New Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing to Attract Writers from Oregon and Beyond

Oregon State University–Cascades’ newest graduate degree gives writers the opportunity to deepen their craft without having to relocate or give up a job.

Students of the Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing will embark on a long-distance and individualized course of study, each with faculty author mentors, and join fellow students for intensive 10-day residences of craft workshops, literature lectures, and professional seminars at OSU’s branch campus, located in the high desert region of Oregon.

“What’s distinctive about OSU-Cascades’ low-residency MFA is its investment in the writing life; our students are educated in the many ways professional writers thrive in today’s economy,” said Emily Carr, program director “Our faculty mentors are accomplished teachers who can help students to grow their craft, find audiences for their work and develop the career management skills needed to sustain a creative livelihood.”

Carr has been a finalist in seven national book contests, most notably The National Poetry Series 2011. Her second book of poetry, “13 Ways of Happily: Books 1 & 2” (Parlor Press 2011) was chosen by Cole Swensen as winner of the 2009 New Measures Poetry Prize. Carr has received fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Jack Kerouac House, Writers in the Heartland, and Camac Centre d’Art.

In addition to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, magazine and science writing, courses and workshops will include topics such as blogging, grant writing and community outreach to further develop the writer’s career.

Initial faculty for the program have been selected.

• Arielle Greenburg is a feminist poet whose work has appeared in Best American Poetry. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Purchase College and a Master of Fine Arts in advanced women’s studies from Syracuse University.

• T. Geronimo Johnson’s short fiction and poetry have appeared in Best New American Voices, the LA Review, and Illuminations, among others. He is the founding director of  the University of California, Berkeley‘s CWP Summer Creative Writing Program.

The Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing is a partner program of the high residency MFA in Creative Writing at OSU’s campus in Corvallis.

The two-year low-residency program includes four residency sessions and four mentorship quarters. The program is accepting applications for the 2013-2014 academic year through July 29, 2013.

To learn more call 541-322-3100 or visit http://www.osucascades.edu/academics/mfa.