Stony Brook University’s MFA in Creative Writing and Literature program was the focus of a recent interview on WLIW-FM’s Heart of the East End, where Robert Reeves, associate professor and founder of the Lichtenstein Center, and Christian McLean, lecturer and associate director of creative writing, discussed its unique approach.
Reeves and McLean described how the program is structured to welcome adults from various professional backgrounds who wish to transform their life experiences into written work. “One [of our students] is a doctor who’s mid-career… and she has so many stories she wants to tell. We have someone who’s a senior real estate agent… [who] wants to write other things, personal essays, fiction, creative nonfiction,” Reeves said. “They want to come to a community that will give them the best opportunity to accomplish what they want to.”
Affordability and flexibility are central features of the program. As part of a state university system, Stony Brook offers lower tuition than many similar programs and allows for part-time or non-matriculated study options. “We are many, many, many thousand [dollars] less than equivalent MFA programs of the same quality,” Reeves noted. “They can take one class and see if it makes sense for them and go from there,” McLean added.
The program focuses on workshops that encourage community building and exploration of craft through generative writing processes. Students are supported as they experiment with new forms and directions in their work. “Art is something that you know makes you more powerful than you are. It’s something that you have to give in to, surrender to,” Reeves said.
Laura Renee Tucker, a current student whose thesis is a memoir about her father—a Tuskegee Airman—was mentioned during the interview as an example of the kinds of stories fostered by the program. “It’s capturing not only her story, but her father’s story,” McLean said. “And the question of who can pass on these stories, and who has the ability to…taking the time to do so is so important.”
Gianna Volpe, host of Heart of the East End, emphasized the importance of preserving these narratives: “Black history in particular is being erased every day. So stories like Laura’s and her father’s are of utmost importance. That’s American history.”
Stony Brook Southampton recently hosted open houses at both its main campus and its Manhattan Center for Creative Writing and Film. Additional online information sessions are planned for November and December.
Applications for Fall 2026 admission must be submitted by January 15. The program encourages writers from all backgrounds to participate—even those interested in trying just one class—as part of its mission to help individuals discover their own stories.
