University of Kentucky MFA Program in Creative Writing

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The official page of University of Kentucky’s MFA Creative Writing program. Guthrie Jr. first offered courses in fiction.

The History of Creative Writing at the University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky has one of the nation’s oldest and most distinguished undergraduate creative writing programs, dating back to 1947, when Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist A.B. Included among the program’s alumni and faculty (past and present) are many writers with national reputations: Wendell Berry, James Baker Hall, Guy Dave

nport, Ed McClanahan, Jane Vance, Gurney Norman, Nikky Finney, Erik Reece, Frank X. Walker, Julia Johnson, and Bobbie Ann Mason. Sixty-seven years after the first fiction class began, the UK English Department is proud to begin a new chapter in our history with a two-year residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program, the only such program in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. MFA candidates will enjoy many of the benefits of UK's excellent literary tradition, including:

- Literary publications affiliated with the English Department (Limestone, Pluck!)
- Excellent libraries and literary archives
- Local and regional writers conferences of national reputation, including the Kentucky Women Writers Conference
- Affiliation with The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
- The University Press of Kentucky
- Campus and local bookstores, which support special events with visiting writers, faculty, and student authors
- Affiliated programs in Appalachian Studies, African American and Africana Studies, Environmental Studies, and Gender & Women Studies

What you need to know about UK’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program:

The MFA is a two-year residency program that includes 24 hours of coursework and a creative thesis. The application deadline for fall 2014 applicants is April 1st (applications will be reviewed as they are received). Click here to go to the MFA admissions page. Available genres of study include poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Funding opportunities are available for qualified applicants on a competitive basis, including assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships. Current Faculty:

DaMaris Hill - fiction, poetry
Julia Johnson - poetry
Andrew Millward - fiction
Gurney Norman - fiction
Hannah Pittard - fiction
Erik Reece - non-fiction
Frank X. Walker - poetry
Crystal Wilkinson - fiction

For questions about the MFA program, please contact MFA Program Director Frank X Walker at [email protected]

For questions about admissions and policies, please contact Robin Rahija, English Department Manager Associate, at [email protected].

Photos from University of Kentucky MFA Program in Creative Writing's post

05/10/2026

Our 2026 graduation reading was wonderful! Thanks to everyone who came out to support our second years, and congratulations to the graduating MFA class of 2026!!

04/16/2026

Our Provokable Launch was a success!

Thank you to everyone who came and contributed to this anthology!! Special thanks to UK Art Museum for all the work put in to making this book/event happen! Thank you to our editors: Samantha Ratcliffe , Lora Eli Smith Tovar , Elizabeth Anne & Victor Ihechiluru Unachukwu & a big thanks to Erik Reece for inspiring this collection through his ekphrastic class!

03/21/2026

Our students had a fantastic time at the 49th Annual ASA conference, honoring the beloved Gurney Norman through a panel of original readings! Thanks for everyone who showed up to our panel and visited our booth!

03/06/2026

TONIGHT!!

Come see the budding work in our MFA department at our monthly incubator series! We’ll also be holding an undergraduate open mic before our featured readings!

TIME: 5:30pm, March 6th
LOCATION: Commonwealth House (226 E Maxwell Street)

02/02/2026

THIS FRIDAY!

our MFA program is holding its monthly incubator series this week! We have a fantastic lineup of featured readers, and there will be an undergraduate open mic held before our features!!

Location: Commonwealth House (226 E Maxwell street)
Date/Time: Friday, Feb 6th, 5:30

Hope to see you there!

MFA alumna Allegra Solomon longlisted for prestigious PEN America literary prize | University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences

12/20/2025

Congratulations, Allegra Solomon (MFA '22)!

https://pen.org/announcing-the-2026-pen-america-literary-awards-longlists/

MFA alumna Allegra Solomon longlisted for prestigious PEN America literary prize | University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences By Francis Von Mann LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 19, 2025) – Allegra Solomon has been longlisted for the 2026 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection, one of the most prestigious honors for emerging fiction writers in the United States. The award, presented by PEN America, recogn...

11/24/2025

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 King Library Press Broadside Contest! Beaux and Samantha will receive copies of their beautifully handprinted letterpress broadsides created by Paul Holbrook, Director of the King Library Press.

See below for what the judge, poet Jordan Honeyblue (UK MFA ‘21), said about the winning poems.

Graduate student winner:
“After the Flood” by Samantha Ratcliffe

“After reading this poem, I still can’t determine how many poems I read! I remain in awe of the many natural and intimate spaces the language carried me through.”

Undergraduate student winner:
“If America Could Talk” by Beaux Hardin

“’If America Could Talk,’ is a sweet nostalgic, strawberry Creme Saver kind of read. A reminder of our eternal richness and fluorescence: in body, language, and spirit.”

10/31/2025

A spooky incubator is upon us! Join us tonight at 5:30pm at the Commonwealth House for an evening of readings from MFA candidates and our faculty reader of the night, Erik Reece!

There is an open mic for undergraduates before the main event! Show up early to sign up!

10/29/2025

!TONIGHT!

Join us tonight to see our Alumni read their published works tonight at 6pm, in the UKFCU Esports Theater!

Hope to see you all there!

10/20/2025

Our next Visiting Writers of the semester! We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of our Alumni and are inviting them back to share a reading on Oct. 29th at 6pm in the UKFCU Esports Theater!

We hope to see you there.

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