As part of our convenient low-residency program, students come to campus for eight days every six months - once in January and again in June.
Students, faculty, advisors, and outside readers come to campus for a demanding, yet rewarding week of workshops, readings, classes and meetings. Fondly referred to as a week-long "boot camp for writers," residencies are intense, motivating and rewarding.
Online courses begin during each residency and end in the subsequent residency. Students reconnect with their cohort and reexamine their own work with faculty mentors, hear new work at evening readings while taking classes during the day. Although demanding, all our students say they leave ready to write.
In the program I found one-on-one instruction, a community of writers to workshop my ideas and writings with, a wonderful location that only required my attendance a little over two weeks a year, and most importantly friends that I will have for the rest of my life. Wilkes University has given me and my family a new opportunity in life.
Jason Carney, MA alum
Faculty Mentoring
After the first online semester, which consists of important foundational work, you will work closely with the program director to find the perfect faculty mentor. Our program faculty offers a wide range of writing interest and expertise. From Y.A. to literary fiction, from thriller to historical fiction, from mystery to romantic films, from novels to poetry chapbooks, students pursue the form that will best tell the story they have to tell.
In the six months between residencies, faculty members work one-on-one with their student mentees. They not only discuss the craft choices students make in their projects, but also offer guidance on the writing process and life habits of a writer.
The heart of the program is the mentoring relationship between the student and the mentor. You will have a mentor who will stick to you like glue, well past graduation, and into your personal and professional life. You will work with someone who wants you to grow, develop and succeed.
J. Michael Lennon, program co-founder