MFA in Creative Writing Campaign
MFA in Creative Writing
Words—so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they becomCe in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. . . . Nathaniel Hawthorne
Great writers enrich their communities by changing people’s minds and transforming their hearts. The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at California State University, Fresno, provides the impetus that gives students the ability to transform their good writing into great art. Our program prides itself on the quality of its teaching and writing, as well as for the contribution it makes to the cultural life of the campus and the community.
Our Story So Far
The soul of the Creative Writing Program is its nationally and internationally acclaimed faculty, whose writing as well as their commitment to exceptional teaching, lie at the heart of the program’s ability to attract the best students from across the nation and beyond. With over 30 published books to date, our award winning Creative Writing faculty are:
- Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Levine (Emeritus)
- Lambda Literary Award winner Lillian Faderman
- California Book Award winner and Pen-Faulkner Finalist Steve Yarbrough
- Pushcart Prize Winner, John Hales
- John Ciardi Poetry Prize Winner, Tim Skeen
- Pushcart Prize Winner, Liza Weiland
- Richard Snyder Poetry Prize winner, Corrinne Clegg Hales
The program offers specialized instruction in fiction, poetry and non-fiction. The success of our program is illustrated by the impressive careers of alumni like Ernesto Trejo, Larry Levis, Sherley Ann Williams, Andres Montoya, Lawson Inada, Daniel Chacón, David St. John, Chris Buckley, Roberta Spear, Gary Soto, Blas Manuel DeLuna, and Brian Turner.
Realizing Our Potential
“The Creative Writing program at Fresno State is truly one of our community’s finest artistic treasures. We are proud to support the Creative Writing program and its faculty because this is a literary art form that enhances the quality of life in our valley.” - James and Coke Hallowell
- Nurture and enhance the educational experiences of our student-writers and faculty by providing resources to support their creative work.
- Increase the visibility and vitality of our program and secure its place among the best in the nation.
- Attract a diverse community of prominent visiting writers to Fresno to stimulate, inspire, and foster a world class regional literary community.
“The ideal way to learn an art is to immerse oneself in it . . . to be able to breathe, sleep and live writing.” —Corrine Hales
How You Can Get Involved
Downloadable form to complete online and print (pdf)