Make a Gift

You Make Us Great

Make a gift to the Creative Writing Program online through the University of Minnesota Foundation.

For information on ways to give, contact:

Emily Paulson
CLA External Relations
220 Johnston Hall
101 Pleasant Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

E-mail: paulsone@umn.edu
Phone: 612-626-5141

For other giving options, visit the U of M Foundation.

The Creative Writing Program at the University of Minnesota is currently ranked #11 "and rising" among MFA programs nationally. In the program’s first 10 years, MFA students and alumni published 29 books. The MFA program is uniquely attractive for several reasons: first, it offers each admitted student 3 full years of funding, creating a supportive atmosphere in which students can complete their manuscripts; second, it emphasizes multidisciplinary opportunities, making use of the University's vast resources; and third, it's located in the Twin Cities, the most vibrant urban arts environment between the coasts.

The Creative Writing MFA is also vital to the Twin Cities literary community. Through partnerships with The Loft, SASE, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and presses like Coffee House, Graywolf, and Milkweed, MFA students have access to tremendous resources. The program also works to bring the local resources into the classroom with the writers-in-residence and visiting writer programs.

What Your Gift Can Do

Your generous support for the Creative Writing Program is more critical than ever. It helps us attract and retain the very best students and visiting writers even as state funding declines.

Your contribution allows us to ensure:

Excellence and competitiveness of our graduate program

Faculty choose institutions that attract the best graduate students. We need to ensure the excellence and competitiveness of our graduate programs so that we can compete for the best faculty and brightest students.

Quality of our visiting writers program

Through our Edelstein-Keller Endowment our students have had the fortune to learn from such impressive writers and poets as Edward P. Jones, Tracy Kidder, Adrienne Rich, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Maxine Kumin, Grace Paley, and others.

Choose a Fund

To remain competitive, we need your support for our graduate student fellowships and visiting writers endowment. We have several funds that may interest you.

• Michael Dennis Browne Fellowship in Creative Writing [#1587]: This fellowship provides support for an MFA student entering the second or third year of the program. Preference will be given to those working on a poetry manuscript.
• O’Rourke Fellowship in Creative Writing [#6561]: This fellowship provides support for tuition, living expenses, travel, books and research materials to a full-time graduate student in the program.
• David E. Edelstein-Thomas A. Keller Jr. Endowment in Creative Writing [#1638]: This fund allows distinguished writers and writers-in-residence to visit the program and interact with students, faculty, and the public.
  

Your gift can help support the next generation of writers in fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction.