Our Mission
The Solstice Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College is designed to help students reach their full potential as writers through a demanding curriculum that balances the workshop experience with the study of literary craft, criticism, and theory. The program embraces a wide range of voices and artistic approaches in its faculty and its students, establishing a learning environment that fosters community and celebrates the individual. Working with some of the best writers in the country, students of Pine Manor College's MFA program emerge with a deep, well-rounded knowledge of their art, a strategy for continuing the development of their creative vision, and a supportive circle of peers and mentors.
Our program is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.We are co-educational, inclusive, and affordable; our diverse and dedicated faculty is committed to helping students of all backgrounds achieve their writing goals.
What is a Low-Residency Program?
At Solstice, students are in residence on campus for ten days, twice a year, for a total of five residencies over two years. During the 10-day residencies, students and faculty gather on Pine Manor College’s lovely, wooded campus —a mere five miles from downtown Boston— and attend workshops, classes, panel discussions, and readings. At the end of the residency, each student is matched with a faculty mentor with whom he or she will work individually during the six-month semester to follow. The low-residency format enables students to pursue their writing goals while balancing the demands of work and family; learning to do so is essential for any writer who wishes to establish a sustainable creative practice. Our program ensures that students can complete their MFA in two years without having to quit their jobs, or leave home and family for more than 10 days per semester (June/July and December/January).
*What are the benefits of the low-residency format?
Intensive, inspiring residencies in which students form a creative community and lifelong connections with fellow writers, including faculty members.
One-on-one communication with faculty mentors during the semester —because our student-faculty mentor ratio is never more than one to five, students receive highly focused attention from some of our nation’s best authors.
Independent learning, a flexible schedule, and autonomy. Solstice students are able to pursue their writing goals while balancing the demands of work and family —we believe that learning to do so is essential for any writer who wishes to establish a sustainable creative practice.
*Solstice is one of the few low-residency MFA programs in the country to offer an applied track in pedagogy for students hoping to teach at the college level after graduation.
The summer 2013 residency, which begins our fall semester, will take place from June 28–July 7, 2013.
The winter 2014 residency, which begins our spring semester, will take place from January 3–12, 2014.