Program Overview

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Program Information

The University of Guelph offers a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Program in Creative Writing, located in the University of Guelph-Humber building on the north campus of Humber College in Toronto. The program is designed to facilitate completion within two years and includes a stellar faculty of writers and associated faculty.

Overview

Students pursue the program on a full-time basis, taking required courses that include three intensive semester-long workshops, two plenary courses, an individual study course, and a thesis. The program has been designed to provide students with a wide range of opportunities to interact with the community and connect with well-established writers from across Canada and abroad.

Program Design

• The program takes full advantage of its location in Toronto, an international literary and cultural centre.
• Partnerships with Harbourfront's International Festival of Authors, the Eden Mills Writers' Festival, and other cultural organizations provide students with opportunities to engage with the literary community.
• A monthly program reading series, Speakeasy, is held in downtown Toronto, and students have access to play reading opportunities, intensive voice workshops, and teaching practicums.

Courses

Workshops

• Students are required to take three workshops over the course of the program, with options in creative nonfiction, drama/screenwriting, fiction, poetry, and hybrid and mixed-mode narratives.
• Workshops are strongly focused on writing, with a substantial reading component, and students learn to read as writers, growing in their understanding of the writer's craft.
• Attendance is mandatory, and the writing requirement is substantial, with a significant workload overall.

Plenary Courses

• Two plenary courses, "Writers on Writing" and "Writers in the World," are required, with discussions augmented by visits from writers and other literary professionals.
• Student presentations on selected readings make up a significant part of the course, with written assignments and paramount student participation.

1) Writers on Writing

This plenary course allows students to acquaint themselves with and debate the varied ways in which writers describe their art and practice, including readings from writers such as Italo Calvino, Anne Carson, and David Shields.

2) Writers in the World

This plenary course involves students in debates on the role of writing in the world, considering issues such as the writer's role and responsibilities, national literature, and the impact of the internet on writers' professional lives.

Individual Study Course

• The individual study course, required in the third semester, offers students the opportunity to work one-on-one with a professional writer, with a focus on intensive writing or reading, depending on the student's needs.
• Great care is taken to achieve a good match between student and mentor, with regular contact through email and Zoom.

Thesis

• The thesis is the single most important component of the MFA program, with the standard being a substantially revised manuscript of creative work approaching publishable quality.
• Each student has a thesis advisor and a two-person advisory committee, with an oral examination as the final phase of the thesis requirement.
• The examining committee assesses the merits of the thesis, with the first and most crucial task being to evaluate the thesis itself.