Creative Writing Program

The Creative Writing Program at the University of Oregon is a two-year, fully-funded residency in which Master of Fine Arts (MFA) students concentrate in either poetry or fiction. The program emphasizes the workshop, integrating concentrated time for writing with craft seminars and individualized reading tutorials.  Each year we invite six writers for our Reading Series: recently we’ve hosted Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Elizabeth McCracken, and Justin Torres on the fiction side; in poetry, Ocean Vuong, Solmaz Sharif, and Robin Coste Lewis.    

We offer two tracks for undergraduate study: a minor in Creative Writing, with workshops, seminars, and literature courses, as well as the Walter and Nancy Kidd Creative Writing Workshops, a unique yearlong studio experience in which students pursue their passion for creative writing in small classes with the support of peers and a graduate mentor. Follow us on Instagram to learn more about our program.

Diversity Statement


Creative Writing News and Events

CREATIVE WRITING, ENGLISH - This June, we celebrate Pride Month and the diverse identities of alumni identifying as LGBTQ+. Three College of Arts and Sciences alumni — Whitney Donielson, English, '11; Kevin Thomas, biology, '85; and Morgan Thomas, creative writing, '16— are featured in the UO Alumni Association's Shout publication.
CREATIVE WRITING, PHILOSOPHY - Two professors — Garrett Hongo and Colin Koopman — have been named 2023 Presidential Fellows in Arts and Humanities. They'll use the funding to work on book projects.
CREATIVE WRITING - Undergrads Cecelia Gibbons and Phillip Chan won the annual Walter and Nancy Kidd Memorial Writing Competition in Poetry and Fiction. “They made our judges’ job very difficult with so many worthy entries,” said Kidd Program Director Brian Trapp. “It just speaks to the immense creative powers of our students as both storytellers and poets.”

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Wisconsin Postdoc Expo 2024
Nov6
Wisconsin Postdoc Expo 2024 Nov 6
Let's Talk - Wednesdays Noon-2MP (Peterson Hall/Zoom)
Nov6
Let's Talk - Wednesdays Noon-2MP (Peterson Hall/Zoom) Nov 6 Peterson Hall
Let’s Talk – Wednesdays 2PM-4PM (BCC/Zoom)
Nov6
Let’s Talk – Wednesdays 2PM-4PM (BCC/Zoom) Nov 6 Lyllye Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center
Courageous Civility with Shola Richards
Nov7
Courageous Civility with Shola Richards Nov 7 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)
Brian Walters, "Cicero's Republican Aratea"
Nov7
Brian Walters, "Cicero's Republican Aratea" Nov 7 Knight Library
Post-Election Roundtable
Nov7
Post-Election Roundtable Nov 7 Ford Alumni Center
Women in Economics Club
Nov7
Women in Economics Club Nov 7 Allen Hall
Human Physiology Seminar Speaker: "Contribution of Aged CD8+ T Cells to Cardiovascular and Neurodegenerative Disease" with Daniel Tyrrell, PhD
Nov8
Human Physiology Seminar Speaker: "Contribution of Aged CD8+ T Cells to Cardiovascular and Neurodegenerative Disease" with Daniel Tyrrell, PhD Nov 8 Lawrence Hall
The Inaugural Ring Lecture
Nov8
The Inaugural Ring Lecture Nov 8 Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA)
"How Market Fundamentalism Has Blocked Climate Action" with Naomi Oreskes
Nov8
"How Market Fundamentalism Has Blocked Climate Action" with Naomi Oreskes Nov 8 Erb Memorial Union (EMU)

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What You Can Do with a Creative Writing Degree

Our alumni have a long history of success with publishing, translation, fellowships, and prizes. Recent graduates have received Wallace Stegner Fellowships, the Dylan Thomas Award (University of Wales), the Amy Lowell Scholarship, the Philip Levine Prize in Poetry, the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, and other honors. Many of our graduates have launched successful careers working for:

  • Newspapers, magazines, and book publishers
  • Media companies
  • Colleges and universities
  • Marketing and advertising agencies
  • Research institutes
Loїc-Aime-Mulatris

How a Creative Writing MFA Enhances Your Life

“My time in the MFA was incredibly enriching for both my work and my life. The program's dual commitments to the tradition and our own individual sensibilities proved invaluable for me. The lessons learned therein continue to inform and instruct my poetry as well as my living.”

—Loїc-Aime-Mulatris, MFA in poetry, '21

Our Degree Programs

Students in the Creative Writing Program can pursue a minor or an MFA. We also offer Kidd Workshops, a unique studio experience in which students workshop their creative work in small classes with the support of peers and a graduate mentor.

Undergraduate Degrees
 
Graduate Degrees
 
Author reading to students

Develop as a Literary Artist

Deepen your intellectual life and expand your writing skills within a community of like-minded peers in our Kidd Workshops, and hear from award-winning writers in our annual Reading Series.

Person sitting at desk

Learn from Experts in the Field

Our faculty comprises award-winning authors and poets, including Pushcart Prize winners, National Endowment for the Arts recipients, and honorees of the Walt Whitman and O. Henry awards. In addition to a broad range of novels, nonfiction books, and poetry collections, their work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper’s, Best American Short Stories, and many other venues.

Scholarships and Funding

The Creative Writing Program offers awards for both undergraduate and graduate students. Our MFA program fully funds students during their two-year residency program.

Undergraduate Scholarships  
Graduate Funding

Academic Support

Our academic advisors can help students understand their major or minor requirements, plan their course of study, explore study abroad opportunities, and more.

Undergraduate Advising  
Support for Graduate Students