MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Bay Path University

MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Bay Path University MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Bay Path ~ Kate Whouley, Director

The MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Bay Path University is the first no-residency program in the genre, with specialized tracks in women's stories, food and travel writing, teaching, publishing, narrative journalism, and spiritual autobiography. The 39-credit, two-year program is offered entirely online, allowing writers to focus on a major writing project and earn a master's degree from wherever th

ey are in the world. Our award-winning MFA faculty are accomplished memoirists, journalists, food and travel writers, editors, and publishers with a wealth of real-world expertise. Students are mentored throughout the program and become part of a strong and supportive community of writers. Specialized tracks in publishing and teaching writing prepare students to explore a career in the literary world after graduation. Throughout the two-year program, students learn the techniques of outstanding writing, read and discuss important works of creative nonfiction, and work toward completing an MFA thesis (memoir, collection of essays, biography) that can pave the way toward sharing their work with the public.


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It's been a banner week here in the literary landscape of the Bay Path MFA. Now, we're thrilled to share alum Brad Snyde...
09/04/2026

It's been a banner week here in the literary landscape of the Bay Path MFA. Now, we're thrilled to share alum Brad Snyder's HUGE publishing success at The New York Times, where you'll find his amazing Modern Love essay, "We Kept Looking for Reasons to Break Up," featured in print this weekend. We're so proud of you, Brad. Bravo!

We're gifting this piece below so everyone can savor the read this weekend!

And then I laughed during “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” and that became the reason.

"And there I was, that day in 1977, standing by a huge sugar maple that was more than twice as old as my great-aunts. Wh...
09/03/2026

"And there I was, that day in 1977, standing by a huge sugar maple that was more than twice as old as my great-aunts. What other, even older events did this tree “witness” in its life?"

From the essay "The Old Sugar Maple" by Tim Loftus.

Read more of this amazing essay by Bay Path MFA alum Tim Loftus over at Yankee Magazine.

Congratulations, Tim!

Deep in a Massachusetts forest, a story of time and fragility unfolds.

Congratulations to Suzanne Strempek Shea on the launch of her latest, COMPOSITIONS. Many MFA’ers know Suzanne as the lon...
09/02/2026

Congratulations to Suzanne Strempek Shea on the launch of her latest, COMPOSITIONS. Many MFA’ers know Suzanne as the longtime coordinator of our Di**le retreats. But did you know she’s the person who persuaded the powers-that-be to offer an MFA at Bay Path? Thank you, Suzanne, and huge congratulations on COMPOSITIONS!

PLEASE FIND a link to Suzanne's website and book tour schedule in the comments. You may discover Suzanne is appearing at a venue near you. Also, we can't wait to welcome Suzanne as a part of our Hatch reading series on Zoom in October. Stay tuned for details.

Congratulations to Bay Path MFA candidate Stephanie Silenti. Her essay "Floodplains" was selected as a nonfiction runner...
08/31/2026

Congratulations to Bay Path MFA candidate Stephanie Silenti. Her essay "Floodplains" was selected as a nonfiction runner-up in this year's Solstice Literary Magazine's annual Summer Writing Contest!

"Floodplains" makes use of public-domain maps and images of rivers in the most wonderful way. It's a gorgeous essay, through and through. We invite you to give it a read!

I leaf through an old world atlas my grandmother gave me when I was thirteen. Published in 1942, the red-brown cover is thick and hard, protecting a hefty five hundred pages. I’m intrigued by the countries whose boundaries have since relocated and the nations that no longer exist. In the eighty-pl...

Recent Bay Path MFA grad Erin Gottwald and MFA candidate Pam Moore Gainer wrote beautifully about themes of belonging an...
08/28/2026

Recent Bay Path MFA grad Erin Gottwald and MFA candidate Pam Moore Gainer wrote beautifully about themes of belonging and authenticity over on their Substack pages. These are topics that often bubble up in the writerly life; we thought you might enjoy reading Erin and Pam's wise and vulnerable words.

Links in the comments.

Summer is winding down, but if you have any late-appearing rhubarb in your yard, perhaps you can make use of a recipe (a...
08/27/2026

Summer is winding down, but if you have any late-appearing rhubarb in your yard, perhaps you can make use of a recipe (and essay) from Heidi Parton — Bay Path MFA alum, faculty member, AND third cousin of Dolly, by marriage!

Link to “The Pie Plant” (over at Pangyrus ) is in the comments.

Congratulations to Bay Path MFA faculty Anna Mantzaris on the publication of her brilliant flash piece, "The Psychic is ...
08/25/2026

Congratulations to Bay Path MFA faculty Anna Mantzaris on the publication of her brilliant flash piece, "The Psychic is Everywhere!"

The psychic is everywhere. The grocery store. The corner store. The library. In a submarine. The resting home. The restaurant. Outside the village pharmacy as an extra in a movie. The psychic knows…

As another academic year is getting underway, we're catching up on our reading. This past week, we've been reading recen...
08/24/2026

As another academic year is getting underway, we're catching up on our reading. This past week, we've been reading recent alum Tim Loftus's blog posts from the past year. You might not know this, but Tim is a photographer as well as a writer. Check out his gorgeous photos and writing over at "The Spruce Tree Journal."

‍La cocina de la Señora Ana Garcia, Mami’s Kitchen, is full of the same fragrances and flavors she remembers as a child in her grandmother’s kitchen back in El Salvador: the melted cheese scent of fried pupusas; the tangy smell of cortido, a pickled mixture of shredded cabbage and carrots wit...

Congratulations to Bay Path MFA faculty m. mick powell on being named a creative nonfiction finalist in Ninth Letter’s 2...
08/18/2026

Congratulations to Bay Path MFA faculty m. mick powell on being named a creative nonfiction finalist in Ninth Letter’s 2026 literary awards! Bravo!

08/12/2026

Congratulations to MFA candidate Kathleen Bourque on the publication of her flash essay, "A Perpetual Lover." We hope you take a few moments to read this beautifully written essay, which just may sharpen your understanding of what it is like to live in a body experiencing chronic pain.

My pain is a cruel and jealous lover. It dictates my days and dominates my nights. It sulks and whines when it feels ignored. It consumes me. I bargain with it. “Just give me one night, one night to sleep without you, and you can have me tomorrow.” Pain acquiesces. I nestle myself in a barricade...

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