Environmental Writing at UNCW

Come study environmental writing in the coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina. Starting in Fall 2025 UNCW’s three-year MFA in Creative Writing program will offer students the ability to pursue a concentration in environmental writing, allowing writers of all genres to explore the influences of the natural world, the climate crisis, and the role of place in their writing. Writers accepted into the concentration will develop the skills to effectively storytell with a focus on the natural world, and be empowered to do so in unique, collaborative and innovative ways. Nature writer David Gessner will lead a program of study that includes environmental writing workshops with UNCW professors and visiting place-based authors, themed electives, opportunities to work with the award-winning place-based Ecotone Magazine, instruction in creative research, field studies and mentorship opportunities. Students will be provided with an immersive and generative experience in the field of environmental writing.

                There have always been great benefits, and great challenges, to living on the edge of land and sea. In this time of powerful storms and rising oceans, University of North Carolina Wilmington is uniquely positioned, both academically and geographically, to address those challenges and to become a leader in writing about coastal resiliency, climate change, and sustainability. 

          The program will include field work and trips to barrier islands and western rivers, opportunities for intergenerational conversations about the planets future, as well as practical advice and aid in getting one’s work out in the world.

          The Environmental Writing Concentration is open to students in all genres (poetry, fiction, and non-fiction).