MFA in Writing

The Michener Center for Writers is the only Creative Writing M.F.A. program in the world that provides full and equal funding to every writer—yet it is our extraordinary faculty and sense of community that most distinguishes us. Our program is a three-year, fully-funded residency M.F.A. with a unique multi-disciplinary focus. Writers apply and are admitted in a primary genre—fiction, poetry, playwriting or screenwriting—and study in both the primary genre they were admitted in and a secondary genre(s) from the fields of concentration. There are no teaching duties, a luxury that allows our Fellows to commit themselves fully to their writing. And because only twelve writers are admitted each year, our faculty can devote ample time and energy to every writer. With unparalleled support and the deeply held belief that literary art matters now more than ever, the Michener Center offers writers 3 years of unencumbered space to make the work that only they can make.

History

James Michener was the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of over 40 books, including Texas, Hawaii, and Tales of the South Pacific. In his final years, he and his wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, moved to Austin, TX, where they endowed the Texas Center for Writers, a three-year MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Texas. The first cohort of Michener Fellows graduated in 1996. After Mr. Michener’s death in 1997, the Center was renamed in his honor.

News & Events

Endling by Maria Reva longlisted for the Booker Prize!

Set in Ukraine, an eccentric scientist breeding rare snails crosses paths with sisters posing as members of the marriage industry to find their activist mother.… Read more

Dr. Jennifer Chang is a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry!

Dr. Chang was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for her third collection of poetry, An Authentic Life (Copper Canyon Press). Her debut, The History of Anonymity (2008),… Read more

Congratulations to current MCW Fellow Jessie Li for receiving the 2025 PEN America Dau Prize!

Jessie was awarded this prize for her short story ”Mouth and Heart” (StoryQuarterly) Read more

2024 Emmy Nominations: MCW Alumni & Their Work

The 2024 Primetime Emmy nominations were announced this week. We’re thrilled to see three MCW alumni and their work in the mix!   Shōgun, written… Read more