The University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing, directed by poet Annie Finch, combines the energy of a forward-thinking low-residency program with the solid educational excellence of the very best creative writing programs in the nation. Stonecoast offers a two-year program with emphases in creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, or popular fiction, as well as possibilities for elective work in other areas including cross-genre, scriptwriting, translation, performance, and an exciting new focus in Writing Nature. Stonecoast stands out among low-residency M.F.A. programs because of our deep commitment to academic excellence combined with a flexible and wide-ranging curriculum; our unusually warm and student-centered community with a focus on diversity; and our gorgeous location in the historic Stone House on the coast of Maine.
Please click on each of the three pictures to learn more about the faculty; message from the Director and program philosophy; and the Stonecoast in Ireland program
Please click on these four pictures of the Stone House to learn more about Stonecoast MFA's genre emphases in:
"Stonecoast's Poetry MFA rooted me in poetic tradition while giving me the freedom to innovate. The poetry faculty at Stonecoast is dynamic, as passionate about writing as they are about teaching." —Stonecoast MFA Poetry Student
Poetry
"I completed Stonecoast's MFA in Creative Nonfiction having learned not just writing craft, but also the importance of discipline, a strong support network, and a fine set of tools for combining the power of truth-telling with the well-crafted sentence." —Stonecoast MFA Creative Nonfiction Student
Creative Nonfiction
"Stonecoast's MFA in Popular Fiction is a rigorous writing program designed to encourage its students to become masters of the literary craft and to branch out into new and unique imaginative spaces." —Stonecoast MFA Popular Fiction Student
Popular Fiction
"I find Stonecoast MFA Fiction faculty to be incredibly generous. They share not only their writing expertise but also their experiences with everything from publishing to finding day-jobs to building a writing routine. Many of them will be my lifelong friends. " —Stonecoast MFA Fiction Student
