Michener Center For Writers
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The Michener Center for Writers is an interdisciplinary Masters of Fine Arts program in fiction, poetry, playwriting, and screenwriting at the
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
. It is widely regarded as one of the top creative writing programs in the world.
Bret Anthony Johnston Bret Anthony Johnston is an American author. He wrote the novel ''Remember Me Like This'' and the story collection, ''Corpus Christi: Stories''. He is also the editor of the non-fiction work, ''Naming the World and Other Exercises for the Creat ...
is the current director of the program. Previously, James Magnuson ran the program for more than 20 years. Resident faculty include
Elizabeth McCracken Elizabeth McCracken (born 1966) is an American author. She is a recipient of the PEN New England Award. Life and career McCracken, a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, graduated from Newton North High ...
, Edward Carey and
Amy Hempel Amy Hempel (born December 14, 1951) is an American short story writer and journalist. She teaches creative writing at the Michener Center for Writers. Life Hempel was born in Chicago, Illinois. She moved to California at age 16, which is wher ...
.


History

The program was founded in the early 1990s through a generous endowment from James A. Michener and Mari Sabusawa Michener. It was originally called the Texas Center for Writers, but changed its name to honor Mr. Michener after his death in 1997.


Fellowships

The MFA in Writing is a three-year, full-time residency program, unique in its interdisciplinary focus. While writers apply and are admitted in a primary field of concentration—chosen from fiction, poetry, playwriting or screenwriting—they have the opportunity to develop work in a second field during their program of study. The program operates through competitive entry and offers a generous fellowship that includes tuition, a stipend, and other fees. Classes are taught by faculty from the Departments of English, Radio Television and Film, and Theatre & Dance, and the program also hosts visiting faculty of nationally recognized writers, who often participate in a public Reading Series. Fellows are eligible to submit to th
Keene Prize for Literature
Winners receive $50,000 and three runners-up receive $20,000.


Notable alumni

*
Kevin Powers Kevin Powers (born July 11, 1980) is an American fiction writer, poet, and Iraq War veteran. Biography Powers was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, the son of a factory worker and a postman, and enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of seve ...
, National Book Award Finalist for ''
The Yellow Birds ''The Yellow Birds'' is the debut novel from American writer, poet, and Iraq War veteran Kevin Powers. It was one of ''The New York Timess 100 Most Notable Books of 2012 and a finalist for the 2012 National Book Award. It was awarded the 2012 The ...
''
Lara Prescott
author o
The Secrets We Kept

Leah Hampton
author o
F*ckface
* Maria Reva, author o
Good Citizens Need Not Fear
*
Fiona McFarlane Fiona McFarlane (born 1978) is an Australian author, best known for her book ''The Night Guest'' and her collection of short stories ''The High Places''. She is a recipient of the Voss Literary Prize, the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing a ...
, Dylan Thomas Prize winner for ''The High Places''
Sindya Bhanoo
author o
Seeking Fortune Elsewhere
*
Karan Mahajan Karan Mahajan (born April 24, 1984) is an Indian-American novelist, essayist, and critic. His second novel, ''The Association of Small Bombs,'' was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction. He has contributed writing to '' The Bel ...
, National Book Award Finalist for ''
The Association of Small Bombs ''The Association of Small Bombs'' is a 2016 novel by Indian-American author and novelist Karan Mahajan. The novel is Mahajan's second, after 2012's ''Family Planning'', and was first published in 2016 by Viking Press. The novel was named a final ...
'' *
Philipp Meyer Philipp Meyer is an American fiction writer, and is the author of the novels '' American Rust'' and '' The Son'', as well as short stories published in The New Yorker and other places. Meyer also created and produced the AMC television show b ...
, Guggenheim Fellow, Pulitzer Prize Finalist, and author of '' American Rust'' and ''The Son'' * Domenica Ruta, author of the memoir ''With or Without You'' *
James Hannaham James Hannaham (born 1968) is a writer, performer, and visual artist. His novel ''Delicious Foods'' (2015), which deals with human trafficking, won the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and was named one of ''Publishers Weekl ...
, author of ''God Says No'' and ''Delicious Foods'' *
Brian Hart Brian Roger Hart (7 September 1936 – 5 January 2014) was a British racing driver and engineer with a background in the aviation industry. He is best known as the founder of Brian Hart Limited, a company that developed and built engines for mot ...
, author of ''Then Came the Evening'' and ''The Bully of Order'' * Brian McGreevy, novelist and co-creator of ''
Hemlock Grove ''Hemlock Grove'' is a 2012 Horror-thriller debut novel by American author Brian McGreevy. The book was released on March 27, 2012 through Farrar, Straus and Giroux and is set in the fictional town of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania. A graphic nove ...
'' * Sam Taylor, Poet, author
The Book of Fools
' * Mary Miller, author of ''Last Days of California'' * Alix Ohlin, author of ''Inside'' and ''Signs & Wonders'' * Roger Reeves, Poet, author of ''King Me'' *
Michael McGriff Michael McGriff is an American poet. Life McGriff was born and raised in Coos Bay, Oregon. His work has appeared in ''Slate'', ''Field'', ''AGNI'', ''The Believer'', ''Missouri Review'', and ''Poetry''. He is the founding editor of Tavern Books, ...
, Poet, author of ''Dismantling the Hills, Home Burial'' * Carrie Fountain, Poet, author of ''Burn Lake'' and ''Instant Winner'' * Bruce Snider, Poet, author of ''The Year We Studied Women'' and ''Paradise Indiana'' *
Matthew Dickman Matthew Dickman (born August 20, 1975) is an American poet. He and his identical twin brother, Michael Dickman, also a poet, were born in Portland, Oregon. Life The Dickman twins (Matthew is the younger and slightly taller) were raised in the Le ...
, Poet, author of ''Mayakovsky's Revolver and All American Poem'' *
Michael Dickman Michael Dickman is an American poet born August 20, 1975 in Portland, Oregon. His work has appeared in ''The New Yorker'', ''The American Poetry Review'', ''Field'', ''Tin House'', and ''Narrative Magazine''. Michael Dickman currently teaches a ...
, Poet, author of ''The End of the West'' and ''Flies'' * Sam Sax, poet * Kirk Lynn, playwright and author of ''Rules for Werewolves'' * Beau Thorne, Screenwriter, '' Max Payne'' * Kieran Fitzgerald, Screenwriter, ''Snowden'' *
Ray Wright Horace Raymond Wright (6 September 1918 – August 1987) was an English professional association football, footballer who played as an inside forward. He started his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., Wolverhampton Wanderers, making eight ...
, Screenwriter, ''The Crazies'' *
Abhijat Joshi Abhijat Joshi (born 1 December 1969) is an Indian screenwriter, film director, producer and editor who works in Hindi cinema. His is known for collaboration with Vinod Chopra Productions and director Rajkumar Hirani, as the screenwriter for ...
, Screenwriter *
Rivers Solomon Rivers Solomon is an American author of speculative and literary fiction. In 2018, they received the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses' Firecracker Award in Fiction for their debut novel, '' An Unkindness of Ghosts'', and in 2020 their ...
, author of ''
An Unkindness of Ghosts ''An Unkindness of Ghosts'' is a 2017 science fiction novel by Rivers Solomon, exploring the conjunction between structural racism and generation ships. Solomon's first book, it was published by Akashic Books. Synopsis On board the generation s ...
'' *
Donika Kelly Donika Kelly (born early 1980s)
, poet *
Ben Philippe Ben Philippe is a Haitian-Canadian author and screenwriter. Biography Philippe was born in Haiti and raised in Montreal. Philippe received his B.A. from Columbia University in 2011 and received his MFA from the Michener Center for Writers in A ...
, young adult author and screenwriter *
Ladan Osman Ladan Osman ( so, Laadan Cismaan, ar, لادان عثمان) is a Somali- American poet and teacher. Her poetry is centered on her Somali and Muslim heritage, and has been published in a number of prominent literary magazines. In 2014, she was ...
, poet and filmmaker


References


External links


The Michener Center for Writers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michener Center For Writers University of Texas at Austin James A. Michener