Fine Arts
Program Director:
Jen McClanaghan, Ph.D.
(401) 341-3182
This vibrant, highly personalized two-year program confers a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in one of the world's most beautiful settings. The Newport MFA is a program in one of the world's most beautiful settings. Newport, Rhode Island is a coastal community steeped in cultural and literary history — home to novelists and to novels by Henry James, Thornton Wilder and Edith Wharton.
Our low-residency program will immerse you in the creative life through intensive study of the craft of writing, guided by dedicated faculty. Students can choose to specialize in fiction, historical fiction, poetry or nonfiction. Residencies consist of daily workshops, craft lectures, manuscript consultations, and keynote readings, initiating students into the writing life as well as the business of publishing and editing. Each student spends the months between residencies working on their writing one-on-one with a faculty member.
Creative Writing, Low Residency MFA Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced proficiency in the techniques and elements of creative writing, including but not limited to narrative structure, characterization, plot development, dialogue, and language usage.
- Develop the ability to critically analyze and evaluate literary works, both their own and those of others. They will demonstrate proficiency in identifying and discussing key literary elements, themes, and styles, and engage in thoughtful and nuanced interpretations of texts. They will also develop the capacity to provide constructive feedback to peers, fostering a supportive and collaborative writing community.
- Cultivate a unique and authentic voice as writers, honing their ability to express complex ideas and emotions effectively through their public presentation of their work.
ENG-600: Residency in Creative Writing I (6 Credits)
During these intensive community experiences on campus, students will participate in genre-specific workshops, seminars and lectures as well as panel discussions and public readings. The first residency introduces students to mentors and to the expectations of long-distance learning. Students may present the work submitted in their application or new work.
ENG-601: Residency in Creative Writing II (6 Credits)
During these intensive community experiences on campus, students will participate in genre-specific workshops, seminars and lectures as well as panel discussions and public readings. In the second residency, students will continue strengthening their ongoing body of work. This work should show an evolution of skill from the first residency.
ENG-602: Residency in Creative Writing III (6 Credits)
During these intensive community experiences on campus, students will participate in genre-specific workshops, seminars and lectures as well as panel discussions and public readings. In the third residency, students will continue to deepen and build on previous work, diligently revising based on the accumulation of feedback from peers and mentors received over the first year.
ENG-603: Residency in Creative Writing IV (6 Credits)
During these intensive community experiences on campus, students will participate in genre-specific workshops, seminars and lectures as well as panel discussions and public readings. During the last regular residency, students will continue to deepen and build on their growing body of work, taking full advantage of the final residency to edit, test, and push their own creative limits.
ENG-610: Mentorship in Creative Writing I (6 Credits)
Pre-requisite(s): ENG-600 is required.
During the intervening months between residencies, students work one-on-one with a faculty mentor who guides the production of creative work and the study of craft. Mentors provide written and oral commentary on writing submitted over the term. Four packets of writing should be turned in over the intervening months (roughly a packet a month). Each packet contains a letter to the mentor, reflecting on the work being turned in, and two critical annotations on books from the assigned reading list. Each student has a reading list created with the mentor before the course begins.
ENG-611: Mentorship in Creative Writing II (6 Credits)
During the intervening months between residencies, students work one-on-one with a faculty mentor who guides the production of creative work and the study of craft. Mentors provide written and oral commentary on writing submitted over the term. Four packets of new writing should be turned in over the intervening months (roughly a packet a month). This should not be revised work from ENG-610, unless the revision is significant enough as to seem new. Each packet contains a letter to the mentor, reflecting on the work being turned in, and two critical annotations on books from the assigned reading list. Each student has a reading list created with the mentor before the course begins.
ENG-612: Mentorship in Creative Writing III (6 Credits)
During the intervening months between residencies, students work one-on-one with a faculty mentor who guides the production of creative work and the study of craft. Mentors provide written and oral commentary on writing submitted over the term in a virtual studio environment by using electronic classroom and other communication tools. Four packets of writing should be turned in over the intervening months (roughly a packet a month). Additionally, a reflective essay on an assigned reading list of books (supplied by each mentor) is required in the final packet.
ENG-613: Mentorship in Creative Writing IV (6 Credits)
During the intervening months between residencies, students work one-on-one with a faculty mentor who guides the production of creative work and the study of craft. Mentors provide written and oral commentary on writing submitted over the term. Four packets of writing should be turned in over the intervening months (roughly a packet a month). In this final mentorship, the creative work is rigorously revised and brought to a polished, publishable stage. In addition to revising creative work, students prepare a craft talk to be delivered during their final residency based on their thesis essay.
ENG-620: Final Residency and Graduation (0 Credits)
During a required fifth semester, which takes place at the residency following a student's fourth semester, the student will present a lecture based on the thesis craft essay for approval and attend craft lectures by their peers. The student will also give a reading from the creative thesis. The final night of the residency there will be an MFA graduation ceremony with a reception to follow.