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University Of Nevada, Reno At Lake Tahoe MFA Students Study In Lake Tahoe For A Week
Amidst a winter wonderland and tucked between snow-covered pines, Master of Fine Arts (MFA) students in creative writing and interdisciplinary arts walked the paths of the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe during their biannual 10-day artist residency. The Low-Residency programs are made up of five distance-learning semesters taught by nationally renowned artists and writers from across the country and around the world. Each year – once in the summer and once in the winter – the students spend 10 days on the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe's Wayne L. Prim Campus fully immersed in their practice, education and the Tahoe environment.
In their class, MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts students learn how to use artificial intelligence tools, like Chat GPT, to prompt new ideas for their art. This year, from January 3-12, students gathered in Lake Tahoe in a landscape blanketed in white to learn from renowned artists and writers, and to collaborate in a transformative environment. Each residency is an intensive period of workshops, seminars, readings, artist exhibitions and more. By bringing students from across the country together, many participants found new perspectives that helped them to develop their personal voices. Zoey Vagner is an interdisciplinary artist from San Diego and was on her fourth residency at Tahoe – meaning she's stayed on the Lake Tahoe campus four times so far throughout her time in the program. Vagner completed her B.S. In Zoology at Oregon State and combines her passion for wildlife, conservation, science, neurodivergence and mental health in her art.
"I work in many mediums, including sculpture and performance work in 2D art," Vagner said. "Right now, I'm working with the concept of interspecies empathy and how we perceive certain animals. I'm in my fourth residency right now, so this is my second year and I have one residency left. What's made this program special is all the people that come together here a couple of times a year, and we all collaborate and get to learn about each other's work and inspire each other."
MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts student, Zoey Vagner One of the prominent features of the program is the chance to spend a week immersed in a beautiful natural landscape that encourages students to discover their voice and develop a passion for place-bound connection. This winter, Dani Kuntz, poet and creative non-fiction writer student, was in her second residency at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe. Dani reflected on the program as it wrapped up for the 2024 winter season.
"The residencies are really special. I've never been in Nevada until my last residency, and getting to see both of the seasons at Lake Tahoe, summer and winter, is beautiful," Kuntz said. "I think it's really inspirational for writers or artists in general to be around such natural beauty. Being able to commune here with writers is very special, and I think it makes it even more special that it only gets to happen a few times a year."
MFA in Creative Writing student, Dani Kuntz The landscape inspires not only creative thought – having the place-bound connection gives artists a real, tactile living studio that sometimes finds its way into the students' art and writing. Jerry David, a multimedia artist and participant of the residency at Lake Tahoe, sometimes uses fabrics, leaves, wood and other natural objects as well as acrylic on canvas.
"I mostly work on history paintings," David said. "I do artwork that deals with real-life issues, like our pains, our emotions, past experiences and things that actually affect us as human beings. I use figures to just talk about real-life issues. During the residency, we have classes almost every day and I love working under pressure and I think it pushes me, challenges me to work harder."
MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts student, Jerry David The residency is especially exceptional for students as they discover new tools for their own work, and as they are taught by faculty who are renowned in their work, constantly pushing the boundaries of art and writing. Interdisciplinary Arts faculty member Katherine Spinella's research is focused on themes related to the attention economy and our cultural understanding of nature. She has been teaching at colleges in the Portland area for over 10 years and joined the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe faculty in 2023. In one studio session during the residency, Spinella's prompt for the students was to use artificial intelligence (AI), specifically Chat GPT, to combine creative brainstorming sessions into an art exhibit project proposal.
"This is my first time teaching graduate-level courses which is really exciting because there're more conceptual prompts and readings and the students have their own basis in their studio practice already," Spinella said. "It was really fun for me to organize this class and build it around things that are part of my research and that I'm interested in too."
Interdisciplinary Arts faculty member, Katherine Spinella The assignment helped students discover the interplay between visual arts and AI programs, using Chat GPT as a tool for creating proposals and connecting ideas. Students like Lisa Van Dusen and Rebecca Fahning worked together to create a project proposal, and asked Chat GPT questions like "What kind of project can we make that will be large scale and represent all of these ideas of interconnectedness that can be shared?" They sent the AI program pictures of their brainstorming sessions on paper accompanied by variations on the same question, and it returned with conceptual project ideas that they used as a basis for their proposals.
"We are creating a proposal for a project to answer the questions we are exploring, so I'm excited to see what this tool can do to help us find our initial inspiration."
Katherine Spinella works with students to help them learn how to use Chat GPT as a tool in art. And this inspiration to create and discover new truths, both for students and faculty, is ultimately the goal of the residencies at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe.
More about the Low-Residency programsThe Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing and the Low-Residency MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts accepts applications every fall and spring. The five-semester programs are designed for people with active lives outside of school. While still considered a full-time program, the ten-day residencies are designed with the understanding that not everyone can commit an entire summer multiple weeks at a time to school alone. Additionally, the residencies are meant to embolden students' desire for more critical dialogue around our relationship to our surroundings, and the role of the artist and writer in addressing these complexities.
MFA Program FAQ
What type of student funding is offered?
All of our full-time MFA students are fully funded with two-year graduate assistantships. Currently, assistantships include a stipend of $12,825 per academic year, a tuition and fees waiver, and student health insurance. The teaching load is excellent: one course per semester. Our students may also receive summer stipends up to $2,000 for the summer between the first and second years of the program, plus up to several hundred dollars of support for travel, publication, research, and other needs each year (all depending on available funding, year-to-year). Beyond assistantships and summer stipends, we offer a range of other benefits. Students can participate in various writing retreats across Wyoming and Colorado, funded by the MFA. We also actively seek other opportunities for our students once they've arrived in the program, and we regularly collaborate with students on grant applications for research, travel, and writing support. Our students win numerous departmental and university scholarships, including English department scholarships, ENR program grants, and coveted Arts and Sciences Independent Study Awards that support summer writing projects. Recent students have traveled, with UW financial support, to Mexico, China, Uzbekistan, France, Paraguay, Spain, Lebanon, Romania, India, Iceland, and Uruguay.
Further information about graduate assistantships is available in the MFA graduate handbook. Please feel free to contact our program with any other funding-related questions.
How many applicants are accepted each year?
We typically accept between 3 to 5 students in each area-- fiction and nonfiction--but this may vary in a given year, depending upon the applicant pool, range of genre interest, and funding levels.
The UW MFA program is committed to full funding for every full-time student. Over the last decade, we have averaged a fully funded class of 8 new students per year.
On what do you base admission?
Faculty members in your genre review all the parts of your application package. The primary emphasis is on your writing sample. Be certain to include writing that you not only feel is your finest, but also representative of the kind of writing that you want to continue pursuing here. We aren't looking for any particular aesthetic; instead, we're looking for serious writers who have made their own aesthetic commitments and are working rigorously to fulfill them.
What if I work in more than one genre, or in a hybrid genre?
The UW MFA program encourages cross-genre work. We ask all of our students to explore by taking a workshop outside of their primary genre, and our thesis design invites you to work in multiple genres/hybrid genres if you wish. We also love working with writers who identify strongly with only one genre. We're flexible. For applicants interested in more than one genre, here are some guidelines: if you feel comfortable identifying a primary concentration for your application, then please send us a writing sample in that genre, and include in the personal statement a discussion of your secondary interests as well your primary one. If you wish to be considered in two primary areas of concentration, please contact the program directly for instructions regarding the writing sample. And if you work in a hybrid genre, please submit a writing sample that reflects your work and use your personal statement to explain your approach to genre.
What is the curriculum?
Four workshops (including cross-genre opportunities); one course in pedagogy; 3-5 elective courses (may include further workshops or courses in any university department or program); the MFA Project; thesis. A minimum of 36 credit hours are required for the degree.
We encourage interdisciplinary exploration. For example, MFA students can minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies or Gender and Women's Studies. In the recent past, an affiliation with the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources has enabled MFA students to double major in creative writing and ENR. We are also working on proposals for dual MFA/MA degrees with American Studies and other programs/departments. Stay tuned for updates.
How long will it take to complete the program?
The program is completed in two years.
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The program accepts a limited number of part-time students. Part-time applicants are evaluated on the same basis as full-time applicants.
If I have a master's degree, do I need to submit GRE scores?
No, your transcripts will be enough and will confirm the master's degree.
What is it like to live in Laramie?
One's perspective depends a great deal on previous experiences. Laramie (population 32,000) is situated on the high plains of southeastern Wyoming, two hours north of Denver, near the foot of the Snowy Range of the Rocky Mountains. Laramie has an Old West charm but also a funky college-town feel. It's home to some fine independent bookstores and coffee shops, and the restaurant options include vegan (in addition to steak houses), Thai, Mexican, and more. Laramie was also recently named by Outside magazine as one of the 40 best college towns in the United States, and for good reason: the rugged mountains of the Snowies and the Medicine Bow National Forest to the east and west of town offer vast areas of public land and boundless opportunities for hiking, camping, trout fishing, mountain biking, and rock climbing. Winters can be long and cold, but that's all more reason to take up snowshoeing, skiing, ice skating, ice fishing, sledding, or curling (or hunker down in the first-rate gym on campus).
Are there opportunities for MFA students to work with magazines, presses, or other publications?
Various opportunities for MFA students exist at The Owen Wister Review, UWYO magazine, Western Confluence, and Wyoming Public Radio (see FAQ below).
Tell me about the MFA program's partnership with the Ucross Foundation.
The MFA program collaborates with the Ucross Foundation to bring Ucross residents to Laramie for readings and events with MFA students, to place MFA students in internships and community-outreach projects. For more information about Ucross, visit www.Ucrossfoundation.Org.
Tell me about the Eminent Writer in Residence.
When possible the UW MFA invites Eminent Writers in Residence to join our work. The first Eminent Writer in Residence, for the year 2007-08, was Terry Tempest Williams; the second, for the 2008-09 year, was Joy Williams. In recent years, we've been joined by Edward P. Jones, Philip Gourevitch, Claudia Rankine, Rattawut Lapcharoensap, Jan Zwicky, Robert Bringhurst, Rebecca Solnit, Colson Whitehead, John D'Agata, Ed Roberson, Maggie Nelson, Mark Nowak, Bhanu Kapil, and Nam Le. Last year we were delighted to be joined by Jennifer Moxley. Holders of the residency in the future will continue to include distinguished writers from all three genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry).
Tell me about the opportunities the MFA program has with Wyoming Public Radio.
The MFA program has placed numerous students in extended internships with Wyoming Public Radio. Interns get hands-on experience in all aspects of WPR's work, and their reporting frequently appears on the air and on WPR's website. The partnership creates rare opportunities, especially for writers interested in pursuing future work in journalism and nonfiction reporting. Recent MFA graduates with WPR experience have gone on to full-time positions at respected radio stations across the country.
How do I apply?
MFA in Creative Writing application instructions.
Do I need a car?
To get around town, walking and biking work for most errands and destinations, although winters can be a challenge! And to get up to the mountains for recreation, you'll need a car. Hiking, camping, fishing and skiing are only 15 minutes to the east and 45 minutes to the west, but driving is pretty much a necessity.
What is the composition of the student body at UW?
The University of Wyoming has 13,500 students, representing all 50 states and 87 countries. The majority of students (69%) are from Wyoming. 10% of students are students of color, and 53% are women.
Have a question?
We're happy to answer it. Please e-mail cw@uwyo.Edu.
Have questions about admissions practices? Check our Note to Applicants.
Creative Writing, MFA
Ritika Bali BA, English Literature, Lady Shri Ram College for WomenMBA, Marketing, Institute of Management Technology
Creative interests: prose poem, flash, short stories, magical realism, photo essays, spiritualism, graphic novels, migration literature, journaling, folklore and legends, Indian mythology, historical fiction
Kayla BelserBA International Business, University of CincinnatiBA Creative Writing, Northern Kentucky University
Chris BowyerMA Philosophy, Miami UniversityBA Philosophy, Miami University
David W. Carstens BA, English, Kenyon College
Creative interests: technology, religion, German, literature, philosophy, social alienation, individualism, game design, the internet, community (and the lack thereof), environmentalism, loneliness, climate change.
Priyadarshini Oshin Gogoi BA, MA, University of Delhi
Creative interests: YA and children's fiction, poetry, micro and flash fiction, hybrid genres, memoir, non-fiction writing, and speculative fiction
Joshua KoneckeMA, Kansas State UniversityBA, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Molly MoranMA, Georgetown UniversityBA, Catholic University of America
Tanushree MukherjeeMA, Journalism and Media Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Creative Interests: Reading fiction, hope to complete a long-form fiction project
Mary NewtonBA, English/Creative Writing, UCLAMA, English/Literature, San Francisco State University
Xavier PrinceBA, English, Salisbury University
Sammie SteinerBS, English Language Arts Education, University of Central Florida
Creative Interests: Novels and novellas, Southern Gothic, queer identity, absurdism, environmentalism, humor, and ordinary perspectives
Kendra Stiers BA, Creative Writing, Miami University
Ty Young BS, Creative Writing, Ashland University
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