51³Ô¹Ï

The Pacific MFA in Writing is thrilled to toast faculty writer Chris Abani on the selection of his collection Smoking the Bible as the 2023 UNT Rilke Poetry Prize winner, which recognizes a book written by a mid-career poet that demonstrates exceptional artistry and vision.

MFA faculty Chris Abani is among the finalists for the 2024 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. This prestigious prize recognizes significant contributions to world literature and has a history as a lead-up to the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Nonfiction writer Kao Kalia Yang and poet Shara McCallum, both of whom teach in 51³Ô¹Ï’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing program, each have been awarded 2023 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowships.

MFA Faculty Kao Kalia Yang and Shara McCallum Awarded 2023 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowships

MFA faculty poet Shara McCallum's sixth book, No Ruined Stone, has won the 2022 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award. The Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation’s Annual Legacy Awards Ceremony honors the best in Black literature in the United States and around the globe.

Debra Gwartney on how a blending of genres benefits students and faculty alike.

Kellie Wells considers the mysterious transformation that happens throughout the program.

Chris Abani on the unique opportunity offered by Pacific's low-residency MFA.

Kwame Dawes on the relationship between your writing and your life.

Marvin Bell says reading makes you a bigger and better writer.

Pete Fromm, as a reader and teacher, looks for worlds and cultures outside his own.