What exactly is a low-residency MFA?
The first Low-Residency MFA program was developed at Goddard College in Vermont by poet Ellen Bryant Voigt, who later established Warren Wilson’s program in 1981. This MFA model has become more attractive than ever for graduate students in writing because it allows writers to earn a degree and focus on their work without requiring them to relocate. The basic model combines intensive group sessions, known as “residencies,” followed by individual mentorships. Once or twice a year, (in Alaska’s case, it is ONCE per summer), students, core and guest faculty gather on campus, usually for 10-12 days. These residency sessions include workshop critiques, classes, seminars, lectures and readings, and often feature guest writers and lecturers. Each student then works with a single mentor (a writing professor) during the academic year, sending his/her work on an established schedule for extensive responses by the mentor. Most Low-Residency programs also incorporate some kind of field work or outs
