Naslund-Mann School of Writing - Spalding University

Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing

An Inspiring, Inclusive Community for Serious Writers

The Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing offers low-residency, high-impact programs that foster your creativity while honoring your obligations. Our faculty bring profound expertise and a welcoming spirit to our programs, empowering students to dive deep into their areas of interest while exploring new concepts in an excellent, inclusive environment.

Available Programs

Undergrad

Creative Writing

Graduate

Master of Fine Arts in Writing

Certificate

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Our History

The Spalding MFA in Writing program was founded by Sena Jeter Naslund and Karen Mann. After years spent teaching in a low-residency MFA in Writing program, as well as at traditional programs, Sena had developed many ideas about how to create a better low-residency MFA in a noncompetitive, supportive setting. The program launched in Fall 2001, offering fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and writing for children. Since then, we’ve added screenwriting and playwriting, incorporated short-term study abroad, launched a virtual residency and an extended semester, and been named a Top 10 program of our kind by Poets & Writers.

In 2017, Sena retired as program director to continue her career as a novelist (she’s author of critically acclaimed bestsellers Ahab’s Wife and Four Spirits, among others). The program continues to thrive under the leadership of Kathleen Driskell and Karen Mann. In 2019, Spalding established the School of Creative and Professional Writing with the MFA as its flagship program to meet the needs of the times for serious writers. In 2021, the school was renamed in honor of its founders to become the Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing.

Mission Statement

The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University is a welcoming community of writers dedicated to improving their craft through intense writing and reading, critical and creative thinking, and various opportunities to study closely with intellectual, literary, and professional leaders who are also expert teachers. The school provides a compassionate, flexible, and noncompetitive graduate learning environment that establishes lifelong writing habits and fosters a commitment to the global literary community and to excellence in writing.