Write

The Pinch is a cornerstone of the MFA in creative writing at the University of Memphis. Our students get hands-on, real-world experience editing and managing one of the nation’s best small literary journals.

Our students come to Memphis because we offer a flexible three-year program in one of the most affordable cities in America. The faculty is among the best in their field and our cohort is diverse — in terms of age, race, class, and writing experience.

We’d love to chat with you about joining our program.

Program

  • The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing provides studies in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, along with a variety of options for either a studio degree in Creative Writing, or a degree combining work in either the Department of English or other departments in which course work, or independent study, seems particularly pertinent to the student’s creative thesis. A book-length thesis of publishable quality is required; it will be directed by a member of the MFA faculty. The MFA requires 48 graduate semester hours, with a 3.00 grade point average in all graduate courses.

  • Application form and fee.

    Two letters of recommendation: Please have your recommenders submit letters electronically using the link that will be generated when you select this option in the online application. It makes most sense to select recommenders who have taught you or writers familiar with your work. However, we understand that for those who have been out of school for some time and those who have not participated in writing workshops or conferences, this may be impossible. You will not be penalized for this, but we do ask that you choose your recommenders in a thoughtful manner.

    Transcripts for each university-level school attended: Visit the Graduate Admissions Page for detailed information about transcript submission. Send transcripts to the Office of Graduate Admissions; do not send transcripts to the Department of English.

    Personal statement (minimum two pages, double-spaced): include your background as a writer, your purpose in pursuing this degree, and any other information you deem relevant for consideration.

    Creative writing sample: a minimum of 10 poems; or 25 to 40 double-spaced pages of fiction or creative nonfiction. The writing sample is the most important part of your application. Please select material that gives us a sense of your primary interests.

    GRE scores are not required.

  • Fall Semester — March 1 for Graduate Assistantship first consideration.

    Applications for submission without GA support will be considered on a rolling basis.

    Spring Semester — October 15

    Incomplete applications will not be considered

Place

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a Memphis is a legendary American city, crucial in the history of American music and the Civil Rights Movement. Activism and the arts form Memphis’s most important legacy, as exemplified by Gordon Parks’s historic photographs of the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike. These are on display at the most moving landmark in Memphis, the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel—the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968. Musically, Memphis stands at the confluence of many genres, an integral location in the history of blues, soul, country, hip hop, and punk music. Elvis Presley reigns, but Memphis has also been the home of B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sun Studios, Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, Big Star, Goner Records, Young Dolph, Pooh Shiesty, Three 6 Mafia & Julien Baker. Music attractions abound here, including Graceland, Sun Studio, Stax Records, the Gibson Guitar Factory, the Rock 'n' Soul Museum, and the annual Memphis in May music festival. Just an hour south of campus is Clarksdale, Mississippi, birthplace of The Blues.

    business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • Memphis, Tennessee sits on the east bank of the Mississippi River, about three hours south of St. Louis and west of Nashville. Memphis is one of the most storied cities in the South and, unsurprisingly, has attracted the attention of many great writers, including Katori Hall, Randall Kenan, Kiese Laymon, Eudora Welty, and William Faulkner—whose home in Oxford is just an hour and a half south of Memphis.

  • Memphis is a food-lover’s paradise, boasting the best barbecue in America and home to the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Fest. And, of course, the town has long been known for its nightlife, particularly on downtown’s Beale Street, a tourist attraction for visitors from around the world. Memphis is also home to lively (and year-round!) farmers markets, the nation’s largest urban park, extensive bike routes, and beautiful gardens, neighboroods, and green spaces.

People

  • Our faculty are publishing with the most respected presses in

  • Our diverse cohort includes writers from across the world in all stages of their academic and publishing careers.

    Meet our current students.

  • We are gathering information about our alumni. Please update us on your life, writing, and career.

  • Check out the achievement by our students, faculty and alumni