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Part-timeThe Writer’s Studio

We’ve designed the Writer’s Studio to help you develop your writing practice for personal interest and as a profession. We offer our program online, as well as Vancouver.

What will you learn?

Through this program, you will gain:

  • Hands-on creative writing training
  • Mentorship from a published author
  • Tools to develop your writing practice
  • Support from a community of writers

Get hands-on creative writing training

"The Writer's Studio invites you into a thriving literary community."—Carys Cragg. After completing the Writer's Studio, Carys joined the graduate workshop to write her full manuscript, which led to its publication. Read her story

Our one-year, part-time creative writing program emphasizes learning in community. If you’re ready to develop your writing or finish a book of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, you are an excellent candidate for the Writer’s Studio.

Striking a balance between a formal, full-time MFA (Master of Fine Arts) creative writing program and individual writing courses, we offer training in the theory, craft and business of writing. You’ll learn through:

  • multi-week courses
  • one-on-one consultations with a mentor
  • a genre-specific mentor workshop group of nine writers
  • public readings
  • producing our annual student anthology, emerge

Study under published authors

Your mentors and instructors are accomplished industry professionals, writers, and published authors—and you’ll spend a lot of time with them. Past mentors have included Timothy Taylor, Rachel Rose, Lynn Coady, Ivan Coyote and Caroline Adderson. Visit the mentors page for a list of current mentors.

The Writer’s Studio has one of the highest ratios of instructional contact hours per tuition dollar of any creative writing program in North America. In addition to learning with our mentors, you’ll learn from other local authors who give talks and readings throughout the year.

Develop your writing practice

We believe that learning how to sustain your writing within the realities of your daily life is crucial to becoming a successful writer. In the program, you will learn to create a sustainable writing practice that is adaptable to your changing work, life and family commitments. That’s why all of our program activities take place in the evenings and on weekends.

Be part of a community of writers

If you've been writing on your own but long to connect with other writers and learn under a literary mentor, this is the program for you. The community you build as a student in the Writer’s Studio won’t stop after you graduate. We actively foster an ongoing commitment among our writers through a wide range of alumni activities, including our monthly Writer's Studio Reading Series and writing consults at libraries around BC.

We also offer several opportunities for you to keep learning with us. You may join us for another year as an adjunct student to focus on finishing a manuscript, or work with a mentor as an apprentice. Alumni have also returned to work on our annual anthology, emerge.

Compare us to an MFA

    TWS
Online		 TWS
Vancouver		 MFA Program*
Location   Online Vancouver Various
Cost   $5,400 $5,400 $20,000–$40,000
Full-time/Part-time   Part-time Part-time Full-time
Duration   10-11 months 11 months 2 years
Total hours   141 141 Varies
Student's work published
at the end of the program
   Yes Yes No

* Typical two-year MFA program at other institutions

Program elements  »

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