Generating original fiction, non-fiction, and poetry is the focus of Bennington's MFA in Writing program. Formally called the Bennington Writing Seminars, the two-year, low-residency MFA program places a special emphasis upon reading; at Bennington writing and reading-for the strong writer-are part of the same process. In the words of founder Liam Rector, the Writing Seminars provide a time and place for emerging voices to "Read one hundred books. Write one".
Writing Seminars students and faculty gather on Bennington's picturesque campus in southwestern Vermont each January and June for residencies intensive days of readings, lectures, workshops, events and seminars. During the six months of solitary work that follow, a 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio assures close attention to each student’s work and progress. Bennington honors the solitary nature of writing and the collaborative voices of education, offering a community of kindred spirits and constructive counsel that extends to work and life even beyond graduation.