The New England College MFA Low Residency Program in Poetry offers a rigorous yet innovative focus on poetry taught by an outstanding faculty dedicated to mentoring each student according to their interests and aesthetic.

Founded in 2002, we are a diverse community of poets working together in a collegial program that recognizes the importance of close listening, critical acumen, respectful response, and what Marianne Moore called “a place for the genuine.”

More than a graduate course of study, the New England College MFA program strives to teach its students how to become better poets by providing a transformative experience in the study of creative writing and poetry that will enhance their professional goals.  The distinguishing features of our program include a single genre focus on poetry, as well as specialized study in memorization and recitation, collaborative performance, translation, new media poetics, prose writing for poets and teaching opportunities. By combining short-term residencies with semester long regimens of faculty-student correspondence, the program is designed to help students develop strong poetic and critical skills, as well as to take bold risks in their writing.