Antioch University - Low-residency MFA in Creative Writing

I love being a part of the Antioch Creative Writing community. The mentors are really supportive, they push you to do your best, but are great at tailoring that to whatever YOUR best is, not expecting a one-size-fits-all definition of what that means.

I truly found my community at Antioch. As a returning older student, I was uncertain if I would feel comfortable in a low-residency program at first. What a delight to discover that not only did Antioch offer me a supportive environment to explore my abilities as a writer, but also that the faculty and staff went above and beyond to ensure my comfort and success. I still stay connected with both faculty and fellow students. Antioch is an exceptional place to learn and grow.

I came into the MFA program as a novelist, with a focus on Fiction. I took the screenwriting elective that first semester, and was immediately adopted into the Screenwriting/Playwriting collective. The sheer enthusiasm for my work, and the work of everyone around me, was infectious. There is genuine excitement on the part of the instructors that is balanced by a transparent honesty that is never cruel but entirely practical. "Well, that didn't work," I heard early on, quickly followed by a vibrant conversation about the mechanics of how to transform a messy scene into a golden one.

By the following semester I was a double-concentration student, marrying Fiction writing to Screenwriting. The momentum simply carried me along, and I finished my third semester with two short plays, a complete one-act, and a screenplay.

This is a program that is absolutely focused on creating work that will be produced, and is marked by an incredible enthusiasm for the work - and the people creating it. I cannot reccommend it highly enough.

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first. Is it expensive? A little. Are most colleges? Of course they are! I dare anyone to find a University anywhere on this website that's considered cheap or even moderately affordable these days. They just don't exist anymore. Was it tough for me financially? Yeah, it was. But I would do it all over again a thousand times over for the incredible experience I walked away with... and that, you can't put a monetary value on.

Another elephant to shoo out of the room - this program is not for everyone. If you're into these high pressure, super-competitive tabling environments where you type until you bleed, this isn't gonna be your jam. If you don't want to write a poem or a novel or a screenplay or a stage play with the strong intent of making a social impact on the community or the arts, this may not be for you. This MFA program is about fostering a healthy creative environment and supporting each other's work and making a difference in our communities through our art. I had classmates in their 20s all the way up their 80s. I had colleagues from all walks of life, all spectrums of love. I have friends for life, people that I trust with the most vulnerable parts of myself, my words. So yes, this program is unlike anything else you will find.

It's centered in the heart of Los Angeles, anchored to the industry. Guest speakers come and go, giving you their amazing expertise. The 10-day residencies are so much fun. You can go in person, but even if you don't live in LA, that's fine. You don't even have to step one foot in LA to be in the program. You can still be successful and feel part of this great community of writers. It's possible, trust me.

This may sound a bit cliche, but you get what you put into it. If your goal is to only focus on one screenplay for the entire 2-year program, then that's what you'll get by the end of it all. I was ambitious, so I wrote A TON of projects from plays to screenplays to short films to poems (too many, honestly). But that's what I wanted for me, and the professors just ran with it. They encouraged me to do what I wanted to do. And that's another thing. These professors aren't just professors. These people care about you and your future. They call you up and check in on you. They're happy to read your work and give you feedback, because they're invested in you. That means a lot, you know.

Everyone's experience will be different. I can only tell you that it was the best educational journey I've ever had. I feel so much more connected to my craft than I ever have. I had moments of elation, of self-doubt, feelings of accomplishments and that sometimes-impossible weight of being human.

I love this place. I really do.

I was accepted into the program as a poetry student, with the intention to "genre jump" or dual concentrate in screenwriting. During my first term, I took a playwriting elective with Colette Freedman that convinced me to completely switch my concentration to Dramatic Writing and never look back (though I did continue my study of poetry independently and through an elective course). In my four terms at Antioch I wrote: 30 annotations (on books of poetry, craft books, film scripts, novels, and plays), 50+ poems, three short film scripts, three 10-minute plays, a feature film script, a full-length play, and a one-act play. Halfway through the program, one of my 10-minute plays was accepted to a festival where it was performed as a staged reading. One month after graduation, I shot my first short film from a script I wrote during the program. And one year from graduation, my full-length play will be performed as a staged reading at a theatre conference. I say all this not to toot my own horn, but to show just how much an Antioch MFA student accomplish with the encouragement of a strong mentor like Colette. I learned something about life and about writing from every instructor I worked with, not to mention fellow writers in every cohort. While the low-residency aspect allows students the flexibility to complete all coursework remotely (a bonus for someone like me who lives in a small town far from California), flying south for the 10-day, semi-annual residencies afforded me the opportunity to make lifelong writer friends who continue to offer feedback and contribute to my work and well-being from afar. The Antioch MFA program is a community like no other, which allows writers to explore multiple genres through every term and fosters a better understanding of humanity in everyone who is willing to put in the work.

Antioch University Los Angeles’ screenwriting program transformed my love of writing from a hobby into a professional career. The curriculum is rigorous yet nurturing, designed to challenge you while giving you the tools and confidence to succeed. What sets AULA apart are its incredible mentors, diverse, accomplished, and deeply invested in each student’s growth. AULA will champion your voice and push you to realize your full potential.

The student and alumni community is equally remarkable. Kind, passionate, and collaborative, they create a network that supports you both during the program and long after graduation. I felt inspired every day by the energy, creativity, and generosity of my peers.

After being accepted to five top-tier MFA programs, I chose AULA specifically to study with Colette Freedman. Her guidance, insight, and unwavering belief in her students made all the difference in my development as a screenwriter and librettist. Every day I am grateful for the choice I made. AULA prepared me for the industry and helped me become a confident, professional writer ready to take on real-world challenges. For anyone serious about screenwriting, it is an exceptional program.