dante MFAThe Masters of Fine Arts program at the University of St. Thomas hosts its annual Summer Literary Programs, featuring three major events for writers, inspiring authors, students, and those who want to encounter the beauty of the written word and participate in the lively life of the mind and imagination.

The Summer Literary Series brings leading authors from around the world to the UST campus to deliver readings and lectures.  Hear from some of the greatest writers of our day, including novelists, poets, scholars and literary critics.  These events are free and open to the public.

The Summer Writers Institute is a three-day intensive program, inviting people from all walks of life to contemplate the Church’s teaching on the nature of beauty, the craft and practice of the literary arts, and to grow as writers themselves through individual attention and editorial counsel. Applications are now open to the public.

The MFA Summer Residency is a special in-person event for MFA students, with an intensive series of seminars, workshops, and literary events.

Learn more about these innovated literary events below, including guest speakers, itinerates, and more.
Summer Literary Series

Joshua Hren 500x330JULY 6 – JULY 18, 2023

Join us this July for the Summer Literary Series at the University of St. Thomas!  This annual celebration of the literary arts brings distinguished authors and scholars from around the world as they share the joy and beauty of the written word.  

The public is invited to join this multi-night event on-campus or through live stream for a series of readings, lectures, and performances that feature the best in contemporary literature and reflections on enduring classics.

Schedule of Speakers
Summer Literary Series Speakers

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Katy Carl
Katy Carl July 6
Catharine Savage Brosman
Catharine Savage Brosman July 7
Dana Gioia
Dana Gioia July 10
Adam Kirsch
Adam Kirsch July 11
Micah Mattix
Micah Mattix July 12
Sally Thomas
Sally Thomas July 13
Ryan Wilson
Ryan Wilson July 14
Randy Boyagoda
Randy Boyagoda July 15
Haley Stewart
Haley Stewart July 18
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Summer Writers Institute

writer MFAJULY 6 – JULY 8, 2023

Every summer, the MFA in Creative Writing program at the University of St. Thomas hosts the Summer Writers Institute: a three-day immersive program in the Catholic literary tradition.  This event is open to the public.  Participants must be 18+, submit an application, and be accepted into the program.

During this time, participants will meet at UST and hear from distinguished writers of poetry and fiction, and engage in seminars on art and beauty, Catholicism and literature, and the craft of writing. They will also get counsel and help with their own work in lively creative writing workshops.

Between the evening public readings with masters of the art, the intense seminars and workshops, and the good company at meals, participants will experience that most elusive thing: a literary community intended to deepen and strengthen their own work while also welcoming them into the great literary and cultural tradition of the Church.

All costs for tuition, meals, and receptions during the Summer Writers Institute are covered by the University of Saint Thomas.  Participants are responsible for housing (affordable on-campus options available) and travel to campus.

application
MFA Summer Residency

SLS 2022 Group Photo 500x330JULY 10 – JULY 19, 2023

The MFA Summer Residency is a special in-person event within the life of the UST online MFA program. For ten days, MFA students travel to Houston for an intensive series of seminars, workshops, and literary events (including those of the Literary Series). Engaged in convivial discussion from dawn until well past dusk, the students deepen their understanding of literary form, grow in mind and spirit, and prepare a new “climate of opinion” to shape American literary culture far beyond the UST classroom. The program is preparing a new generation to transform our culture, to raise it up and strengthen it, in the way of beauty.
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