Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing
The Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing program is unique in that it considers language as one among many available materials. Situated in a school of art and design known for its strong support of interdisciplinary practices, our program encourages experimentation within and across writing forms, genres, and mediums along with a variety of publishing formats to include print, digital, sound, performance, and text-image works. This is writing as studio art.
The program offers tracks in prose, poetry, cross-genre, and literary translation. Portland-based residencies in winter and summer are supplemented with mentor-based independent work throughout the rest of the year.
Low-Residency Model
Residency Dates
2023
- June 20-30
2024
- Jan 2 - 12
- June 20-30
news
PNCA's Low Residency Creative Writing January 2024 Residency Talks, Workshops, Readings, and Performances
PNCA's Low Residency Creative Writing January 2024 Residency Talks, Workshop, Readings, and Performances include new faculty Jennifer S Cheng, Megan Milks, Lara Mimosa Montes, and Emilly Prado and Guest Artist Gabrielle Civil.
2023 National Portfolio Day Hosted at PNCA
Launch your future in art and design! Visit with counselors, admissions team members, and faculty from art and design schools for a portfolio review before applying to colleges or universities.
PNCA Graduate Symposium: Art + Social Consciousness
PNCA welcomes the Portland community to participate in this year’s Graduate Symposium with keynote speakers featuring: Nina Elder + vanessa german!
Amanda Ross-Ho and Catherine Taft, in conversation, hosted by PNCA & ILY2
The Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies, in collaboration with ILY2, is pleased to announce a conversation between artist Amanda Ross-Ho and writer and curator Catherine Taft.
MFA Open Studios: November 2nd + 18th
The Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies welcomes the Portland community to see what our MFA students have been making!
Writing in Portland
Our annual residencies are in the heart of Portland, Oregon where we are deeply integrated into its community of artists and writers who have made a real commitment to making art that is revelatory, experimental, and that advocates for social justice.
The program draws upon our existing strong relationships with partners in our burgeoning Portland literary scene—including Write Around Portland (WRAP), IN TRANSLATION Reading Series, Literary Arts, Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC), Regional Arts & Cultural Council (RACC), Mother Foucault’s bookshop, Powell’s Books, Passages Bookshop, Poetry Press Week, Tender Table, Street Books, along with a host of local, regional, and national small presses, e.g., Tavern Books, Gramma Poetry, New Directions, Wave Books, Hawthorne Books, among others.
Thanks to a Collins Foundation Grant, we are able to fulfill our envisioning principle of encouraging equity in race, gender, and sexual identification/orientation in American literary culture.
Learn more
For more information or for any questions about the program, email Jay Ponteri, Director of Low-Res MFA in Creative Writing, or Graduate Admissions.
Request Info