The three-year M.F.A. program in Creative Writing gives promising fiction writers and poets an opportunity to practice their art with dedicated fellow writers. This close-knit community is committed to addressing the challenges of the literary process and concentrates on the craft and quality of literary writing. For nearly five decades, one of the prime strengths of our program has been the excellence of our students. The strictly limited enrollment, with six poets and six fiction writers admitted each year, guarantees that students work closely together with a faculty that includes nine faculty of national acclaim. Students are selected on the basis of academic credentials and writing samples. High admission standards and small class size ensure that students' writing receives thorough, consistent attention from faculty and fellow students. The faculty include Mona Awad, Chanelle Benz, Jonathan Dee, Brooks Haxton, Mary Karr (fall semester), Christopher Kennedy, George Saunders (fall semester), Bruce Smith and Dana Spiotta.