Pacific University

MFA Program

Program Established: 
2004
Location: 
Forest Grove, OR
Genre: 
Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Residency: 
Low
Duration: 
2 Years
Incoming Class Size: 
20-25 per semester
Application Deadline: 
September 1, 2017
Application Fee: 
$50 for one genre, $75 for two genres
Website: 
http://www.pacificu.edu/as/mfa
Contact E-mail: 
washburn@pacificu.edu
Contact Name: 
Shelley Washburn
Core Faculty Includes: 

Poetry: Sandra Alcosser, Ellen Bass, Marvin Bell, Eduardo C. Corral, Kwame Dawes, Vievee Francis, Tyehimba Jess, Dorianne Laux, Joseph Millar

Fiction: Chris Abani, Steve Amick, Claire Davis, Jack Driscoll, Pete Fromm, Frank Gaspar, Garth Greenwell, Laura Hendrie, Cate Kennedy, Valerie Laken, David Long, John McNally, Mary Helen Stefaniak, Willy Vlautin, Kellie Wells

Nonfiction: Sanjiv Bhattacharya, Judy Blunt, Debra Gwartney, Scott Korb, Mike Magnuson

Funding/Employment Opportunities: 

The program offers merit scholarships and teaching associate positions.

Other Features: 

Students attend two 10-day residencies each year, in January and June, and one final 10-day residency at the end of the program. The June residency takes place at the Pacific University campus in Forest Grove, Oregon, and the January residency takes place in the beachside resort town of Seaside, Oregon. The program hosts a nightly reading series, lectures, panels, roundtable discussions, and the annual storytelling event BoxerSlam. Other features include the opportunity to take an elective semester in disciplines such as digital publishing, playwriting, or screenwriting.

The application deadline is September 1 for the spring term and March 1 for the fall term.

Graduates: 

Michelle Bitting, Anastasia Edel, Bryan Allen Fierro, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Lisa Allen Ortiz, Deborah Reed, Leigh Camacho Rourks