Etowah Valley Writers MFA at Reinhardt University

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Etowah Valley Writers MFA at Reinhardt University

7 Semesters + 5 Individual Studies + 4 Online Courses + 3 Writing Residencies + 1 Book = 1 Master of Fine Arts degree

A bridge between Atlanta and the Appalachian South, the Etowah Valley is where nature meets culture and the timeless meets the timely. At Reinhardt University’s Etowah Valley Writers Institute, New South writers join to create a literature that is story-driven and grounded in the places where we live, rural and urban. Our 60-hour low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing offers classes

in poetry, fiction, creative-nonfiction and scriptwriting. Work one-on-one with important writers in your genre while taking cross-genre classes that teach you the craft elements all writers need and embed you within a community of like-minded artists. The New South is a synergy of multiple cultural traditions, an intermixture of classic Southern Gothic and the thriving Atlanta film scene, Southern environmentalism and hip-hop poetics, Appalachian bluegrass and the Mississippi blues. We believe that form is both key and constantly evolving to reflect new realities. Most of all, we believe that we all need to tell stories and to hear stories, stories that give voice and meaning to the individual and collective struggles that might otherwise tear us apart. Our 10-day summer Residencies are intensive immersions in the writing life, with daily writing workshops, craft classes, experiential excursions into natural and urban environments, nightly readings on campus and at local venues, and one-on-one meetings with writing mentors. Our tree-lined campus in the shadow of Pine Log Mountain is the perfect writers’ retreat.

09/14/2025

Pictured from left: MFA Creative Writing Mentor John Williams, Illustrator Marra Mackas Evans, Adjunct MFA Professor Maria Mackas, Ph.D., and MFA Creative Writing Mentor Michael Luckor.

08/30/2025

Today's is Bonnie Medford!

Bonnie Medford, poetry, graduated 2018, is currently beta reading and seeking editing experience.

08/23/2025

Today's is Shannon Edwards!

Shannon Edwards, fiction, graduating in summer of 2026 (hopefully), is currently a high school English teacher in Locust Grove, Georgia.

08/16/2025

Today's is Jon Sokol!

Jon Sokol is a writer, forester, traveler, and woodworker. He lives in Northeast Georgia with his wife, Karen. He mostly writes fiction often drifting toward southern gothic and his fascination with all things peculiar. Jon’s work has appeared in the James Dickey Review, Gray's Sporting Journal, Southern Literary Review, Reckon Review, Well Read Magazine, Gutwrench Journal, Cowboy Jamboree, and The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature.

In 2021, Jon received his MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction) at Reinhardt University, where he also served as the Copy Editor for the James Dickey Review. His short story, “The Pride of Thine Heart,” won the 2021 Robert Driscoll Award for Excellence in Writing.

With over 30 years of experience in forest management and timberland investments, Jon is currently a portfolio manager for an investment firm based in Atlanta that specializes in timberland investing. He holds a BS in Forest Resource Management from Clemson University and an MBA from Georgia Southern University.

Jon can be reached at http://www.jonsokol.com, on Twitter, and jonsokol_writer on Instagram.

08/15/2025

Check out William Walsh's interview with Mercer University Press about his new novel Haircuts for the Dead!

Photo by Maria Mackas The idea [in Haircuts for the Dead] is for each reader to confront their own shortcomings and try to correct their behavior in order to be more accepting of others in the bibl…

08/09/2025

Today's is Donna Bearden!

Donna Bearden, nonfiction, graduated in 2022. She is a retired physician.

08/05/2025

Happy Book Birthday, William Walsh!

Haircuts for the Dead is now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

When twenty-one-year-old Hannah Gardner's father sells the family farm, she is cast onto the streets of Sundown, Georgia, where, having left her fundamentalist church, she grapples with the weight of her family's racist past. Working as a shampoo girl at a rinky-dink salon, Hannah tries to make e...

08/02/2025

Today's is Wes Young!

Wes Young is a 2020 graduate of the Etowah Valley MFA, focus on fiction. He has since authored two books: Reaching Sol & One Story, Building. His shorter works have appeared in Georgia Outdoor News, The Lamp-Post, The Mythic Circle, and Sanctuary. He is a high school literature teacher, writer, and supply preacher in Middle Georgia. He enjoys the quiet country life with his beautiful wife and two wonderful daughters. They are active members of Limestone Baptist Church.

Find more at wesyoungwriter.com and on YouTube at youtube.com/.

07/26/2025

Today's is Jessie Latimer!

Jessie Fanczi Latimer, fiction, graduated from the program in 2023. Her debut young adult novel, AGAIN BEHOLD THE STARS, is set to release from Quill & Flame Publishing House in 2026 in print, audio, and e-book formats. She is represented by Kristen Terrette of Martin Literary Management.

07/19/2025

Today's is Tiffany R. Jansen!

Since earning her MFA in 2022, Tiffany R. Jansen (fiction) has been hard at work on her first novel, which she describes as Girl with a Pearl Earring meets Netflix’s Medici: The Magnificent. Tiffany teaches English at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College and writes for consumer magazines. She lives in Georgia with her husband, daughter, two ridiculous cats, adorable pup, and very fuzzy jumping spider.

07/12/2025

Today's is Cindy Sams!

Cindy Sams, nonfiction, graduated in 2022. She is an adjunct professor of Theatre at Middle Georgia State College, where she teaches and directs.

Address

Waleska, GA
30183

Telephone

(770) 720-5600

Website

http://www.reinhardt.edu/mfa-cw

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