Writers | U-M LSA Helen Zell Writers' Program

Prospective Students The Helen Zell Writers’ Program is a two-year, fully-funded graduate program in creative writing leading to the Master of Fine Arts degree with a guaranteed, fully-paid, third-year writing residency based in Ann Arbor for qualified graduates.

Helen Zell Of her $50 million gift to the program, Helen has said: "Books have the power to inspire and change people, to create action, to generate movements, and to better understand those qualities that are uniquely human. We want to capture important stories that might otherwise go untold."

HZWP Alumna Jesmyn Ward Wins 2017 National Book Award

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The Helen Zell Writers’ Program is a two-year, fully-funded graduate program in creative writing leading to the Master of Fine Arts degree. Students concentrate in either fiction or poetry. Applicants must submit portfolios of their writing in one of these genres, and should have sufficient training in literature to succeed in courses at the graduate level. We select students with demonstrated talent and expose them to a variety of approaches to the craft of writing. For more information, please see our Program Overview.