ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
M.F.A. IN CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM
328 WEST NICKERSON
206-281-2727
MFA@SPU.EDU

PHILOSOPHY
The low-residency M.F.A. at ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ is a creative writing program for apprentice writers — both Christians and those of other traditions — who not only want to pursue excellence in the craft of writing but also place their work within the larger context of the Judeo-Christian tradition of faith.

The spiritual dimension of this program is not intended to produce didactic, sectarian, or sentimental literature. Nor is this M.F.A. intended to produce writers of "Christian fiction." Far from it. Seattle Pacific's program seeks to extend the tradition of Christian writing in which the highest standards of art, an open-eyed exploration of human experience, and a respect for transcendent mystery come together.

At the heart of any low-residency program is the ancient relationship between master and apprentice. Writing is ultimately a solitary experience, so the rhythm of students sending packets of completed material and receiving feedback from mentors is both appropriate and effective. The beauty of this type of program is that it allows students to maintain their current jobs and locations, while offering two stimulating and intensive residency periods at stunning locations in the American West: the high desert of New Mexico and an island off the coast of the Pacific Northwest.

RESIDENCIES
The residencies are intensive and include:

• Workshops
• Classes on craft
• Lectures and readings
• Extended consultations with faculty mentors

Faculty at the residencies consists of a group of current mentors along with a number of invited guest speakers, including some of America's most celebrated writers. Students are required to attend a total of five residencies over the course of two academic years.

The 10-day residencies take place in March and August. The residency dates for the 2009-10 academic year are July 23–August 2, 2009, and March 18–28, 2010.

The summer residencies are held alongside the Glen Workshop, a program run by , the leading quarterly of arts and religion based at ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ. The Glen, held on the campus of in Santa Fe, New Mexico, features daily lectures, readings, concerts, and worship services with some of the leading artists and writers at work today. M.F.A. students will pursue their own activities, but will have the benefit of all the presentations at the Glen Workshop.

The spring residencies are located amidst the beautiful waterfront surroundings of Whidbey Island at SPU's Camp Casey Conference Center. M.F.A. students will have the opportunity to sample the many cultural and recreational possibilities in the area, including visits to nearby historic Coupeville as well as Port Townsend, just a short ferry ride away from Whidbey.

CORRESPONDENCE QUARTERS
The relationship between the student and his or her faculty mentors is the heart of the low-residency M.F.A. program. Each student will have two responsibilities: the creative writing project in a chosen genre and the reading list.

THE CREATIVE PROJECT
During the academic quarter, students are responsible for generating three packets (at approximately three-week intervals). Each packet will consist of the following:

• A cover letter, in which the student might share thoughts about the creative challenges he or she is facing.
• A segment of new or revised creative writing.
• Short annotations on several of the books the student has been reading.
• Some packets include critical papers that are due.

Mentors respond with detailed comments, pointing out strengths and weaknesses and suggesting fruitful avenues for further development. While the lion's share of this communication is handled through email or paper mail, the program also utilizes the online technology and to allow for manuscript exchanges and discussion threads.

The norm for low-residency M.F.A. courses is for students to spend 25 hours writing and reading per week.

READING LIST/CRITICAL ESSAYS
In close consultation with his or her faculty mentors, each student formulates a course of reading. Readings are chosen from two categories: classic works from the Judeo-Christian literary tradition and contemporary works that may serve as models and inspiration for students' immediate creative needs and gifts. Special emphasis is placed on gaining a deeper understanding of the classic works in the student's chosen genre. By the end of the two-year program, students will have read a minimum of 62 books.

Students write one short critical paper (approximately seven pages in length) per quarter in preparation for their long critical essay (20 pages), due at the end of the fifth quarter. Each quarter, all students in the program study a text from the common reading list. Recent common-reading texts include:

• Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
• Simone Weil, Waiting on God
• Gerard Manley Hopkins, Poems
• Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
• Robert Alter, Genesis
• T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
• Flannery O'Connor, Mystery and Manners

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

1. Each student chooses a specialization in one of three genres — poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction — and completes a thesis under the direction of a faculty mentor. Students may choose to study two genres during the course of the program, but this will require a third full year of study.
   
2. Students work toward completion of a full-length manuscript in one of the following categories: collection of poems, collection of short stories, novel, or book-length work of creative nonfiction.
   
3. In close consultation with his or her faculty mentor, the student formulates a course of reading. By the end of the two-year program, students will have read a minimum of 62 books.
   
4. For the first four quarters, the student completes a short critical paper on a subject relevant to the chosen course of study. In the fifth quarter of the program, the student completes a long critical paper.
   
5. Recommendation for the degree can be made only after the successful completion of at least six quarters of work and five residencies (64 graduate credit hours) as well as the approval of the faculty.
   
6. During the final residency, students present a graduation lecture and give a public reading of their work.

ADMISSION INFORMATION
To qualify for admission consideration, turn in an application packet to The Graduate Center. Please bear in mind the following things:

1. Students may choose to begin the program during either of the 10-day residencies in March and August.
2. The application deadline to begin the program during the August residency is February 15. The application deadline to begin the program during the March residency is October 1.
3. The creative manuscript will be given special emphasis. The applicant must submit 10 pages of poetry or 25 to 30 pages of prose, whether of fiction or creative nonfiction, in the student's chosen genre. (In the case of prose, the applicant must decide whether to send an excerpt of a longer manuscript or stories or essays that fall within the page limit.) If an applicant wishes to study two genres, he or she must submit creative manuscripts in both genres (see above for page requirements). The application should include three manuscript copies; two-genre students should submit three manuscript copies in each genre. The manuscripts cannot be returned.
4. The applicant must also submit a three- to four-page personal essay on his or her development as a writer and a person of faith.
5. Three letters of recommendation must be submitted. Two should be focused on the applicant's abilities as a writer; one should touch on the applicant's academic achievements.
6. A $50 nonrefundable application fee is required and cannot be waived.
   

Note: Though GRE scores are not required, the applicant must have a bachelor's degree and must submit official transcripts from previous schools attended.

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