Building on its rich traditions in the arts and humanities, Saint Mary’s College founded the MFA Program in Creative Writing in 1995. This program allows students the freedom and time to write while providing the necessary formal training serious writers deserve. It takes advantage of the finest things about Saint Mary’s College: an interest in the student as a person, an emphasis on shared inquiry and critical thinking, and a respect for new and different ways of knowing. It is distinguished by its fine permanent faculty, its range of outstanding writers-in-residence, and its commitment to small classes and faculty-student contact.

The Setting
The Saint Mary's College campus is located in the rolling hills of Moraga Valley, but just minutes away from the San Francisco Bay Area, one of the largest, most active literary regions in the United States. The 420-acre campus is renowned for its spaciousness and beauty, highlighted by Mission-style architecture, quiet courtyards, and groves of redwood and eucalyptus.

The Students
Students are admitted to the Program on the basis of a manuscript of original work and on their undergraduate records. Though our students come to the program with degrees from diverse fields such as biology, English, economics and history, most have had some exposure to a writing workshop. Our students have ranged in age from 22 to 65 and have come from various locales around the world, from Alaska to Israel, from New York to the San Francisco Bay Area. The Program's total enrollment for the academic year 2005-2006 is forty-three students.

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