Everything you need as a writer.

As a student in The Creative Writing Programs at Hamline, you will become part of a series of outstanding programs in creative writing—undergraduate and graduate—in the heart of a dynamic and rich literary community. You will have at your fingertips not only the resources at Hamline—the only university in the U.S. with three fine arts programs in creative writing and an award-winning national literary magazine—but the cultural and literary bounty of the Twin Cities. Ranked third in the annual “Ten Most Literate Cities in America” by Central Connecticut University, the Twin Cities are home to The Loft Literary Center and a plethora of literary and commercial publishers, bookstores, libraries, and foundations.

The MFA in creative writing, established in 1994, was the first MFA in creative writing degree in Minnesota. A few years later, in 1998, Water~Stone Review, a national literary magazine, was founded. Since then, Hamline has developed two more programs in creative writing—a low-residency MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults and an undergraduate major/BFA in creative writing.

Hamline students experience a world-class education in the process and craft of writing taught by award-winning practicing writers. Faculty in The Creative Writing Programs publish regularly. Among them, they have published over 250 books and won some of the highest awards given for excellence in writing for children, young adults, and adults. All CWP faculty are skilled and committed teachers of writing.

Students also benefit from exposure to, and sometimes immersion in, the resources of the literary Twin Cities. They attend readings across the Twin Cities and visit and work as interns at a host of literary and trade publishing houses. Our graduate students and alums regularly win Loft Mentor Awards, Minnesota State Arts Board grants, Loft-McKnight and Bush Foundation Fellowships.

Our Programs

Bachelor of Fine Arts - The creative writing major leads to the BFA, a rigorous apprenticeship in the craft and process of writing. 

Master of Fine Arts in Writing - This program encourages students to experiment across genres. Cultivate breadth and depth in the genre of your choice, while also developing your knowledge and craft across genres.

Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults - Working one-on-one with MFAC professors, you will complete the coursework from your home (online or via snail mail) and travel to Hamline's Saint Paul campus twice a year for intensive residencies.

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FEATURED NEWS:  

Announcing the lineup for the 2013 Summer Writing Workshop! Joining us in Northfield this July:  Toi Derricotte (creative nonfiction), Wells Tower (fiction), Marilyn Nelson (poetry), and, teaching our brand new fantasy section, Emma Bull.

Visit the Summer Writing Workshop page for more information and to register.