The program hosts several internal writing contests with cash awards, and the United We Read Graduate Student/Faculty Reading Series and the Visiting Writers Series. Visiting writers and poets have included Juan Felipe Herrera, Daniel Borzutzky, Paisley Rekdal, Nicole Cooley, C. Dale Young, Carmen Giménez Smith, Kyoko Mori, Ron Tanner, Adam Johnson, Nega Mezlekia, Charles Bernstein, among many others.

The program also features internal projects such as the Literary Circular and Read Local: Eat Local, which provides opportunities for students to edit and curate flash fiction and poetry publications in inventive formats.

Students usually complete their MA in two years.