Low-Residency Program Details

What does a low-residency program look like? 

Each semester begins on campus with a nine-day residency, during which you will attend workshops, panel discussions, lectures, and will develop, in conjunction with a mentor, a study plan for the semester.

The semester’s work will consist of your creative work, readings in the tradition, and academic writing about literature. You will respond to readings in a variety of ways: annotations, book reviews, and literary criticism and analysis. 

In the first and second semester, you will focus on drafting new creative material and expanding your knowledge of process and craft. Each semester, you will submit five packets of creative and critical work (roughly once a month). The first semester will focus in particular on the breadth of contemporary work and literary publishing. In the second semester, you will expand your reading in literary history and tradition. 

In the third semester you will complete an applied studies project, either a critical thesis focused on literary criticism, or a project geared toward one of three professional areas: teaching, literary publishing, or arts administration. Projects in teaching, publishing, or arts administration will most likely involve an internship with an external organization.

During the fourth, creative-thesis semester, you will work closely with your faculty mentor to revise your work, producing a book-length manuscript of publishable quality.

The fifth and final residency will include a 60-minute lecture or course in your specialized area developed in the third semester. You will also deliver a public reading and lead a discussion from your creative thesis.