WVWC Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing

Student Testimonials

Semein Washington 2019	“WVWC’s Low Residency program is a good place get acquainted with the community, craft and career of creative writing. Strong bonds will form overnight and new ideas are nearly airborne.”

Velicia Jerus Darquenne 2018	“This is a rare and unique atmosphere that fosters learning and community, and it is that community that makes this all worth it. We are a family here at WVWC. We will endlessly cheer you on, support you, offer advice to make you and your writing better, and love you long after you are gone.”

Julia Jenkins 2019	“The community formed here by students & faculty is both close-knit and quick to welcome newcomers, and this is a rare combination. The balance between rigorous, serious, hard work and supportive, loving community is remarkable. I feel very lucky to have found this place and can already see how much I’m going to advance under such special conditions and teachers.”

Beasa Dukes 2019	“I never felt like I had to struggle to be me. I never felt unwanted. I never felt alone. This program has brought me so much love and wonder and light—and this is just round one.”

Susan Krakoff 2015	“Being a part of this MFA writing community is exactly what I need as a developing writer. I am strongly encouraged by the faculty to explore craft elements that I am not as comfortable with in my writing, and that has allowed me to learn so much more than if I were just writing on my own… The structure of the program makes it possible for me to get to know the faculty and students’ writing, and to get to know them as friends.”

Jeremy Bryant 2017	“My experience during my first residency was sublime; it was challenging and enlightening. I have never felt so much a part of a community before; this feeling encouraged me to free myself artistically, to see the world through different perspectives, to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange. All the while, I was embraced by other writers who helped me grow, experiment with new writing forms, and believe in myself. The faculty—both core faculty and visiting faculty—are truly invested in the students, and they go beyond what is traditionally expected of educators by often individualizing teaching methods to fit the classroom setting. A lot is expected of the students, but each part is essential.”

Elizabeth Gaucher 2015	“This program always holds a joyful surprise. Whether it’s the open door of a professor, the brilliance of a visiting writer, the attentiveness of the director, or the camaraderie of fellow students, every step on the journey to my MFA has been filled with discrete moments of feeling myself in a special place. I could have gone elsewhere. I’m forever grateful I came to WVWC.”

James Siders 2015	“By attending this program, I’ve not only grown as a writer, but I’ve grown as a person, and as cheesy as that sounds, it’s entirely true. By looking at my own work and the work I admire, I’ve come to understand the craft of fiction and myself with how/what I write. The faculty and students work as one engine to produce the best work and most successful writers possible. The residency experience is perfect for work and inspiration.”

Marilyn Stearns 2015	“I am living testimony that West Virginia Wesleyan’s MFA program in writing welcomes potential at all ages. It is imaginative, balanced, intellectual and caring as it is guiding me toward my true poetic voice. Students, faculty and visiting readers all work together as a friendly community. Each day opens up new meanings to words and I know that I am so fortunate to be here and take part.”

Jeff Webb 2015	“Wesleyan’s MFA program allows you to work in a community of dedicated students and professors that honestly does feel more like a family than a class by the end of the residency. The small numbers keep things personable, and, because of this communal feeling, it creates a positive atmosphere that allows for you to take chances and bring out the best in your own writing.”

Rebecca Roth 2013	“The faculty are incredible mentors. My writing has improved in a way that it never, ever would have on my own.”

Leader Photo © Doug Van Gundy