Creative Writing

At the core of the Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing at ASU are small classes, intimate workshops and three semesters of practicum—one-on-one mentoring tailored to address your writing needs. Program faculty have published more than 80 books of poetry, fiction and nonfiction and have received national and international recognition.

MFA students at ASU are among the best-funded in the nation: currently, every poet and fiction writer is offered a teaching assistantship renewable for each of the program’s three years. We also offer a limited number of research assistantships, and the Swarthout Prize. Our alumni have gone on to win additional fellowships and awards and had their work appear in books and the most highly regarded literary journals in the country.

The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing is an actual and symbolic home for poets and fiction writers, an oasis in the heart of the campus. It provides a vibrant Distinguished Visiting Writers Series, outreach programs designed to help you become a true citizen-writer, and opportunities for studying and teaching abroad through the Piper Center’s global initiatives.