Pacific MFA in Writing

An exceptional low-residency writing program

in the Pacific Northwest

 

The Master of Fine Arts in Writing at Pacific University strives to help writers who have already demonstrated talent, skill, and dedication to become better writers. The program guides students in creating a quality portfolio of fiction, nonfiction or poetry and celebrates writing as an art that has the potential to make a difference in the world.

In twice-yearly residency sessions, students and writer advisors participate in workshops, develop study plans, and form relationships that facilitate the work that continues between residencies during the correspondence semester. The program features award-winning writers who work closely with students to support and inspire emerging craft and voice.

In the belief that writers can and must lead full and interesting lives, the program embraces students who have full-time jobs and other obligations.

 

Meet the Faculty

Claire Davis’ first novel Winter Range was listed among the best books of 2000 by the Washington Post, Chicago Sun Times, Denver Post, Seattle Post, The Oregonian and The Christian Science Monitor, and was the first book to receive both the PNBA and MPBA awards for best fiction. Her second novel Season of the Snake, and her short story collection Labors of the Heart were both released to wide critical acclaim. She is co-editor of the anthology Kiss Tomorrow Hello: Notes from the Midlife Underground by Twenty-five Women over Forty. Her stories and essays have appeared in numerous literary magazines such as The Gettysburg Review, Shenandoah, Southern Review, The Pushcart Prize Anthology, and Best American Short Stories ....More»

 

More Information

 

The next residency will be held in Seaside, Oregon, from January 8-18, 2009.

Please note that the prose class for the semester beginning in January is now closed. We are still accepting applications for the poetry class.

If you have any questions about the MFA program, please email the MFA office at mfa@pacificu.edu or call (503) 352-1531.

 

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RATED ONE OF THE TOP FIVE LOW-RESIDENCY MFA PROGRAMS IN THE NATION

Atlantic Monthly

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What students are saying

 

Kassandra Kelly

(Fiction, 2006)

"These were by far the best organized and most helpful workshops. I loved the small size, the frequent sessions. We explored plotting, cause and effect, and characterization. It was a warm and supportive environment but also challenging and honest. I've had an exceptional experience."

Joseph Millar, MFA Poetry Faculty

Look for his new book Fortune forthcoming from Eastern Washington University Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography by

John Campbell