Poets & Writers magazine names Warren Wilson College’s low-residency MFA program #1 among such programs

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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We’ve long known what a treasure the MFA program at Warren Wilson College is. Here’s more proof:

The nation’s first low-residency MFA program, located at Warren Wilson College since 1981, has now been ranked No. 1 among 46 current such programs by Poets & Writers Magazine. The rankings appear in the magazine’s September/October 2010 issue, found at www.pw.org.

Warren Wilson’s MFA Program for Writers is tied with the Vermont College of Fine Arts for the top spot, outpacing the 44 other low-residency programs in the rankings. The MFA program at Warren Wilson has two 10-day residencies each year, in January and July.

MFA Program Director Debra Allbery said, “We’re very pleased by this national recognition of the truly exceptional quality of the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers – a distinction steadily proven by the remarkable literary achievements of our graduates. As the oldest of the low-residency programs, we’re proud that we’re continuing to set the standards for the model.”

Founded by Ellen Bryant Voigt, the first low-residency MFA program began with 16 students and three faculty members at Goddard College in Vermont in 1976. The program moved south in 1981 to fellow work college Warren Wilson and now receives about 10 times the number of applications for admission it can accept. The program’s alumni have published several hundred books.

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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