also have the opportunity to forge professional and artistic relationships that will last throughout your career.  Concordia is home to the Centre for Expanded Poetics, the Mordecai Richler Reading Room , numerous publications, and the Writers Read series , which attracts renowned and emerging writers alike.

Program Details

Admission requirements, english literature ma with thesis (option a), english literature ma with thesis (option b) (45 credits), creative writing with thesis (option c), degree requirements, degree requirements.

Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 45 credits.

Please see the English Courses page for course descriptions.

English MA (45 credits)

Program options.

Degree options

You may choose one of three options. English Literature MA with Thesis (Option A) English Literature MA with Thesis (Option B) Creative Writing with Thesis (Option C)

Application process

Your completed application will include:

• Application form and Fee
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Three Letters of Reference and assessment form
• Statement of Purpose (2 pages maximum) outlining your academic and creative writing background and areas of interest, potential thesis area, and objectives in pursuing graduate studies
• Creative Writing  portfolio
• For international students, a sample of your written work, such as a course paper (15 pages maximum).
• Transcripts  for all post-secondary institutions attended
• Proof of Canadian citizenship (if applicable)
• Applicants whose primary language is not English, are required to submit  official language test scores , unless exempted.

Please apply  online . Read the  how-to guide  for application procedures.

Application deadlines

Consult the graduate calendar for a complete list of courses  and  read about upcoming, current and past course offerings .

Portfolio information

How to submit your portfolio 

Upload a PDF version of your portfolio on or before the application deadline.

If you are experiencing issues with uploading your portfolio, please send it to the Graduate Program Assistant  [email protected] .

Your portfolio MUST include the portfolio cover page   and a copy of your statement of purpose.

The subject line should read:   Last name, first name - graduate portfolio submission

About the portfolio

It is not necessary to submit all three genres; though you may wish to reflect your strengths in various genres, the focus should be on that in which you propose to complete your thesis. If you write prose, submit 35 to ( a maximum of ) 45 pages (double-spaced); if poetry, 20 to ( a maximum of ) 25 pages (single-spaced). If you are applying in drama, you must submit one complete play. In the case of a combined-genre portfolio, the total should not exceed 35 pages (unless drama is included).  Submit your strongest work that which you feel accurately represents your abilities and interests. Where possible, complete works are preferable to excerpts.

Students not accepted into the Creative Writing program may enter the Literature Option if they have met admission requirements and have indicated that they are interested in the other option on the  portfolio cover page form.

We’re committed to providing students the support they need to focus on their studies. Top students benefit from scholarships and teaching assistantships, and all students are eligible for conference awards and other funding .

Please also consult the English Department’s funding page and Financial Aid and Awards .

Faculty research interests

Our faculty members are accomplished scholars across many fields of literature. Learn about the diverse research interests through our research initiatives  and recent publications .

Student initiatives

Graduate students hold writing sessions and workshops, host literary and scholarly events, and publish a journal. Learn more about Concordia Write Nights , Headlight , and visit SAGE to get involved.

Your professional future

An MA in English prepares you for careers that require strength in research, writing, and communication.

You’ll also be qualified to teach in Quebec’s CEGEP system.

Our graduates  are well-placed to take on advanced study in a PhD program, in either English or Creative Writing.  Others have become icons of the Canadian literary scene. Still others work in such fields as editing (literary, copy), publishing (as employees or as small press publishers themselves), writing for online and print magazines (e.g. Maisonneuve , The Walrus ), developing video games, teaching CEGEP, teaching ESL, translating, and technical writing.

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• MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing

The Department of English at the University of Toronto launched the MA Program in English in the Field of Creative Writing (MA CRW) in 2004-05. The program draws both on the expertise of faculty at the University of Toronto and on the extraordinary vitality of Toronto’s writing community. Internationally acclaimed writers, a multiplicity of cultural traditions, and an energetic publishing industry provide the environment for nurturing new talent. Students have at their disposal the academic and creative resources of the English Department, including its strengths in historical research and traditional scholarship, numerous interdisciplinary collaborations, its acknowledged expertise in world literature, and a faculty engaged in new theoretical studies in culture, race, and gender. Students also have access to one of the world’s great library systems, including the manuscript collections at the Fisher Rare Book library. While the program is designed to prepare participants for careers as professional writers, it will also qualify those wishing to pursue further graduate studies.

Admission Requirements

The MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing requires students to attend graduate-level English courses. The degree can lead to a PhD in English. Therefore, students must have at least seven full-year undergraduate courses in English or the equivalent in half-year courses (i.e., fourteen), or any combination of full- and half-year courses that add up to the equivalent of seven full-year courses .  It is not necessary to have an English major, as long as you have the seven undergraduate English courses. Students who do not meet this requirement cannot be admitted into the program.

A B+ average (GPA of 3.3) is the minimum requirement for entry into the program. Once this is met, the primary basis for the selection of candidates is the quality of the portfolio submission. It is not expected that students will have publication credits. Applicants do not need to provide GRE results.

Applications must be submitted online and are considered complete only when the following documentation has been received by the Department of English:

• Two academic letters of reference submitted online by academic referees/recommenders, each addressing your performance in university English and/or Creative Writing coursework. At least one letter must discuss your performance in English coursework. Do not use editors, publishers, employers, or fellow writers as referees.
• A statement of purpose, submitted electronically
• Digital Transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended (in pdf format), uploaded to the application, and UPON REQUEST ONLY official paper transcripts mailed directly to the Department. For more detailed information and instructions regarding submitting transcripts, please visit  "Checklist for a Complete GradAPP Package" in the section entitled Academic Transcripts  on our  APPLICATION INFORMATION page.
• Do not submit academic essays.
• To view the application details and requirements, please visit the SGS website here  SGS Admissions & SGS Application Requirements  and the application instructions on the SGS  How to apply  page. Additionally, here is the link to the School of Graduate Studies pages for Future Students .

Program Requirements

The MA program in English in the Field of Creative Writing usually requires 18-24 months to complete. Applicants must have an overall average of B+ or better and evidence of first-class work in English for admission to the program. The program requires the completion of two FCE’s (full course equivalents) in English; ENG6950Y Writing Workshop; and a supervised Writing Project (the equivalent of a thesis) completed under the direction of a mentor.

All candidates must complete the Writing Workshop in the first year of their program. Some sessions may feature on-campus visits from editors, publishers, professional archivists, researchers, and agents so that students can learn the pragmatics of the publishing industry. In their second year, students undertake a book-length Writing Project in a genre of choice – poetry, drama, fiction, or creative non-fiction. Each student is assigned a faculty member or adjunct faculty member with whom to consult on a regular basis about the Project. All advisors are published writers.

Writing Workshop

ENG6950YY: All candidates for the MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing must complete this workshop in the first year of their program. Students will also submit creative work in order to receive feedback from the instructor and fellow students, and this will allow them to develop their portfolios.

Writing Project

In the second year of the program, students will undertake a book-length Writing Project in a genre of choice (poetry, drama, fiction, or creative non-fiction). Each student will be assigned a faculty member or adjunct faculty member with whom to consult on a regular basis about the Project. All mentors will be published writers. The completed Project should normally be submitted before the beginning of April of the second year. The Department will then arrange an oral defense, to be chaired by the Director of the MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing. The Writing Project can be designated as Pass, Fail, or Distinction.

Student Funding

Students accepted into the MA Program in English in the Field of Creative Writing are eligible for teaching assistantships, including a number in Creative Writing courses. All incoming students are considered for incoming scholarships.

Students are strongly encouraged to apply for external funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and for the Ontario Graduate Scholarship. For more information visit the Department of English Finances & Awards  webpage.

Faculty, Mentors, and Alumni

• MA CRW Program Adjunct Faculty (Mentor) Biographies
• MA CRW Faculty Biographies
• MA CRW Alumni Biographies

How many students are admitted each year?

We admit seven students each year.

I do not have 7 full-year (or equivalent) undergraduate courses in English. Can I still apply?

Because the program is an MA in English, students must have a strong background in English literature. Students who do not have sufficient undergraduate training may wish to take additional courses in English in order to qualify for admission.

My average is less than a B+. Can I still apply?

The academic requirements for admission to the MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing are very strict. The B+ minimum must be met or a student’s portfolio will not be considered. Students who do not have an adequate GPA may wish to take additional courses in order to improve their academic standing and qualify for admission.

I have taken courses in literature in a language other than English. Can I apply?

Unless the texts were studied in English translation, courses in literature in a language other than English do not qualify students for admission to the program.

How should I choose what to submit?

Choose your best writing.

Can I apply to enrol in January?

There is only one entry point for students in the MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing, which is September. Students may not begin the program in January.

Can I enrol in the MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing part-time?

Students must enrol full-time.

How much Financial Support can I expect?

Currently we are able to offer students in the Creative Writing program a TAship each year (number of hours TBA at the start of the program), to a maximum of two years. Successful applicants for the SSHRC CGS-M award can expect $17,500. OGS award holders can expect up to $15,000. All incoming students are considered for incoming scholarships.

For more information please contact us by e-mail, phone or by mail.

[email protected]  Director, MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing Department of English 170 St. George Street University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario Canada M5R 2M8

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Top 5 colleges in Canada for MFA in Creative Writing Programs

Creative writing needs a lot of practice, vocabulary, and vision. it can be achieved with proper guidance. mfa in creative writing in canada will give you exactly that. read on to learn more., table of contents, best writing programs in canada, what is creative writing, what is mfa in creative writing , top 5 colleges in canada for mfa in creative writing program, the university of toronto, the university of british columbia, the university of montreal, york university, the university of ottawa, the curriculum of mfa in creative writing, specialization subjects in mfa in creative writing, the admission requirements, key takeaways.

Dumbledore in Harry Potter said, “words are the most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.” This sentence shows the power of words. A writer is a magician who makes us feel emotions we never knew we could through words. Creative writing plays a vital role in this magic.  

An MFA creative writing can be your chance to explore this magic within you and help the world see it. Let’s learn more about this course and the top universities in Canada to pursue the degree. 

It is a stream where you can explore the realm of literature. In creative writing, you explore different types of literature and work in one that suits your taste. You can write essays, articles, columns, technical blogs, a book, poetry, screenplay, lyrics, or a slogan for advertisement. There are several genres of literature that you can explore with creative writing.

The field of creative writing demands a unique vision and an awareness of the factors necessary to sell it.  In this digital era, we have plenty of sources of information and entertainment. If you want to make creative writing a profession, you will have to know how to make money with it. The MFA in creative writing is a great way to learn that.

Master of Fine Arts in creative writing is a postgraduate degree program. If you are interested in writing, you can enroll in this course. It is known to be a versatile course with multiple opportunities. It will help you strengthen your writing skills, develop editing skills, and build professional relationships with your peers. 

This course covers all the genres of writing. The students learn about literature, technical writing, journalistic writing, and business-oriented writing. The course includes experimental learning to prepare students for professional opportunities in the industry. 

The colleges for MFA in creative writing organize events like writing conferences, writer’s retreats, and guest lectures to build students’ professional skills. They also get university fellowships and internships in publication houses. You can even pursue a career in teaching literature with this degree.

Canada is a beautiful country with landscapes, ice skating, maple syrup, and northern lights. It has all the colors of nature and the beauty of humanity. The literature in Canada is known to be bilingual. It is divided into English and French literature. That’s why studying MFA creative writing in Canada has become more interesting. 

Let’s look at some top universities that conduct the MFA in creative writing. 

Let’s know more about these universities in Canada.

The University of Toronto was established in 1827. Since its establishment, it has been research-oriented. It has ranked in the top list of universities across the globe for many other courses. The university is spread over 177 acres. It has 3 campuses. 

This university hosts more than 5,60,000 graduate students. The tuition fee for the course ranges from CAD 25,000 to 30,000. For more information, visit the official website of the university.

This U niversity of British Columbia was founded in 1908. It is a public university in the state of British Columbia. It has the motto ‘tuum est,’ which means ‘it is yours.’ It is ranked among the top universities in the world. It offers 244 post-graduate degree programs in science, business, health, fine arts, etc. 

This university has 8 Nobel laureates as alumni. It conducts MFA in different domains like acting, filmmaking, and writing. The course fee for MFA in creative writing is over CAD 9,229.

University of Montreal was established in 1878 in Quebec, Canada. It is a non-private research institution. The main campus of this university is on Mount Royal. It is spread over 65 hectares. This university gives equal importance to fine arts as research and science. 

York University was initially affiliated with the University of Toronto. In 1965, it became an independent university. It ranks third in the list of largest universities in Canada. It emphasizes more liberal education in the arts and science stream. 

York University has over 28 research centers on its campus. It is currently home to over 55,700 students. The MFA in creative writing program at this university is for 4 years. It provides students with an extensive learning program through this degree. 

University of Ottawa was established in 1848. It is one of the oldest public research universities in Ottawa. It is also known to be the largest bilingual university. This university has 3 campuses. They are in Ottawa, Toronto, and Windsor. The main campus in Ottawa is spread over 100 acres. 

The University of Ottawa conducts more than 50 specialized post-graduation courses. One of those courses is MFA in creative writing.

You don’t need to hold a degree in the same domain to get admission to this course. It is a full-time course of 2 years duration. The course starts in the fall session. It has 36 credits. They are divided as follows.

The course has 4 semesters and an internship. Each semester, the students have to attend one writing workshop and a literature seminar. In the final semester, you will have to work closely with your faculty advisor to complete the writing thesis and literature project. 

The MFA in creative writing course offers you to choose a specialization in your writing. There are a few options available for you to specialize in. Let’s take a look at these subjects.

• Fiction- Students work on a story, its narrative arc, emotions, plot, tension, and character building in this subject. They must study several fiction writers’ works and understand the writing process. They will also need to attend seminars and workshops on the same process. In this degree program, the students also learn about flash fiction, novels, graphic narration, and more. 
• Non-fiction- This genre of writing is especially popular in digital media. People love to read non-fiction e-books on their smartphones and kindle. It includes personal narratives, essays, memoirs, and a certain form of journalism. They learn to apply productive critiques through revision. 
• Poetry- Sometimes rhymes come naturally to the poet. Some people are born with the talent to express emotions through poetry. This MFA in creative writing course only solidifies that talent to become a professional and well-known poet. The curriculum includes craft classes that teach students about poetic forms, terms, blank verses, villanelle, and pyrrhic. 
• Screenplay- It is a form of writing that connects live theatre and visual art through a script. In MFA, students learn to write for television shows and films. Screenwriting has also gained an important place in video games. Students get new occupation opportunities as the demand for story-driven video games increases. 

The admission process for MFA creative writing in Canada is pretty simple. You can apply for the course online on the university’s official website. Along with the admission form, you need to submit some documents. They are as follows.

• Bachelor’s degree in any stream.
• A CV or supplemental information about your professional experience as a writer.
• You need to score a minimum of 2.5 GPA in your previous education.
• An unofficial academic transcript.
• A letter of recommendation.
• A Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score.
• Application fee for the admissions. 
• IELTS scores for international students.
• MFA in creative writing gives you a broader perspective and a chance to explore your writing skills.
• With different learning programs, the universities in Canada proved to be one of the best choices to pursue an MFA in creative writing.
• This degree can cost you over CAD 30,000 to 40,000 for the first year. It can vary depending on the university and your living situation.

We hope you find this information helpful. Write to us your comments.

Liked this blog? Read next: 5 best colleges for MFA in the United States- QS world ranking.

Q1. Can you pursue a career in teaching creative writing with an MFA degree?

Answer: With an MFA in creative writing, you will be eligible to teach in an elementary school.

Q2. How much does a writer earn?

Answer: According to the survey, a full-time writer can earn over $20,300. 

Q3. What can I do with an MFA in creative writing degree?

Answer: You can become a copywriter, art director, copy-editor, newspaper journalist, digital marketer, social media manager, etc. 

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MFA in Writing

Established 2011.

• Recent News

69 graduates and counting

"the mfa in writing is dedicated to mentorship, student support, and an inclusive community. writing can be a solitary activity. in the mfa at university of saskatchewan, you belong to a program but more than that, to a welcoming community that values compassionate rigour, innovation, and diversity. many of our graduates, while continuing to write and publish, work in the cultural sector, as editors, and literary entrepreneurs.", ---dr. jeanette lynes, mfa in writing director, what's new, about the mfa in writing.

The goal of the Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in Writing program is the training of a writer in the professional and creative aspects of the craft. The MFA in Writing at the University of Saskatchewan balances the intensive study and practice of writing in several genres with an interdisciplinary flexibility. To the study of poetry, fiction and playwriting, the program adds a variety of non-fiction genres, allowing students to merge a wide variety of intellectual interests with their writing ambitions.

Books by MFA in Writing Students

Our MFA in Writing students maintain a robust publishing program, both during and after their MFA studies. Their work appears regularly in literary magazines and journals. Listed below are some of their book publications:

Sarah Ens,  The World is Mostly Sky (Turnstone Press, Forthcoming)

Meaghan Hackinen,  South Away: The Pacific Coast on Two Wheels  (NeWest Press, 2019)

dee Hobsbawn-Smith,  Bread & Water  (Forthcoming)

dee Hobsbawn-Smith,  What Can't Be Undone: Stories (Thistledown Press, 2015)

dee Hobsbawn-Smith,  Wildness Rushing In , (Hagios Press, 2014)

dee Hobsbawn-Smith,  Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet (TouchWood, 2012)

Katherine Lawrence,  Stay  (Coteau Books, 2017)

Katherine Lawrence,  Never Mind  (Turnstone Books, 2016)

Katherine Lawrence,  Lying to Our Mothers  (Coteau Books, 2006)

Katherine Lawrence,  Ring Finger, Left Hand  (Coteau Books, 2001)

Shannon McConnell,  The Burden of Gravity  (Caitlin Press, Forthcoming)

Allison McFarland,  Disappearing in Reverse  (University of Calgary Press, Forthcoming)

Mika Lafond,  nipê wânîn: my way back  (Thistledown Press, 2017)

Taidgh Lynch,  First Lift Here and Other Poems (JackPine Press, 2019)

Patrick O'Reilly,  A Collapsible Newfoundland (Frog Hollow Press, 2020)

Program Information

The MFA in Writing is a two-year program. Students will normally convocate in the fall at the end of the two years. This means that the students will normally defend their theses at the end of August and/or the beginning of September. In exceptional circumstances, a student may defend his or her thesis in June. This is a Full-Time program. Students should be prepared to devote the bulk of their time to it. The writing workshops are on-site only and do not have an on-line component. In both years students take a variety of courses; in the second, students also complete a thesis. The thesis can be a novel, a work of creative non-fiction, a play, a collection of poems or short stories.

The First Year

In the first year, all students in this program are to take two 3cu Workshop courses (fiction and non-fiction), in which students are required to present work in two genres.

• WRIT 800.3 - The Craft of Writing Fiction is to be taken in fall term.
• WRIT 802.3 - Non-Fiction Workshop is to be taken in winter term.
• Elective - As well, each student will take their 3 cu elective as an 800-level or approved undergraduate 300 or 400 level course in another subject. The relevance of this course to the student’s writing must be demonstrated, and prerequisite requirements must be satisfied or waived.

Each student will also take part in the program’s WRIT 990 colloquium (the Profession of Writing), and in GPS 960 (Introduction to Ethics and Integrity) and also in WRIT 994 (the thesis).

During the first year, each student will be assigned an approved faculty supervisor. An established writer from the community with professional affiliate status in the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, will also be assigned as your writing mentor starting April 1st of your first year and ending September 30th of your second year.

The Second Year

In the second year, upon successful completion of year one’s requirements, all students in the program will be required to take two more Workshop courses.

• WRIT 801.3 -  Poetry Workshop is to be taken in fall term.
• WRIT 803.3 -  Capstone Workshop Extended Forms is to be taken in winter term.

All students will continue to participate in WRIT 990 and WRIT 994 . With regular supervision, including supervision throughout the summer, students will propose and carry out the thesis. The second year will be completed with the submission and successful defense of the thesis.

Mentorships

The six-month mentorship is a key component of the MFA in Writing. Students must achieve a minimum mark of 80% to be eligible for a mentor. It affords students the opportunity to work with published authors from the Saskatchewan writing community. The mentorship begins in the spring after the student’s first year and continues until September of that year. Mentors will respond to regular submissions of student work via in-person meetings, Skype, email, regular post or some combination of the above. The Coordinator will assign each student a mentor based on a ‘fit’ between the mentor’s work and the student’s proposed writing project. The student is free to suggest a mentor pending the Coordinator’s approval. The assignment of mentors will depend, of course, on the availability of the mentor. The creative project on which the mentor and student work together will essentially constitute a portion of the student’s MFA thesis.

WRIT 800.3 - The Craft of Writing Fiction

This course focuses on how to write dynamic and engaging fiction. The course offers compositional strategies for writing short stories and novels. Writ 800.3 is an intensive workshop consisting of peer critiques, a craft seminar, and discussion of assigned readings. Students will meet weekly and will be required, every week, to produce writing of their own and submit it for analysis by the rest of the class and the instructor. 

WRIT 801.3 – Poetry Workshop

Students in this course will meet weekly for a three-hour seminar, in which they will examine the key theories and issues in the writing of poetry. A professional writer should have experience in more than one genre: exploring the specific demands and opportunities of verse is fundamental to this program. The students will be required, every week, to produce writing of their own – commentary, then poems – and submit it for discussion by the rest of the class and the instructor.

WRIT 802.3 – Nonfiction Workshop

Students in this course will meet weekly for a three-hour seminar, in which they will examine some leading theories and methods in the making of nonfiction that could include biography, history, and investigative journalism. This course will develop the student’s proficiency in writing nonfiction for a general audience. The students will be required, every week, to produce writing and submit it for discussion by the rest of the class and the instructor.

WRIT 803.3 – Extended Forms

This capstone workshop focuses on the conceptualizing and creation of a book-length manuscript of prose (fiction, creative non-fiction) or poetry. It is also meant to sharpen editing skills and the ability to construct a theoretical basis for a writing project as well as situating that writing project within its broader literary context(s). The theory and aesthetic informing the writing project will be articulated in an Artist’s Statement. Each student will also be required to present a graduating craft talk, based on their writing project and open to other MFA students in the program. The student presenting the craft talk will be, in essence, teaching craft, using his or her own writing and reading as a basis. Extended Forms is the final workshop in the MFA. 

WRIT 990.0 – The Profession of Writing

Detailed, practical attention to the professional aspects of authorship provides a crucial dimension to training to undertake a career in writing. With completion of this course, students will have a grasp of the business of writing. Students in each year of the program are required to attend the seminars comprising this course. These seminars take place approximately once a month; they provide opportunities for students to consider and discuss various public and practical aspects of their work. The seminars, whose topics may include Submitting Work for Publication, The Role of the Editor, Intellectual Property and Copyright and Writing on Contract, will be led by experts from around and beyond the University.

WRIT 994.0 – Thesis

The Major Work culminates the MFA in Writing. The objective is a substantial, original piece of writing: a novel, a collection of short stories, a sequence of poems, a play, or nonfiction book or series of nonfiction work. The Major Work is to be completed in the second year of the program. At the end of the second year, the student will submit the completed work, meet with an examining committee, and defend the work submitted.

Thesis Length Requirement: Long form prose thesis (ie novel, memoir): to a maximum of 200 double-spaced pages Short story thesis: to a maximum of 150 double-spaced pages Poetry thesis: 40-60 pages Artist Statement: 15-20 pages

Note: In a special case situation where a student requires more than two years to complete the MFA in Writing program, continuous registration in WRIT 990 and WRIT 994 will be required on completion of the MFA.

How to Apply

Entry into the MFA in Writing requires a four-year Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent), with a minimum of 70% in the last two years, and a strong portfolio of writing. In exceptional cases, applicants without the degree may enter the program on a probationary basis: equivalency will be judged on previous participation in reputable workshops such as those offered by the Banff School of Fine Arts, the Sage Hill Writing Experience, and the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild; on relevant work experience; and on substantial publication.

Minimum Admission Requirements to the College of Graduate Studies and Research for Masters Degree, please click  here .

Applications should be submitted by  January 31st  each year to be considered for admission in the following September. Late applications will be considered only under exceptional circumstances.  The MFA in Writing Program has only one intake a year, in September.

Application Deadline: January 31st 

Application checklist, all applications for admission must include:.

• online application for admission:  http://grad.usask.ca/programs/writing.php
• a non-refundable application fee of $120 (in Canadian or equivalent US funds), which is payable online through the online application process
• three letters of reference (the referees whose email addresses you provide in your online application will automatically be directed to an online form to submit). Please ask your references to assess your writing ability and work ethic, and your ability to work within a collaborative group workshop setting
• statement of intent, indicating the genre(s) of literature in which you wish to specialize.  Applicants should be as detailed as possible with respect to the writing project they aim to undertake during their study (to be uploaded on your online application)
• CV (resume) (to be uploaded on your online application)
• This portfolio will be judged for evidence that the candidate has achieved a preliminary standard of originality, craft, style and literary sophistication. This can be submitted electronically in PDF format.   The writing portfolio will constitute a substantial portion of the applicant's qualification for admission. (to be uploaded on your online application)
• transcripts from all post secondary institutions attended (to be uploaded on your online application)
• test results of proof of English language proficiency from applicants from non-English speaking countries (eg. TOEFL, IELTS).  Click  here  for details.

MFA Student Resources

Sample artist's statement.

A good example of an artist's statement is found  here  (PDF file will open in new window).

Used with permission of Elise Godfrey, 2014.

SAMPLE THESIS FRONT MATTER

A good example of the front matter of a thesis can be found  here  (PDF file will open in new window). 

Used with permission from Leah MacLean-Evans.

Faculty from the Humanities and Fine Arts departments will participate in the MFA in Writing as instructors and supervisors.

MFA Mentors, Past & Present

Gail Anderson-Dargatz

Jacqueline Baker

Sandra Birdsell

Sandy Bonny

Kelley Jo Burke

David Carpenter

Micheline Chevrier

Michael Crummey

Kristyn Dunnion

Nicholas Eames

Marina Endicott

Laurie D. Graham

Matthew Hall

Lee Henderson

Trevor Herriot

Terry Jordan

Barbara Klar

Barbarba Langhorst

Sylvia Legris

Dave Margoshes

Sean Michaels

Rosemary Nixon

Elizabeth Philips

Alexandra Popoff

William Robertson

Candace Savage

Merilyn Simonds

Arthur Slade

Karen Solie

Jennifer Still

Leona Theis

Guy Vanderhaeghe

Katherena Vermette

Edward Willet

Sheri-D Wilson

Alissa York

What Our MFA In Writing Students Are Saying

• 2023 WinterTide Newsletter
• Newsletter Archive

MFA Variety Show

The MFA in Writing Variety Show is a collaborative, creative space for current students, alumni, faculty, and mentors of the program to share writing they love with the wider community. 

The idea for this project was born in the spring of 2020, during a time of unexpected isolation and uncertainty. We hope that the MFA in Writing Variety Show celebrates our community of writers, boosts morale, and showcases a collection of imaginative work for us to enjoy together.

The River Volta Series

River volta review of books.

The River Volta Review of Books (RVRB) is edited and published by the University of Saskatchewan’s MFA in Writing. There are three components to RVRB: 1) book reviews; 2) interviews by our MFA students with their mentors and other established writers; and 3) short essays analysing elements of craft in literary works.

Writing is solitary, but we believe in the value of a literary community that encourages and expands the possible via reading suggestions and critical attention to craft. We believe in celebrating our student-writers and aim to provide them with a place to share their voices.

For more information, please visit their website .

River Volta Reading Series

The River Volta Reading Series is a monthly series founded and run by MFA  in Writing Students. The series was established in 2014 by MFA alumni Sara-Jane  Keith and Chelsea Forbes. Each month The River Volta presents featured authors  followed by open mike readings. The series takes place in a cozy cafe, and offers  a friendly, warm environment for writers of all levels to test-drive new work at  the open mike. The last River Volta reading for 2016 was a packed house to hear  featured authors Guy Vanderhaeghe and Lloyd Ratzlaff, followed by an open  mike. In 2017, the new organizers for The River Volta are MFA students Geoff  Pevlin, Daniel Kim, and Simon Bohm. Many thanks to outgoing River Volta  organizers Shannon McConnell and Lindsay Kiesman! The River Volta  Reading Series is supported by The ICCC and The MFA in Writing.

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Robert Eversz | Guest Writer for MFA Program

Hood’s creative writing MFA program welcomes Robert Eversz as a guest writer for June 2024 residency.

• Creative Writing (MFA)
• English & Communication Arts
• Graduate School
• Graduate Student

Robert Eversz has been a writer and educator for decades, both in the U.S. and internationally. He is the author of six novels, including the popular Nina Zero series, and his work has been translated into 15 languages. He is a founder of the Prague Summer Program , the nation’s oldest study-abroad program for creative writers in the English language. Eversz also teaches workshops at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. During the inaugural summer residency of the new MFA in creative writing program at Hood College, Eversz will serve as a guest writer. In the conversation below, he discusses the intersection of film and literature, the benefits of being immersed in a foreign culture and his goals for working with Hood students.

What attracted you to the mystery genre?

Ross Macdonald said that writing detective fiction is like interposing a welder’s mask between the reader and red-hot materials, so my intention in writing the Nina Zero series was to use the detective form as a way to take a different look at Southern California than had been looked at by your traditional, classic detective stories. My novels are less about building clockwork plots and more about using the detective form to cast a jaundiced eye onto the life of Southern California, its mores and its people. The basic idea of that series is less to create a standard detective thriller than it is to deconstruct the detective story and use it to look at society. And let’s face it—those books are fun to read.

You have a background in film. What are the parallels between film and literature? How do they feed into each other?

I got my MFA in film from UCLA Film School, where I was mentored and befriended by Delia Salvi, professor of directing and acting performance, and she was big into the Stanislavsky method and performance theory—how an actor creates a role. I did a lot of improv, and I found that if you gave actors conflicting objectives and a scene idea, things just started to happen. If you combine in the same character a conscious objective and a subconscious objective that conflicts with their conscious objective, you get what’s called interior conflict, and this is what drives characters, scenes and stories. This led me to develop the idea that character is structure, that the whole idea that there are plot-driven novels versus character-driven novels is essentially false, because all stories are created by the choices characters make in pursuing their conscious and subconscious objectives. You can see how stories develop out of character, so this was the approach that I brought to fiction and teaching specifically.

When I work with writers, I work with the idea of getting them in contact with their characters, so they can see what the true character choices are—choices that come from inside out as opposed to from the outside and then interposed and imposed upon the character by the writer. It’s all about creating authentic characters. Coming from film, I also have a sense of the visual and how important it is to create a visual environment that the reader can relate to, that pulls the reader into the scene, so they can see it, feel it, smell it, touch it, and that’s called writing from the senses.

Tell me about the founding of the Prague Summer Program. How can creative writing students benefit from studying abroad there?

I was writing a screenplay that had been picked up, and I had written a sequence that took place in Paris. The producer said, “Can you rewrite this so that it takes place in Barcelona?” And I said, “I've never been to Barcelona. I can’t really write about it if I haven’t been there.” They said, “We’ll send you!” So they sent me to Barcelona, and this was right after the fall of the Berlin Wall, so I just jumped on a train and went to Prague, and I fell in love. It was a society in transition. They’d been living under 40 years of fascist, followed by communist rule. The people were like butterflies bursting out of cocoons, and they had a huge respect for American literature.

When I went there, my reception was so warm that I didn’t want to leave, and I got an idea for a novel that I wanted to write from the perspective of an expat. I told myself the same thing I told the producers of the screenplay, “How can I write about it if I haven’t lived there?” I decided I would live there for six months and write a novel, and I just never left. I met with a young man from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and we started together with Richard Katrovas, who is at the University of Western Michigan writing program, and we had a Czech partner as well. We thought, “Why not start a writers’ workshop here?” and it grew very quickly from 14 writers to more than 100 every year. It has continued in various incarnations ever since.

So why come to Prague? It’s just incredibly fruitful and important for a writer to leave their culture and see how other people live, how other people perceive the world and to embed yourself in what is essentially a deeply literary culture as opposed to a deeply commercial culture. If you walk through the streets, you don’t see statues of generals or politicians. You see academics. You see poets. You see fiction writers. These are the people who have been the heroes of the Czech nation since the 19th century, and Czech identity was formed around the idea of literature as opposed to money. It’s also just a fun city, one of the most beautiful cities you’ll ever see. It’s a great city for walking, and walking is always very productive to writing. It’s maybe the most ideal place to hold a writers’ workshop that’s not in the United States.

What are your goals for working with students as a guest writer at Hood’s new MFA program?

I have worked with a lot of writers, and the one skill that I hold most dear is my ability to work with the writer to figure out what they want to say and to help them say it. I am not someone who imposes a strict protocol that everybody needs to write this way, or everybody needs to read this. I have a wide repository of knowledge, so I try to use that knowledge to work with the writer in a custom way so that I see what they need, then I try to help them achieve their vision based on my knowledge of craft. All of my work with the writers will be a one-to-one experience, where I try to figure out what they want to do as creative artists and then help them get there, help them create their own vision.

What advice can you offer students looking to leverage their creative talents into professional careers?

A lot of writers who I work with already have a career doing something else. They are writing for many diverse reasons, and one of the most important reasons is that writing fills the soul. Writing gives people a sense of direction and purpose and solidity in the world, because you’re writing your stories, and we’re all living our stories, and stories are the fundamental element of all human life. My first approach as a teacher is, “What's your story and how are you going to tell your story?” Once you acquire the skills of telling your story, you can apply those lessons to almost any field that you’re in. You know how to organize material. You know how to revise. You know how to be articulate.

One of the great things that I found in workshop is that people in the beginning are not always articulate in speaking about story, but the more they talk about it, the better they become. A good workshop will feed your creative side, but it also teaches you all these wonderfully strong analytical skills, because we’re able to read the work of other writers and speak about them articulately, so that you can identify what’s working and what’s not working. The approach to problem solving that you learn in workshop is applicable to almost any career—except maybe dentistry.

Learn more about the low-residency MFA in creative writing at Hood College.

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Two HFA Students Awarded Five College Prose and Poetry Prize for Creative Writing

UMass Amherst undergraduate students Andrea Peter ’25, a comparative literature major, and Livvy Krakower ’24, an English major, were among the 2024 Five College Prose and Poetry Prize recipients honored at a reading and reception April 18 in Hampshire College's Harold F. Johnson Library.

Celebrating creative writing of all genres, the Five College Prose and Poetry Prize, formerly PoetryFest, was reinstated in 2023 after a hiatus due to the pandemic. The contest received 150 total submissions from students representing UMass Amherst, Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith colleges, and The Care Center of Holyoke this year.

“For me the most amazing thing about the Five College Poetry and Prose competition is to meet fellow writers from other institutions,” says Krakower, a winner for prose who also won the prize in 2023. “Each college in the consortium is so unique and I am thankful that I have been able to hear pieces I would never hear if not for the competition.”

Peter won a poetry prize in the competition.

“Thanks to Five Colleges, Inc., and our English departments for supporting this work,” says Donna LeCourt, chair of the UMass Amherst English department. “Prizes to undergraduates are important and help to build their reputations in literary and professional communities. The opportunity for our graduate students to judge and manage literary awards provides exceptional professional development and helps distinguish them as creative leaders. I’m happy to see this prize come back to the Five College community.”

“I had a wonderful time judging the prose prize,” says 2024 prose judge and UMass Amherst MFA candidate Danielle Bradley, who was joined on the judging panel by fellow UMass Amherst MFA candidate and poet Ide Thompson ’24. “All of the submissions were impressive, and it was so special to hear many of the winners read their submissions at the reception.”

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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.

The Badger Herald

UW Institute for Creative Writing Fellows present work with Wisconsin Book Festival

The Wisconsin Book Festival hosted the 2023-24 Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellows Wednesday evening, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Creative Writing.

The Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellows are a group of writers who are provided resources and community while working on their first book of poetry and fiction, according to the UW Creative Writing website . Not only is UW’s environment intended to improve the fellows’ writing skills, but it also provides them opportunities to develop as instructors, the website says.

UW creative writing professor Amy Quan Barry introduced the presenters, touching on the institute’s history — beginning with its founding in 1986 — and how it has developed numerous authors of acclaim.

The 2023-24 Ronald Wallace Poetry Fellow Elijah Bean presented first, reading from several poems, many of which concern ideas of home and reflection on the past. Bean’s poems are linked to memories such as a cramped living room, lawnmowers, dogs and writing alongside someone close to death and aware of their own mortality.

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Following Bean was 2023-24 Carol Houck Smith Fiction Fellow Gothataone Moeng, who read an excerpt from the middle of the first chapter of her upcoming novel. Moeng’s work centered deeply around the meaning of human conversation and explored themes such as why people are drawn to certain others, becoming less ignorant of the world and the idea of possessing a great gift.

The 2023-24 Jay C. and Ruth Halls Poetry Fellow Sadia Hassan presented next, with works heavily focused on the utilization of art as advocacy, and how poems can be written to represent one’s beliefs. The poems Hassan read involved themes such as dreaming, speaking out amongst a crowd and how to best confront the self-obsession that so heavily impacts American society.

Next was Ada Zhang, the 2023-24 James C. McCreight Fiction Fellow, who read from a larger project in progress. Zhang’s work, which revolved around the life of a Chinese congregation moving into Texas and its subsequent role as a safe haven for immigrants, concerned the themes of religion, familial history and matching one’s identity with their family.

Lastly, 2023-24 Hoffman-Halls Emerging Artist Fellow in Poetry Mandy Moe Pwint Tu read from two poems and an excerpt from her novel’s prologue. All three concerned the international student experience, from feeling like an outsider to managing the familial struggle across oceans.

All five of the Creative Writing Fellows showcased their unique styles of writing that earned their positions and will continue to develop their work in Wisconsin and beyond.

• creative writing
• wisconsin book festival
• Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellows

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