About the MFA in Creative Writing

The MFA program in Creative Writing at Minnesota State University, Mankato is made by and for writers of poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction. We are committed to building an active culture of engagement in the literary arts for our students, including mentorship with our bestselling and award-winning faculty and opportunities for professional development and community building. Our location in southern Minnesota gives our students the opportunity to develop their craft in a place with a vibrant and diverse literary scene and a long history of financial and cultural support for the arts.

We are a community-centered, three-year MFA program in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Courses consist of workshops, form and technique, and special topics courses such as History of the Short Story and Major Authors.

We offer students professional development opportunities, including the chance to work on our literary journal, The Blue Earth Review and The Corresponder, a bi-annual review publication of books by Minnesota authors. Students can also work on The Weekly Reader, an author-interview program held on KMSU radio. Our MFA program also hosts the Good Thunder Reading Series, which invites distinguished writers to campus for workshops, craft conversations, and readings (recent guests have included Ilya Kaminsky, Ross Gay, George Saunders, Louise Erdrich, and Roxane Gay).

At the foundation of all these opportunities is a close working relationship between faculty and students, who are fully-funded through teaching and graduate assistantships.

Questions? 

Please contact Geoff Herbach, at geoffrey.herbach@mnsu.edu