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Our M.F.A. in writing offers the contemporary writer tools and support to cultivate a practice that is responsive to our rapidly evolving environmental and political times.
A diverse group of people sit on stage as they each read from papers they are holding in their hands. They all have microphones in front of them.
Type
Graduate, MFA
Start Term
Fall Only
Credits
39
Duration
2 Years
Courses
Plan of Study
Student walking through Library hallway.

Writing at Pratt

Through weekly Writing Studio sessions with peers, faculty, and guest artists, writing practices seminars, unique electives, guided fieldwork residencies, and personalized faculty mentorships, you’ll join a community of writers invested in transdisciplinary experimentation and a rigorous study of literary arts.

Our program supports your development of a writing process that takes into account the material and technological aspects of writing, the human body that produces it, and the larger social, sexual, historical, economic, racial, and cultural contexts in which and through which all imaginative writing takes place.

The Experience

student in library, reading books, doing possible research

Transdisciplinary, socially engaged, and deeply personalized, our tight-knit writing community values a plurality of voices and approaches to writing, both on and off the page.

The program resides on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus, where Writing students enjoy dedicated 24/7 work spaces with desks, comfortable furniture, computers, free printing, art supplies, and a library of faculty, student, and alumni publications.

Pratt’s M.F.A. in Writing can be completed in four semesters of full-time study. We fund our students equally: for more information about student funding resources, please contact the program.

The Writing Studio

The Writing Studio lives at the center of our curriculum. Meeting weekly and co-led by collaborative faculty, studio is a scene for collective reading, study, inquiry, and critique. Breaking from traditional workshop norms, studio is a space of cross-genre, multimodal practice and experiments in pedagogy. Studio also includes our revision lab, in which a faculty member meets one-to-one with each student for post-critique reflection and manuscript review.

Mentored Studies

Through our Mentored Studies sequence, you and a faculty mentor will engage in regular, deep conversations throughout your time in the program. Your mentor will support the expansion of your writing practice and facilitate your thesis project. Past mentors include Anna Moschovakis, Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, Mirene Arsanios, Ellery Washington, and James Hannaham.

Electives

You’ll participate in fascinating, small-sized seminars with our faculty in subjects such as multilingualisms, small press, ecopoetics, and experimental prose. You can also take advantage of space in our curriculum to pursue courses in Pratt’s celebrated art, design, and media studies programs, or to design your own custom independent study. Browse the full list of Writing MFA elective courses.

Publishing Collective

Each year, under the guidance of a faculty advisor, a self-selecting group of MFA students collaborates to solicit, edit, design and publish chapbooks by students enrolled in the program. These publications are celebrated in a culminating event, and are also distributed at local Brooklyn bookstores.

Fieldwork Residencies and Research Opportunities

Through the fieldwork course sequence you’ll study social practice methodologies and carry out a self-designed creative residency in collaboration with a literary institution, community organization, archive, or activist group of your choice. Past fieldwork sites include Wendy’s Subway, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and The Poetry Project.

MFA Writing students also frequently pursue individual research projects supported by the program and by Pratt’s Graduate Student Engagement Fund. With GSEF support our students have mounted gallery exhibitions, shot films, and traveled internationally to develop research archives for their creative projects.

The Thesis

Supported by your mentor, thesis advisor, and other faculty readers, your studies will culminate in the creation of a full-length manuscript, with the freedom to incorporate multimedia, performance-based, or collaborative elements.

Our Faculty

The Writing MFA faculty work as a pedagogical collective to support your writing process and goals. Distinguished and daring writers, artists, researchers, translators, and editors, they bring diverse views, methods, and perspectives to creating the environment in which you’ll study and create. See all Writing faculty and administrators.

  1. Christian Hawkey

    Professor

  2. Christopher Perez

    Visiting Professor

  3. Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts

    Assistant Professor

  4. Laura Elrick

    Associate Professor

  5. Anna Moschovakis

    Adjunct Associate Professor – CCE

  6. James Hannaham

    Professor

  7. Youmna Chlala

    Professor

  8. Mirene Arsanios

    Adjunct Assistant Professor

  9. Rachel Levitsky

    Professor

  10. Ellery Washington

    Associate Professor

  11. Hannah Assadi

    Visiting Instructor

A group of people stand in front of a projector screen as they attentively look at book being held by the person in the middle.

Our Alumni

Pratt’s distinguished alumni are leaders in an array of fields. They publish widely and have been awarded prestigious literary prizes. Their innovative work addresses critical social and political questions that reimagine our world.

Where They Work

  • Jive Poetic, Friday Night Curator, Nuyorican Poets Café 
  • Erika Hodges, Law Clerk, Orleans Public Defender’s Office
  • Alysia Slocum Laferriere, Editorial Fellow, Litmus Press
  • Ahana Ganguly, Assistant Editor, Futurepoem Books
  • Mahogany L. Browne, Executive Director, JustMedia
  • Irene Lee, Co-Founder, Boar Hair Books and Oreades Press 
  • a.Monti, Editor at Litmus Press
  • Angela Abiodun, Program Manager, The Octavia Project
  • Zora Iman Crew, actor in The Daphne Project (2021), Planet X (2018)  and The Legends of Sleepy Hollow (2021)

Publications and Awards

  • Alisha Mascarenhas, author of A Catalogue of Risk (Wendy’s Subway, 2024), winner of the Carlyn Bush Award
  • Stephon Lawrence, author of u know how much i hate being in social situations (Futurepoem, 2023)
  • Hamid Roslan, author of parsetreeforestfire (Ethos Books, 2019), Shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize for Poetry 2020 
  • Mahogany L. Browne, author of Woke Baby (2018, Macmillan) Chrome Valley: Poems (National Geographic Books, 2023), Vinyl Moon (Penguin, 2022), and others
  • a.Monti, author of Mycelial Person (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press, 2021)
  • Jive Poetic, showcased on TVONE’s Lexus Verses and Flow, PBS News Hour, and BET
  • Irene Lee, co-author of Six Endings and Some Beginnings (Ordeas Press, 2022)

Our Stories

Ready for More?

HERE’S HOW TO APPLYOUR CAMPUS & BEYOND
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
@prattwriting
Writing at Pratt

@prattwriting

  • 🐻🐻🐻Pratt Berlin takeover: this week we'll be posting all things Berlin. Rising 2nd & 3rd year WR majors and minors, take note: applications for Spring 26 semester in Berlin are now open. Here Pratt Berlin alums talk about Berlin and the "real Berlin experience." Visit @pratt__berlin and click on link in bio to apply. Deadline: September 18.
  • 🐻🐻🐻A selection of readings over the years by Pratt Berlin Writing Studio students. End of the year readings have taken place at various galleries and bookstores and cafes in Berlin (final photo—after party), often in collaboration with other German writers (first photo: ROT: a collaborative magazine created by Freie Universität German student writers and Pratt writers). 🐻🐻🐻2nd and 3rd year students: applications open to spend Spring 25 in Berlin. 🐻🐻🐻Visit @pratt__berlin and click the application link in the bio. 🐻🐻🐻Deadline: Sept. 18
  • 🐻 Applications are now open to spend your Spring 26 Semester in Berlin!
🐻 BFA Writing majors/minors in their 2nd or 3rd year are welcome to apply to spend a semester in one of Europe’s most literary and legendary cities.
🐻 Pratt Berlin offers a full 16 credit menu of classes, including core WR studios and seminars.
🐻 As one recent alum wrote: "Studying in Berlin was nothing short of life-altering. Living, writing, and coming of age in Berlin enriched my relationship with myself, my art practice, gifted me with deep, lifelong connections, and offered me the confidence to build my life wherever the wind takes me. Alongside the city of Berlin, my instructors made this one of the most rewarding semesters of my college career. Be careful! You may even come back to America with a long distance love. Berlin is full of discovery, surprise, and opportunity for exponential growth."
🐻 Visit Pratt Study Abroad to apply. DEADLINE: Sept 18. #prattberlin #prattinberlin #prattstudyabroad #prattwriting
  • Writer’s Forum, a one-credit course, will be taught this fall by Prof. Fulla Abdul-Jabbar. Seats are still available and open to *all* Pratt students. Register today! 🪑
  • Silvina López Medin’s spring 2025 Multilingualisms class ❤️
  • Congratulations to our brilliant second-year MFA candidates Andrew Riad and Caitlin Kelly on their thesis readings this afternoon! And thank you to The Writing Studio co-instructor Laura Henriksen for your generous introductions.
  • Congratulations to the MFA in Writing’s Publication Collective on their brilliant spring 2025 pamphlet series launch last week! 🚀🩷
  • Happy Tuesday Takeover! We hope everyone is nourishing themselves in the midst of finals. This week we decided to highlight our favorite places to eat off campus! 

Hadley: Mike’s Coffee Shop (328 Dekalb Ave) 
Mike’s has been my go to since my first year at Pratt. It’s just across the street from the Dekalb entrance into campus. The staff is so kind and the food comes out so fast and so delicious. I used to get banana chocolate chip pancakes every time, but now my order is a bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted bagel and a hot chocolate! (I would also suggest their milkshakes!) 

Anna: Pecks (455A Myrtle Ave)
Pecks is one of my favorite cafes on Myrtle. On a nice day you can sip your drink on their beautiful outdoor patio or take your food to go and eat at Fort Greene Park just down the street. My favorite thing to get is a matcha lemonade and a chicken salad sandwich!
  • Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
🐻🐻🐻Pratt Berlin takeover: this week we'll be posting all things Berlin. Rising 2nd & 3rd year WR majors and minors, take note: applications for Spring 26 semester in Berlin are now open. Here Pratt Berlin alums talk about Berlin and the "real Berlin experience." Visit @pratt__berlin and click on link in bio to apply. Deadline: September 18.
2 hours ago
View on Instagram |
1/9
🐻🐻🐻A selection of readings over the years by Pratt Berlin Writing Studio students. End of the year readings have taken place at various galleries and bookstores and cafes in Berlin (final photo—after party), often in collaboration with other German writers (first photo: ROT: a collaborative magazine created by Freie Universität German student writers and Pratt writers). 🐻🐻🐻2nd and 3rd year students: applications open to spend Spring 25 in Berlin. 🐻🐻🐻Visit @pratt__berlin and click the application link in the bio. 🐻🐻🐻Deadline: Sept. 18
🐻🐻🐻A selection of readings over the years by Pratt Berlin Writing Studio students. End of the year readings have taken place at various galleries and bookstores and cafes in Berlin (final photo—after party), often in collaboration with other German writers (first photo: ROT: a collaborative magazine created by Freie Universität German student writers and Pratt writers). 🐻🐻🐻2nd and 3rd year students: applications open to spend Spring 25 in Berlin. 🐻🐻🐻Visit @pratt__berlin and click the application link in the bio. 🐻🐻🐻Deadline: Sept. 18
🐻🐻🐻A selection of readings over the years by Pratt Berlin Writing Studio students. End of the year readings have taken place at various galleries and bookstores and cafes in Berlin (final photo—after party), often in collaboration with other German writers (first photo: ROT: a collaborative magazine created by Freie Universität German student writers and Pratt writers). 🐻🐻🐻2nd and 3rd year students: applications open to spend Spring 25 in Berlin. 🐻🐻🐻Visit @pratt__berlin and click the application link in the bio. 🐻🐻🐻Deadline: Sept. 18
🐻🐻🐻A selection of readings over the years by Pratt Berlin Writing Studio students. End of the year readings have taken place at various galleries and bookstores and cafes in Berlin (final photo—after party), often in collaboration with other German writers (first photo: ROT: a collaborative magazine created by Freie Universität German student writers and Pratt writers). 🐻🐻🐻2nd and 3rd year students: applications open to spend Spring 25 in Berlin. 🐻🐻🐻Visit @pratt__berlin and click the application link in the bio. 🐻🐻🐻Deadline: Sept. 18
🐻🐻🐻A selection of readings over the years by Pratt Berlin Writing Studio students. End of the year readings have taken place at various galleries and bookstores and cafes in Berlin (final photo—after party), often in collaboration with other German writers (first photo: ROT: a collaborative magazine created by Freie Universität German student writers and Pratt writers). 🐻🐻🐻2nd and 3rd year students: applications open to spend Spring 25 in Berlin. 🐻🐻🐻Visit @pratt__berlin and click the application link in the bio. 🐻🐻🐻Deadline: Sept. 18
🐻🐻🐻A selection of readings over the years by Pratt Berlin Writing Studio students. End of the year readings have taken place at various galleries and bookstores and cafes in Berlin (final photo—after party), often in collaboration with other German writers (first photo: ROT: a collaborative magazine created by Freie Universität German student writers and Pratt writers). 🐻🐻🐻2nd and 3rd year students: applications open to spend Spring 25 in Berlin. 🐻🐻🐻Visit @pratt__berlin and click the application link in the bio. 🐻🐻🐻Deadline: Sept. 18
🐻🐻🐻A selection of readings over the years by Pratt Berlin Writing Studio students. End of the year readings have taken place at various galleries and bookstores and cafes in Berlin (final photo—after party), often in collaboration with other German writers (first photo: ROT: a collaborative magazine created by Freie Universität German student writers and Pratt writers). 🐻🐻🐻2nd and 3rd year students: applications open to spend Spring 25 in Berlin. 🐻🐻🐻Visit @pratt__berlin and click the application link in the bio. 🐻🐻🐻Deadline: Sept. 18
🐻🐻🐻A selection of readings over the years by Pratt Berlin Writing Studio students. End of the year readings have taken place at various galleries and bookstores and cafes in Berlin (final photo—after party), often in collaboration with other German writers (first photo: ROT: a collaborative magazine created by Freie Universität German student writers and Pratt writers). 🐻🐻🐻2nd and 3rd year students: applications open to spend Spring 25 in Berlin. 🐻🐻🐻Visit @pratt__berlin and click the application link in the bio. 🐻🐻🐻Deadline: Sept. 18
23 hours ago
View on Instagram |
2/9
🐻 Applications are now open to spend your Spring 26 Semester in Berlin!
🐻 BFA Writing majors/minors in their 2nd or 3rd year are welcome to apply to spend a semester in one of Europe’s most literary and legendary cities.
🐻 Pratt Berlin offers a full 16 credit menu of classes, including core WR studios and seminars.
🐻 As one recent alum wrote: "Studying in Berlin was nothing short of life-altering. Living, writing, and coming of age in Berlin enriched my relationship with myself, my art practice, gifted me with deep, lifelong connections, and offered me the confidence to build my life wherever the wind takes me. Alongside the city of Berlin, my instructors made this one of the most rewarding semesters of my college career. Be careful! You may even come back to America with a long distance love. Berlin is full of discovery, surprise, and opportunity for exponential growth."
🐻 Visit Pratt Study Abroad to apply. DEADLINE: Sept 18. #prattberlin #prattinberlin #prattstudyabroad #prattwriting
🐻 Applications are now open to spend your Spring 26 Semester in Berlin! 🐻 BFA Writing majors/minors in their 2nd or 3rd year are welcome to apply to spend a semester in one of Europe’s most literary and legendary cities. 🐻 Pratt Berlin offers a full 16 credit menu of classes, including core WR studios and seminars. 🐻 As one recent alum wrote: "Studying in Berlin was nothing short of life-altering. Living, writing, and coming of age in Berlin enriched my relationship with myself, my art practice, gifted me with deep, lifelong connections, and offered me the confidence to build my life wherever the wind takes me. Alongside the city of Berlin, my instructors made this one of the most rewarding semesters of my college career. Be careful! You may even come back to America with a long distance love. Berlin is full of discovery, surprise, and opportunity for exponential growth." 🐻 Visit Pratt Study Abroad to apply. DEADLINE: Sept 18. #prattberlin #prattinberlin #prattstudyabroad #prattwriting
3 days ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
Writer’s Forum, a one-credit course, will be taught this fall by Prof. Fulla Abdul-Jabbar. Seats are still available and open to *all* Pratt students. Register today! 🪑
Writer’s Forum, a one-credit course, will be taught this fall by Prof. Fulla Abdul-Jabbar. Seats are still available and open to *all* Pratt students. Register today! 🪑
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
Silvina López Medin’s spring 2025 Multilingualisms class ❤️
Silvina López Medin’s spring 2025 Multilingualisms class ❤️
Silvina López Medin’s spring 2025 Multilingualisms class ❤️
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
5/9
Congratulations to our brilliant second-year MFA candidates Andrew Riad and Caitlin Kelly on their thesis readings this afternoon! And thank you to The Writing Studio co-instructor Laura Henriksen for your generous introductions.
Congratulations to our brilliant second-year MFA candidates Andrew Riad and Caitlin Kelly on their thesis readings this afternoon! And thank you to The Writing Studio co-instructor Laura Henriksen for your generous introductions.
Congratulations to our brilliant second-year MFA candidates Andrew Riad and Caitlin Kelly on their thesis readings this afternoon! And thank you to The Writing Studio co-instructor Laura Henriksen for your generous introductions.
Congratulations to our brilliant second-year MFA candidates Andrew Riad and Caitlin Kelly on their thesis readings this afternoon! And thank you to The Writing Studio co-instructor Laura Henriksen for your generous introductions.
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
6/9
Congratulations to the MFA in Writing’s Publication Collective on their brilliant spring 2025 pamphlet series launch last week! 🚀🩷
Congratulations to the MFA in Writing’s Publication Collective on their brilliant spring 2025 pamphlet series launch last week! 🚀🩷
Congratulations to the MFA in Writing’s Publication Collective on their brilliant spring 2025 pamphlet series launch last week! 🚀🩷
Congratulations to the MFA in Writing’s Publication Collective on their brilliant spring 2025 pamphlet series launch last week! 🚀🩷
Congratulations to the MFA in Writing’s Publication Collective on their brilliant spring 2025 pamphlet series launch last week! 🚀🩷
Congratulations to the MFA in Writing’s Publication Collective on their brilliant spring 2025 pamphlet series launch last week! 🚀🩷
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
Happy Tuesday Takeover! We hope everyone is nourishing themselves in the midst of finals. This week we decided to highlight our favorite places to eat off campus! 

Hadley: Mike’s Coffee Shop (328 Dekalb Ave) 
Mike’s has been my go to since my first year at Pratt. It’s just across the street from the Dekalb entrance into campus. The staff is so kind and the food comes out so fast and so delicious. I used to get banana chocolate chip pancakes every time, but now my order is a bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted bagel and a hot chocolate! (I would also suggest their milkshakes!) 

Anna: Pecks (455A Myrtle Ave)
Pecks is one of my favorite cafes on Myrtle. On a nice day you can sip your drink on their beautiful outdoor patio or take your food to go and eat at Fort Greene Park just down the street. My favorite thing to get is a matcha lemonade and a chicken salad sandwich!
Happy Tuesday Takeover! We hope everyone is nourishing themselves in the midst of finals. This week we decided to highlight our favorite places to eat off campus! 

Hadley: Mike’s Coffee Shop (328 Dekalb Ave) 
Mike’s has been my go to since my first year at Pratt. It’s just across the street from the Dekalb entrance into campus. The staff is so kind and the food comes out so fast and so delicious. I used to get banana chocolate chip pancakes every time, but now my order is a bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted bagel and a hot chocolate! (I would also suggest their milkshakes!) 

Anna: Pecks (455A Myrtle Ave)
Pecks is one of my favorite cafes on Myrtle. On a nice day you can sip your drink on their beautiful outdoor patio or take your food to go and eat at Fort Greene Park just down the street. My favorite thing to get is a matcha lemonade and a chicken salad sandwich!
Happy Tuesday Takeover! We hope everyone is nourishing themselves in the midst of finals. This week we decided to highlight our favorite places to eat off campus! 

Hadley: Mike’s Coffee Shop (328 Dekalb Ave) 
Mike’s has been my go to since my first year at Pratt. It’s just across the street from the Dekalb entrance into campus. The staff is so kind and the food comes out so fast and so delicious. I used to get banana chocolate chip pancakes every time, but now my order is a bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted bagel and a hot chocolate! (I would also suggest their milkshakes!) 

Anna: Pecks (455A Myrtle Ave)
Pecks is one of my favorite cafes on Myrtle. On a nice day you can sip your drink on their beautiful outdoor patio or take your food to go and eat at Fort Greene Park just down the street. My favorite thing to get is a matcha lemonade and a chicken salad sandwich!
Happy Tuesday Takeover! We hope everyone is nourishing themselves in the midst of finals. This week we decided to highlight our favorite places to eat off campus! 

Hadley: Mike’s Coffee Shop (328 Dekalb Ave) 
Mike’s has been my go to since my first year at Pratt. It’s just across the street from the Dekalb entrance into campus. The staff is so kind and the food comes out so fast and so delicious. I used to get banana chocolate chip pancakes every time, but now my order is a bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted bagel and a hot chocolate! (I would also suggest their milkshakes!) 

Anna: Pecks (455A Myrtle Ave)
Pecks is one of my favorite cafes on Myrtle. On a nice day you can sip your drink on their beautiful outdoor patio or take your food to go and eat at Fort Greene Park just down the street. My favorite thing to get is a matcha lemonade and a chicken salad sandwich!
Happy Tuesday Takeover! We hope everyone is nourishing themselves in the midst of finals. This week we decided to highlight our favorite places to eat off campus! Hadley: Mike’s Coffee Shop (328 Dekalb Ave) Mike’s has been my go to since my first year at Pratt. It’s just across the street from the Dekalb entrance into campus. The staff is so kind and the food comes out so fast and so delicious. I used to get banana chocolate chip pancakes every time, but now my order is a bacon, egg, and cheese on a toasted bagel and a hot chocolate! (I would also suggest their milkshakes!) Anna: Pecks (455A Myrtle Ave) Pecks is one of my favorite cafes on Myrtle. On a nice day you can sip your drink on their beautiful outdoor patio or take your food to go and eat at Fort Greene Park just down the street. My favorite thing to get is a matcha lemonade and a chicken salad sandwich!
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
Congratulations to our spring 2025 BFA graduates! Our thesis readings this week have been fabulous.
2 months ago
View on Instagram |
9/9

From the Catalog