Master of Fine Arts in
Creative Writing

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)
Visiting Writer Series
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About

Our MFA program, established in 1978, is a two-year, full residency, studio-based program featuring intensive study of fiction and poetry. We offer a wide range of fully-funded positions in teaching, editing, and arts administration! EWU MFA candidates can gain experience in book and magazine publishing, festival promotion, and teaching both composition and creative writing.

We are committed to diversity, inclusion, and equality in the Creative Writing program. We believe that a respect for policies and practices that foster and protect diverse voices and viewpoints is essential to the success of our students and our program. To that end, our program is committed to proactively fostering diversity and inclusion throughout its curriculum, admissions, and all day-to-day practices.

Since 2021, we no longer offer a track focusing exclusively on creative nonfiction. We do still offer graduate workshops and form and theory classes in creative nonfiction, as well as occasional screenwriting and playwriting workshops.

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Why Earn Your MFA at EWU?

We provide an intensive, two-year, pre-professional course of study with an emphasis on the practice of literature as a fine art.

Our Professional Practicum Opportunities

We place MFA students in positions throughout the community so that you get valuable hands-on experience.

Professional Practicum Opportunities

Our Faculty

Each of our faculty are practicing writers with significant national book publications and are committed, passionate, and accessible teachers of writing.

Our Faculty

Our Funding

Many of our students receive a full tuition waiver plus a monthly stipend for teaching undergraduate composition and creative writing courses.

Our Funding

Get to Know Us

Our Location

The Master of Fine Arts program at Eastern Washington University is located in the heart of downtown Spokane. Learn more about our community, our campus and the local literary scene.

EWU in Spokane

 

 

Our Students 

We are consistently proud of the bright, dedicated, and kind students that make up our MFA cohort each year. There is a strong sense of camaraderie and respect among our students, which creates an atmosphere ideal for writing your best work. Our students range in age from people straight out of college to older, non-traditional students, some of whom have careers in other fields. Every year’s incoming class is different in its makeup.

Our MFA Alumni

From business owners to university professors, our MFA alumni have utilized their degrees to further their careers and to expand their creative work all over the world.

Chris Maccini '18

Producer | National Public Radio (NPR)

Jaime Curl '03

Director of Learning Design and Technology | Slalom Consulting, LLC

Shann Ray '05

Professor Leadership Studies | Gonzaga University

Our Alumni Work in Many Different Roles!

Educators

Maya Jewell Zeller '07 | Associate Professor of English at Central Washington University

Industry Specialists

Amy Chase ’14| Human Resources Investigation Specialist at Hobby Lobby Corporate

Legal Professionals

Rost Olsen ‘13| Lawyer at State of Nevada

Creative Leaders

Daniel Spiro '19 | Director of Communications, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah

Technical Writers

Anne Kilfoyle '17 | Instructional Designer at Pen

Publishing Editors

Lauren Hohle '17| Managing Editor The Gettysburg Review at Gettysburg College

Admissions Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university
  • A cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 90 quarter or 60 semester graded post-secondary credits

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What You'll Learn

The following information comes from the official EWU catalog, which outlines all degree requirements and serves as the guide to earning a degree. Courses are designed to provide a well-rounded and versatile degree, covering a wide range of subject areas.

Creative Writing, Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Gregory Spatz, Program Director
400 Catalyst 
509.828.1310

The Master of Fine Arts Program is an intensive, two-year, pre-professional course of study with an emphasis on the practice of literature as a fine art. The program includes coursework in the study of literature from the vantage point of its composition and history, but the student’s principal work is done in advanced workshops and in the writing of a book-length thesis of publishable quality in fiction or poetry. The MFA is a terminal degree program.

Required Courses20
GRADUATE WRITING WORKSHOP: FICTION, POETRY, LITERARY NONFICTION, DRAMA, SCRIPTWRITING OR TRANSLATION (Note: this course may be repeated for credit; students are encouraged to take one workshop from outside the major.)
Literary Form and Theory Courses
Choose one Literature course from outside the major area5
Choose one series–in student’s major area of study 15
Fiction
FICTION I-THE NOVEL
FICTION II-THE SHORT FORM
SELECTED TOPICS IN CRAFT
Poetry
POETRY I-BACKGROUND AND THEORY
POETRY II-THE MODERNS AND MODERNISM
POETRY III-CONTEMPORARY WORLD POETRY AND POETICS
Electives in creative writing, literature and/or a secondary emphasis 20-25
Note: Elective credits are typically taken in the following classes but may include additional CRWR 517 workshop and form and theory classes as well as repeat sections of CRWR 539 or CRWR 596, or any class above the 400-level offered at the university, with approval.
LITERARY EDITING AND DESIGN
PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS MAGAZINE, LITERARY EDITING AND DESIGN
PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS BOOKS, LITERARY EDITING AND DESIGN
SPECIAL TOPICS
LITERATURE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
EXPERIMENTAL COURSE
PRACTICUM IN INSTRUCTION: WRITERS IN THE COMMUNITY
COMPOSITION PEDAGOGIES: THEORIES AND PRACTICES
PRACTICUM: TEACHING FIRST-YEAR COMPOSITION
Thesis–minimum is 10 credits for graduation10-15
THESIS
Minimum Credits Required For Graduation72

Students who earn an MFA in Creative Writing should be able to do the following, at a level of proficiency sufficient for entry into the profession:

  • analyze works of literature using the technical language of the craft pertinent to their chosen genre of study (literary fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry);
  • demonstrate an understanding of the contemporary literary landscape;
  • produce texts that conform to the conventions specific to the genre being studied (literary fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry);
  • provide constructive criticism of written works in progress;
  • synthesize an understanding of the publishing process.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Mailing Address

The MFA at EWU
C/O Eastern Washington University
CAT 400
601 East Riverside Ave.
Spokane, WA 99202

Contact Us

We welcome comments and encourage questions from prospective and incoming students. Feel free to write, call, or email us with queries about the program, application process, or moving to Spokane (definitely check out our Frequently Asked Questions, too).

Lisa Denker
Senior Secretary
mfa@ewu.edu
509.828.1317
Gregory Spatz
Program Director
gspatz@ewu.edu
509.828.1310