Imagine the Unimaginable, Say the Unsayable
CREATIVITY • INCLUSIVITY • CONSCIOUSNESS • CRAFT • SOCIAL JUSTICE
“The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.”
Program Overview
MIU’s MFA in Creative Writing is a two-year, 48+ credit program with an additional fifth capstone residency beyond the second year. It is a mentorship-based program with online residencies and classes. We teach from a basis of creativity and consciousness and start with your process as a poet and writer. We see it as our task to hold safe space so you can experiment freely with craft and language and “mine the depths of your being” (Rilke), exploring any subject matter you are passionate about. Our program is inclusive and diverse with a strong focus on social justice. We use trauma-informed and anti-racist pedagogy and draw on alternative approaches to the traditional workshop. Uniquely, we use meditation and self-care as tools to help open up your creative imagination. In our program, you have the opportunity to write a book with expert professional guidance and to create a professional portfolio that includes an online platform, teaching portfolio, and more. You also learn to work with your own imagination and process, an essential skill for any writer. Our aim is to help you thrive creatively, professionally, as well as personally so you can succeed as a working poet and writer.
GENRE OPTIONS: • POETRY • FICTION • CREATIVE NONFICTION • DUAL GENRE
Immerse in craft in our mentorship-based program with online residencies and classes.
Learn to use meditation and self-care as tools to access your creative imagination.
Choose from emphasis options in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or dual genre.
Discover new frontiers by unguardedly experimenting with language and craft.
Thrive creatively, professionally, and personally in our close-knit, inclusive literary community.
Complete a book-length manuscript of publishable quality with professional support.
Build the necessary professional skill set to succeed as a working poet/writer.
“[Your] MFA program is very special. It has a spirit about it I’ve never encountered anywhere else. Not students clawing for attention but lifting each other aesthetically and spiritually.”
Writing as a Process of Discovery
Poets and writers point to new ways of seeing and, as Ursula Le Guin put it, “other ways of being.” Our program starts with you – your vision and creative process as a poet/writer. Our classes emphasizes creativity itself. We allow lots or room for experimentation, play, and making mistakes, for we believe that that is the only way to discover your voice, find your material, and stretch your boundaries. We use a narrative evaluation system that is intuitive and process-oriented. All of our classes include self-evaluation and cultivate meta-cognitive awareness. We believe that if you, as a writer, know and understand your relationship to your own process, you can use craft fearlessly to create anything you want.
Meditate & Create
Another thing that sets our program apart is that we use meditation and self-care as tools to access the creative imagination. At the start of our program, you learn the Transcendental Meditation technique, which settles your mind and body as you experience the dynamic silence of your own consciousness. From this deep connection with yourself, creativity flows like a river. Writing becomes play. It’s easier to problem-solve, leap to surprising, fresh associations, stay in the flow, and adopt a sustainable writing routine. Accessing the most profound layers of yourself fuels your creative process.
“Go within and scale the depths of your being from which your very life springs forth.”
“When I started the TM technique, it felt like the most natural thing ever, so deeply right. It rang true. It makes a huge difference in my personal life and in my writing. Sometimes when you’re writing you hit the stuck spots and you just don’t know which path to take. And after meditation, an idea will come up and it’s resolved. Or it doesn’t come up as a conscious thought – but when I sit down to write, something has cleared and I’m ready to move on. It’s not even an issue anymore, it gets sorted out. I see this happening more when I keep a good writing routine as well as a good meditation routine. In my dreams sometimes I can see whole paragraphs and pages shifting around. Sometimes I get the syntax down, and it’s a perfect sentence. And other times, I see conceptual structures. I wake up and what has come to me in my dreams is good. It has never been wrong when it comes to me like that. It feels magical, like a gift. When this happens, writing becomes a real joy.”
– Hertha D. Sweet Wong, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities at UC Berkeley, author of Sending My Heart Back Across the Years: Tradition and Innovation in Native American Autobiography (Oxford University Press), co-editor of Family of Earth and Sky: Indigenous Tales of Nature from around the World (Beacon Press). Read more of this interview with author Linda Egenes.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
“What a wonderful community! It was a great honor to share my story with you, to feel it was safe to speak deep truth. Wopida, thank you, for granting such a warm space to land with our difficult stories.”
We use anti-racist, trauma-informed pedagogy in our MFA classrooms in order to create an authentically inclusive community. Our students are age-diverse, come from many parts of the US and the world, and have unique, non-traditional approaches to life. We are fiercely inclusive of female, BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA, immigrant, neurodivergent, and other underrepresented voices and welcome and support minority perspectives and narratives. We also unsilence the writing workshop and empower students to explore alternatives to the traditional workshop model. If you want to learn more, a book we value is The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop: How to Decolonize the Creative Classroom by Felicia Rose Chavez, a resource we draw on frequently in our courses. You can meet our students here on our “Student” page and our faculty here on our “Faculty” page.
Narrative Evaluation: Decolonizing the Creative Writing Classroom
“Working with narrative evaluation has been empowering, liberating, and ultimately has motivated me to do better work.”
Narrative evaluation is an intuitive system of commenting on and grading a student's performance. It is particularly in sync with consciousness- and process-based education and far more nuanced than letter grading. It allows faculty to comment in detail, considering different criteria: achievement, strengths, professionalism, focus for growth, plus advice or considerations moving forward. Narrative evaluation gives students a holistic understanding of their performance. It is also decolonizes the classroom and the learning process: an intuitive rather than a punitive approach to evaluation. You can find out more here.
Transform & Thrive in Our Creative Community
“What a beautiful space to be vulnerable and caring.”
Our guests frequently comment on the unusual warmth, generosity, and openness of our online classrooms. We hold space for writing that is emotionally connected and authentic. We build each other up and rejoice in each other’s successes. Our faculty are highly credentialed, accomplished working poets and writers who offer nourishment, challenge, and inspiration while holding a safe space for your process. Our mentorships spur unguarded experimentation with language and craft, pushing you into new approaches and subject matter that will make your work stand out. We want your education to be a transformational experience – not only creatively and professionally, but also emotionally and personally. We offer you a writing community for life and connections with mentors and peers that will sustain you throughout your career.
How the Online Model Works
Photo: Judy Bales
Unable to relocate? No problem. Our 2-year, 48 credit program is held online yet includes intimate one-on-one mentorships through distance learning. Most assignments can be completed asynchronously, but you have ample time to bond with your cohorts through class time and activities as well as during residencies. Our program provides both the nurturing literary community and the solitary discipline of writing that working poets and writers require. In this way, you can complete the requirements of a high-quality MFA while balancing life and work commitments in your home community. Beyond the second year, there is a fifth capstone residency that students are required to take. Most students opt to do a fifth extended thesis semester to complete thesis work.
“If you or anyone you know wants to dive into creative writing and periodically drop in on a fascinating, artsy little meditation town in Iowa, check out this unique MFA in Creative Writing!”
Write a Book with Professional Support
In this MFA, you will complete a book-length manuscript of publishable quality with professional support, a unique opportunity to launch your writing career. It is so much easier to write a book while receiving constant feedback and encouragement from mentors and peers. Though our program centers on literary writing, we welcome students interested in speculative fiction, literary journalism, and multidisciplinary literature. We stimulate cross-genre work, experimentation, and the stretching of boundaries, tailoring mentorships to your particular interests and needs. We are here to help you fulfill your unique vision as a poet/writer.
Reading, a Vital Part of Writing
“Read a thousand books and your words will flow like a river.”
The best way to learn about the craft of writing is to read widely and analyze the works of great poets and writers as examples. The study of literature is an essential part of our MFA. Our mentors introduce you to relevant readings from the contemporary literary canon to stimulate you to explore your own creative possibilities. In process mentorships, you examine through different literary lenses the genre(s) in which you yourself write. You also reflect upon your creative process in craft analysis essays, contextualizing your creative work.
“It’s such a rare pleasure to speak with the MFA students at MIU. Perhaps,it’s because they meditate, or that they’ve benefited from extraordinary instructors, or are the product of a rigorous application process, but I found them uncommonly receptive, open-minded, hard-working, nearly without ego in their willingness to improve their work, and welcoming. Speaking with them felt like I was at a long-awaited family reunion. surrounded by a group of beloved cousins, a family related because of our communal dedication to story.”
We’ll Guide You from Writer to Author
We take a pragmatic approach to the writing life, strongly emphasizing professional skills that help you prepare for a career as a working poet/writer. Our curriculum includes courses in writing pedagogy, editing and publishing, social media marketing, a publishing practicum, plus a writing outreach that cultures social awareness and can serve as an internship. You will not only graduate with a book-length manuscript of publishable quality, but also with a teaching portfolio, an online social media platform, and a solid marketing plan for your book.
What Can You Do with Your MFA?
Alumnus N. J. Campbell reads from his novella, Found Audio, at Prairie Lights
The MFA is a terminal degree in the field that not only prepares you for the writing life, but also a variety of possible supporting careers, including college and university teaching, freelance writing, magazine or book editing, publishing, coaching, advertising, public affairs, and more. Excellent writing and communication skills can open doors to any career path you are interested in. Your MFA can also serve as a stepping stone for a PhD in creative writing, literature, or a related field. Most importantly, you will have the skills you need to be a writer in the world, dedicating your time to the craft of writing and publishing books.
Get Started by Contacting Theresa
Theresa Fross will be your admissions counselor. Theresa will provide you with all the details of becoming a student, including connecting you with program faculty when you have questions. Contact Theresa at tfross@miu.edu.
NEXT ENTRY: FALL ‘24
APPLICATION DEADLINE: JULY ‘24
On this connecting page you can read about all of our mentors and faculty, their work, teaching philosophies, news, publications, and stories. Our MFA attracts different mentors every semester. Students get to experience up to four different mentors during their MFA studies. Our mentors are all highly-credentialed and nurturing professionals who share our program’s vision.
Read More →
On this connecting page you can read about all of our MFA classes, see our catalog descriptions, and read about our graduation requirements. Our courses include five residencies and mentorships in four genres. Online courses include: creative process, literary theory for the creative writer, writing pedagogy, a writing outreach, social media marketing, publishing practicum, and professional development and publication. Below a small sampling. You can read more by following the links.
Read More →
The Writer and the Self — Consciousness and Creative Process
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Every Page a Pulse — Imagine the Unimaginable, Say the Unsayable
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The Socially Conscious Writer — Writing Outreach
Read More →
The Writer Online — Social Media Marketing
Read More →
On this connecting page you can read more about our application process and our application requirements. You can also find information on our admissions counselor and our program director, whom you are free to contact at any time if you have questions or need support!
NEXT ENTRY: FALL ‘24
ADMISSION DEADLINE: JULY ‘24
Before your first class
All MIU students practice the Transcendental Meditation® technique. If you have not learned it yet, the cost of TM instruction is covered through a grant offered by MIU once you are accepted as a US student into our program. Contact your admissions counselor for details or find more information or search for a TM teacher at TM.org.
Featured Event: Faculty Reading at Café Paradiso
Before the pandemic, our English department offered bi-annual readings at local venues. Our last reading was held at café Paradiso here in Fairfield, Iowa. Participating faculty were Dylene Cymraes, Terry Fairchild, Rustin Larson, Ben McClendon, Sasha Parmasad, Nynke Passi, Stuart Tanner, and Leah Waller. We are planning on resuming our reading series shortly!
Financial Aid
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FINANCIAL AID, PLEASE SEE OUR MIU HOME PAGE.
The most up to date version of this is posted on MIU’s site which links in below. Tuition, other fees, scholarships, and financial policies are subject to change prior to the entry date. For more information, contact us at finaid@miu.edu for a quick reply — normally one business day — or see more about financial aid.