MFA Program
See writers who attended this program
Poetry: Darcie Dennigan, Patricio Ferrari, Matthea Harvey, Marie Howe, Dennis Nurkse, Geoffrey Nutter, Miller Oberman, Ben Purkert, Victoria Redel, R. A. Villanueva, Afaa Michael Weaver
Fiction and Speculative Fiction: Carolyn Ferrell, Myla Goldberg, Garth Risk Hallberg, David Hollander, Alice Sola Kim, Violet Kupersmith, Rattawut Lapcharoensap, K. Lorrel Manning, Isle McElroy, Lincoln Michel, Richie Narvaez, Julia Phillips, Ben Purkert, Victoria Redel, Nelly Reifler, Domenica Ruta, David Ryan, Joseph Thomas, Elvia Wilk
Nonfiction: Alissa Bennett, Heather Harpham, Suzanne Hoover, Timothy Kreider, Domenica Ruta, Jacob Slichter, Meredith Talusan, Joseph Thomas, Clifford Thompson
The program offers partial funding toward tuition in the form of scholarships, grants, internships, and Sarah Lawrence gift aid. Several students are hired each year as part-time program assistants and there are many student employment opportunities through other departments on campus.
Lumina
The program also offers a track in speculative fiction.
The program features a literary colloquium series; mixed genre craft classes; biweekly one-on-one conferences with instructors; meetings with literary agents for graduating students, guest writer residencies; and regular student-faculty readings. Other features include the student-run Sarah Lawrence Poetry Festival, student-run literary journal Lumina, and opportunities to teach in local schools, community organizations, colleges, and correctional facilities.
Study at half-time is available and the degree takes four years to complete. It is possible to switch between full- and half-time enrollment once in the program.
Students are welcome to take craft classes outside of their genre and can take up to one workshop outside of genre, as space permits. Undergraduate course auditing is also available as space allows.
The priority application deadline is January 15. The program offers rolling admissions, as space permits, thereafter.