MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults

Join us to learn more about our low residency MFA programs and the application process. In this session we will discuss:

• Overview of VCFA programs
• What does low residency look like at VCFA?
• What is expected in a typical semester?
• What is residency?
• Learn more about our faculty mentorship model
• First steps for preparing your application
• Financing your MFA overview
• Q&A

Visit the event page to learn more and RSVP.

VCFA’s academic calendar is divided into two semesters per year: a summer and winter semester respectively. Each semester begins with a 9-day residency that provides a vibrant whirlwind of workshops, lectures, panels, discussions, and readings. Students, faculty, and visiting writers come together to connect and collaborate.

During residencies, students also choose their faculty advisor and develop a unique, personalized study plan for the coming semester.

In addition to their kidlit community, students are on campus with our five other MFA programs during residency: Film, Graphic Design, Music Composition, Writing, and Visual Art. Each writer will have the opportunity during residency for interdisciplinary study, work, and networking. 

Students seeking an international experience may attend the program’s summer residency in England. Highlights include shared lectures and readings with Bath Spa University’s MA in Writing for Young People program, dining at Exeter College’s High Table, and a historical tour of children’s literature at Oxford University.

Upon completion of the two-year program, students will have attended five unique and invigorating residencies that guide their creative work while offering minimal disruption to their professional life and personal schedule.

WCYA offers dual-track residency options for all students. Students may elect to participate entirely in-person, or entirely in the cloud (remotely). Workshops are offered in each mode; all students and faculty in an in-person workshop will be in person, and all students and faculty in a cloud workshop will be in the cloud. Some residency events, such as lectures and readings, are hybrid, meaning that both in-person and cloud participants may attend. The program focuses on intentional community-building within these modes.

WCYA students are required to select a residency option three months prior to the residency. The number of cloud faculty will be determined by the number of students who select that mode. The entire staff and faculty of VCFA remain jointly committed to supporting these dual-track residencies and the needs of the students and faculty. It is important to note that all participating students and faculty are required to participate fully in all events at each residency, regardless of whether they are in person or in the cloud.

Post-residency, students return home to embark on the semester’s faculty-guided independent study project, putting in at least 25 hours a week. Students stay in close contact with their advisors, who review their work monthly and provide individualized feedback.

Our mentorship model provides more individualized feedback on student writing than most traditional classroom programs. Our faculty, students, and alumnx are at the center of a support network providing connections across every aspect of the field, from publishers and agents, to workshop leaders, teachers, and translators.

The MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults program teaches every form written for young audiences, from picture books to middle grade and young adult, and the diversity of faculty expertise reflects this breadth and depth of instruction. A 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio ensures close personal attention to nurture individual skills, talents, and artistic vision.