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At a Glance
The University of Virginia's Creative Writing Program offers a master of fine arts in poetry and fiction writing, undergraduate English concentrations in poetry and literary prose, and elective coursework at the undergraduate and graduate levels. If you are just beginning, we have 2000-level classes in our undergraduate curriculum that are open enrollment (though some sections are restricted to first- and second-year students). Intermediate and advanced writers can take courses from our full-time faculty by instructor permission, and citizen scholars can also apply. See our undergraduate page for more information.
At the graduate level, we offer one of the best MFA programs in the country with award-winning faculty and alumni whose poetry and prose is in print or forthcoming from some of the top houses and prizes.
If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.
Events
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Online
Just a reminder that applications for our entering MFA class of 2026 are due by 11:59 p.m.
January 24, 2025
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
404 E Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Join us for an evening with H. G. Dierdorff, who will read from her debut poetry collection, Rain, Wind, Thunder, Fire, Daughter.
February 5, 2025
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Monroe Hill House, Brown College, UVA
Join us for an evening with our newest fiction faculty member, Jesse Ball.
In the News
Sarah V. Schweig Wins the Eighth Annual Jake Adam York Prize
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Please join us in celebrating the publication of The Ocean in the Next Room by UVA Creative Writing alum ('07) Sarah V. Schweig. Sarah's second collection was chosen for the Eighth Annual Jake Adam York Prize for a first or second poetry collection, a collaboration between Copper Nickel and Milkweed
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Rita Dove on Finding Your Roots
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Our very own Rita Dove is featured on Finding Your Roots, the PBS series in which Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the ancestry and background of a diverse range of guests. The PBS webpage for Finding Your Roots (linked below) highlights that on this episode, "Rita learns about her
Bobby Elliott (MFA '19) Wins the 2025 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
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Pittsburgh, PA — Bobby Elliott of Portland, Oregon, is the winner of the 2025 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize for his collection, The Same Man, selected by poet Nate Marshall. The University of Pittsburgh Press will publish The Same Man as part of the acclaimed Pitt Poetry Series on September
MFA Support to Increase to $36,000
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The University of Virginia's College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences will increase the minimum level of living support for MFA students from $31,518 to $36,000 annually beginning with the fall 2025 semester. More details appear in this news article.
- Timing: The increase will take effect