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, including a number of guests each year,  and our 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

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MCW Fall ’26 Guest Faculty Reading ft. Kristen Arnett & Cecily Parks

The Michener Center for Writers is excited to welcome guest faculty members Kristen Arnett and Cecily Parks for the Fall 2026 semester. Join us for… Read more

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Carrie R. Moore Wins 2026 Young Lions Fiction Award

MCW ‘23 alum, Carrie R. Moore, was awarded the New York Public Library’s 2026 Young Lions Fiction Award, which celebrates fiction by writers 35 and… Read more

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MCW Director, Bret Anthony Johnston, Named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow

The Michener Center for Writers is thrilled to congratulate our Director, Bret Anthony Johnston, on being named a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow! From ghf.org: “Fellows’ projects… Read more

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MCW Alumni Megan Kamalei Kakimoto & Carrie R. Moore Honored by The National Book Foundation Awards’ 5 Under 35

The Michener Center for Writers is thrilled to congratulate alumni Megan Kakimoto (MCW ’23) and Carrie R. Moore (MCW ’23) on being named honorees for… Read more