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Overview
Fairfield’s MFA in Creative Writing Veterans Community
Fairfield University’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing program understands the value of our veterans’ experiences and the tremendous role their stories play in providing a more rich and diverse understanding of war in the 21st century. For over a decade, our program has fostered a strong and passionate community of emerging writers with military backgrounds and has provided them with the necessary tools and insights to nurture their talent and share their stories with the world.
In 2018, the College of Arts and Sciences proudly welcomed Marine Corps veteran and 2014 National Book Award-winning author Phil Klay (Redeployment) as a full-time creative writing mentor and faculty member. A Dartmouth College graduate, Klay served in Iraq’s Anbar Province as a public affairs officer before receiving his MFA from Hunter College of The City University of New York. His New York Times-bestselling short story collection, Redeployment, won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2014, in addition to the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s James Webb Award, the National Book Critics’ Circle John Leonard Award for best debut work in any genre, the American Library Association’s W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for excellence in military fiction, the Chautauqua Prize, and the Warwick Prize for Writing. Klay has been named a National Book Foundation ’5 Under 35′ honoree, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek.
Veterans Fellowships
Fairfield’s MFA in Creative Writing program takes pride in serving our veterans, just as they take pride in having served our country. As part of our commitment to helping these individuals attain their educational goals, the College of Arts and Sciences is proud to offer a number of graduate level veterans fellowships to former servicemen and servicewomen interested in pursuing an MFA from Fairfield University.
Each of the fellowships range from $3,000 to $10,000 and are available to veterans who have exhausted all or a portion of their GI Bill® educational benefits. Documentation verifying veteran and VA benefits status must be provided in order to apply. Students that are awarded a veteran’s fellowship are required to re-apply for a continuation of funds each year, as continued funding is not guaranteed.
If you are a veteran enrolled in Fairfield University’s MFA program and would like to apply for a veteran’s scholarship, please send a writing sample of up to 20 pages, a one-page personal statement, and a DD214 form to Carol Ann Davis, MFA program director, at cdavis13@fairfield.edu.
The College of Arts and Sciences Veteran’s Fellowships were established through the generosity of the H.W. Wilson Foundation, a philanthropic enterprise that supports educational and charitable programs dedicated to improving the mind, body, and spirit.