MFA in Creative Writing

Residency

Residency Overview

As part of the MFA in Creative Writing, students attend five 10-day, hybrid residencies, online or at Antioch University’s Los Angeles campus, where they form a collective of working writers. The residency builds a strong literary community around engagement with language, literature, publishing, and social and aesthetic issues. Students build relationships with each other, faculty, guests, and alumni in a unique, energetic environment completely focused on the study and celebration of literary work.

During each residency, students in the MFA in Creative Writing program participate in an assigned creative writing workshop and attend at least seven additional learning activities, such as faculty/guest seminars and graduating student presentations.

Seminars, Workshops, Learning & Community Activities

Some of these activities are listed below; required activities are denoted by an asterisk (*).

  • Arts, Culture, and Society I & II *
  • Faculty and Guest Seminars on Craft, Culture, Creative Process, and Critical Reading
  • Genre Studies: Screenwriting, Playwriting, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Writing for Young People, and Literary Translation
  • Guest Agent Talk
  • Guest Editor Talk
  • Speculative Guest
  • Criticism Guest
  • Writing Workshops *
  • Writing Labs
  • Reading Like a Writer *
  • Faculty and Guest Readings
  • Graduating Student Presentation *
  • Graduating Student Reading *
  • Orientations *
  • Orientation to the Field Study *
  • Pedagogy Guest and Teaching of Creative Writing
  • Alumni at Work Sessions
  • Art of Translation Seminar *
  • Critical Paper Seminar *

Start Now

The deadline to apply and participate in this life-changing residency is approaching quickly. Apply now to join our program and learn with this amazing group!

Take your next step – talk to our admissions team.









December 2026 Residency

Faculty

Cathy Linh Che

Cathy Linh Che

Acting Co-Chair / Poetry Core Faculty

Portrait of a smiling faculty member wearing glasses against a textured beige background Alistair McCartney

Alistair McCartney

Acting Co-Chair / Teaching Faculty

Colette Freedman

Colette Freedman

Teaching Faculty

Portrait of Edgar Gomez CNF faculty member

Edgar Gomez

CNF

Brad Kessler CNF faculty member

Brad Kessler

CNF

Christine Hyung Oak Lee FictionCNF faculty member

Christine Hyung-Oak Lee

Fiction / CNF

Sharman Apt Russell CNF faculty member

Sharman Apt Russell

CNF

Portrait of Anjali Enjeti CNFFiction faculty member standing beside a tree

Anjali Enjeti

CNF / Fiction

Natashia Deón

Natashia Deón

Fiction

Thomas Moniz Portrait of a smiling man in glasses wearing an Oakland T shirt arms crossed against a dark shingled wall

Tomas Moniz

Fiction

Reyna Grande

Fiction / CNF

Portrait of faculty member Francesca Lia Block

Francesca Lia Block

Fiction / Young People

Guadalupe García McCall faculty member for Young PeopleFiction

Guadalupe García McCall

Fiction / Young People

Terry Wolverton Fiction

Terry Wolverton

Fiction

Rachelle Cruz Young People faculty member

Rachelle Cruz

Young People

Portrait of a seated woman in a white shirt and black boots in a desert garden setting

Safia Elhillo

Poetry

Xochitl Julisa Bermejo Poetry

Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo

Poetry

Piotr Florczyk Poetry  CNF faculty member

Piotr Florczyk

Poetry / CNF

Portrait of a woman with glasses standing outdoors beside a wall and leaves Khadijah Queen

Khadijah Queen

CNF / Poetry

Ross Brown screenwriting and playwriting faculty member

Ross Brown

Screenwriting / Playwriting

Joy Kecken screenwriting and playwriting faculty

Joy Kecken

Screenwriting / Playwriting

Portrait of Benjamin Benne screenwriting and playwriting faculty member

Benjamin Benne

Playwriting

John Cariani

John Cariani

Playwriting

Mike Fu

Mike Fu

Translation

Josh Roark Post MFA Teaching Certificate

Josh Roark

Post-MFA Teaching Certificate


Guests

Tommy Pico wearing sunglasses and a sleeveless hoodie

Tommy Pico

Poetry

Portrait of a woman with glasses in a red floral top likely a faculty or guest speaker photo Veronica Gonzalez Peña

Veronica Gonzalez Peña

Fiction

Portrait of a woman with large round glasses in front of bookshelves Janice Lee

Janice Lee

Pedagogy

Portrait of Dan Lopez editor and guest faculty member

Dan Lopez

Editor

Achy Obejas

Achy Obejas

Translation

Deb Olin Unferth

Deb Olin Unferth

Speculative

Portrait of a man resting his hand on his head Itamar Moses

Itamar Moses

Playwriting

Amanda Orozco

Amanda Orozco

Agent

Portrait of a man looking to the side Billy Ray

Billy Ray

Screenwriting / Young People

woman smiling against a dark background Andromeda Romano Lax

Andromeda Romano-Lax

Alum@Work

Portrait of Vanessa Angélica Villarreal smiling outdoors

Vanessa Angélica Villarreal

Criticism

Viet Thanh Nguyen CNF faculty member smiling in a blue blazer

Viet Thanh Nguyen

CNF

Smiling woman with short natural hair glasses red lipstick wearing a black ruffled blouse and large circular earrings

Tananarive Due

Screenwriting

Smiling woman outdoors at the beach wearing a red sweater blue sky in the background

Jenny Factor

Poetry

F Douglas Brown man in black leather jacket black shirt orange background

F. Douglas Brown

Alum@Work

Lorinda Toledo

Lorinda Toledo

Critical Writing

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