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Augsburg's low-residency MFA Program in Creative Writing offers coursework in five genres — fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, and playwriting. Over two years, students attend three 10-day summer residencies on the Augsburg campus. Each is structured like a literary festival, with daily workshops, discussions, craft talks, and readings. During the fall and spring semesters, students work long-distance with a mentor in their chosen genre, turning in regular projects.
In the third semester, students write a “craft paper” (so-called because it focuses on the craft of writing) illuminating a specific topic — for example: “What Makes an Effective Ending in a Screenplay?” Or: “The Poetics of Post-Confessional Female Sexuality.” This paper can be either a traditional scholarly paper or more conversational in tone. It should include a prospectus, which states the central thesis, and an annotated bibliography, both conforming to MLA style.
This guide, from Augsburg's Lindell Library, points students toward the resources they need to complete their projects and amplify their knowledge of the field.
The official reference for Chicago style, published by the University of Chicago Press. The latest edition is in Reference, with some previous editions in Circulation. We also have the 2017 edition as an e-book: Use it online!