POPULAR FICTION WRITING AND PUBLISHING (MFA)
Our online MFA in Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing focuses on writing in the genres of fantasy, romance, science fiction, speculative fiction, horror, mystery, thriller, and young adult. In a multifaceted curriculum that combines writing workshops with courses in publishing and literature, you will read deeply, think critically, and discuss your fiction in an academic environment dedicated to genre writing. Your publishing classes will cover how to navigate the publishing industry as an author and how to work with literary agents, professional editors, and marketers to bring your work to a wider audience. We also offer classes in book design and professional-level self-publishing. For your thesis project, you will develop a novel or short story collection ready to be presented for publication. Best of all, our flexible program is 100 percent online and asynchronous, allowing you to earn your degree from anywhere in the world.
Acclaimed Faculty
The Popular Fiction faculty are all members of Emerson’s renowned Writing, Literature and Publishing Department. From authors of critically acclaimed novels and pioneers of digital publishing, to literary scholars, book designers, and editors, they are some of the best in the industry. Faculty accolades include Fiction Honors from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, the GLCA New Writers Award, the Clay Reynolds Novella Prize, and the Celeste Turner Writing Award.
Books by Emerson Alumni
- Paul Doiron, The Bone Orchard, Massacre Pond, and more
- Heidi Pitlor, The Daylight Marriage
- Olen Steinhauer, The Cairo Affair, An American Spy, and more
- Jessica Arnold, The Looking Glass