Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing & Poetics

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing and Poetics at the University of Washington Bothell (UW Bothell) is dedicated to helping each student develop their creative work through a course of study that encourages exploration and discovery. Through an emphasis on poetics, or why we write how we write, we invite students to participate in a forum and laboratory that focuses on the pursuit of creative writing in a rapidly changing society.

The intensive, first year curriculum is based on areas of inquiry, rather than genres, creating an alternative to most regional and national MFA programs. It asks: How is creative writing an ethical, political, and aesthetic endeavor? How does new media change the production, reception, and dissemination of creative works? What forms might creative writing take in an interconnected, transnational society?

In the second year, students pursue a thesis with an advisor and an individualized course of study. Some degree candidates may choose to write their thesis as a single genre; others may elect hybrid modes that utilize multiple genres or media. The second year is designed to give students access to a broad range of interdisciplinary courses so that they can develop an area of expertise pertinent to their written arts and career paths.

Program and Special Events

Each year there is a Fall Convergence and Spring Festival in which our graduate students, UW Bothell faculty, and invited nationally and internationally renowned writers engage with each other. These symposia host author and student readings, lectures on poetics, and open discussion.

Find out about the 2013 Fall Convergence on Poetics here. Learn more about the 2012 Fall Convergence that launched the UW Bothell MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics and listen to a sample of writer / artist performances at the 2012 Convergence here. 

UW Bothell is located at the heart of the Puget Sound Convergence Zone, a place of wild and unpredictable weather because of converging weather fronts. The MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics sponsors from The Convergence Zone, a series of author readings, and artist talks and performances.

The MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics at UW Bothell is a major sponsor of the 2014 AWP Annual Conference & Bookfair, which will take place in Seattle at the end of February. Our program will sponsor a special off-site event in conjunction with the Conference. We also sponsored a special event, off-site reading at the 2012 MLA Conference in Seattle. Listen to fifty Local, National, and International Readers at the MLA Off-Site Reading here.

If you would like to receive periodic updates on the MFA as more information becomes available, please send your full name, phone number, and mailing address to the IAS Graduate Office at CreativeWritingPoetics@uwb.edu.


Professor Jeanne Heuving is also available to answer questions, and will be present at the information sessions. Contact her at jheuving@uw.edu.