Drexel's Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is a low-residency program that combines intensive craft instruction with professional development, allowing writers from across the country to pursue graduate study while balancing careers, families and other commitments. Through a combination of online coursework, individualized manuscript mentorship and immersive in-person residencies in Philadelphia and New York City, students develop their creative work while building the skills necessary to sustain a writing life.

The program works to prepare students for the publishing world, and the preparation is woven throughout the Drexel MFA curriculum. “From the moment students enter the program, they are encouraged to think not only about how to write a book, but also how to position that book in the contemporary marketplace,” says Nomi Eve, program director. Students work with faculty mentors to develop manuscripts while learning how publishing functions from the perspectives of authors, editors, agents, booksellers and readers. Students benefit from an extensive network of publishing professionals throughout their time in the program. Through residencies, alumni panels, workshops, guest author talks, launch events and professional development programming, they regularly interact with novelists, agents, editors, booksellers and publishers.

Many graduates of the MFA program have achieved success as published authors. Learn more about their recent and upcoming publications in the list below.

Rylee G. Cella, MFA '23, a Philadelphia native, has her debut novel, "The Stars Might Overhear," coming out in 2027. The novel follows Regan, raised by her Nanna in a sleepy Vermont town. Her twin brother Henry commits suicide during their senior year and she flees town after graduation. Eight years later, her Nanna breaks her hip, bringing Regan home from her career in New York City. She must face old friends, mistakes and secrets. In the aftermath, she must decide between facing her fear and guilt or letting them go.

Eliza Knight, MFA '26, is an award-winning, USA Today international bestselling author. Knight is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Novelists, Inc., Women’s Fiction Writing Association, the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed, and host on the History, Books and Wine podcast. Her books have been translated into numerous languages, and her newest novel, "Lost in the Summer of '69," takes the reader on a cross-country road trip following three generations of women. Knight also writes contemporary revenge fiction under the pseudonym Michelle Brandon, and just published the scandalous thriller novel, "Tradwife."

Kristen R. Lee, MFA '26, is a Tennessee native who has worked as a mentor for foster youth and counseled middle school children. When she graduated from undergrad, she wrote a fictionalized version of her experience at a majority white institution, published as "Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman." The companion novel, "Sun Keep Rising," follows a young teen mom at risk of losing her home due to a raise in rent, and explores race, income instability and strength.

Madeline Martin, MFA '26, is a New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly international bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books translated into over 25 different languages. She has been writing for over 20 years, publishing independently with small press publishers and now through Hanover Square Press under HarperCollins. Martin’s latest novel, "A Time of Witches," tells the story of two women, Lilith Legare, whose life after her mother’s passing has become strange and is starting to unravel, and Sybil Brantham, a wealthy, educated widow accused of witchcraft in 1645. They both work to confront the silence of women’s voices for generations to save each other and themselves.

Christopher Kostyn Passante, MFA '26, is a former journalist with advanced degrees in creative writing, journalism and theology. He is an alumnus of Sewanee Writer’s Conference and Orion Environmental Writers’ Workshop, and was a finalist for the Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction. He is the author of two nonfiction books and short-form fiction works, and his debut novel, "Earthshine," is set to be released in 2027. The novel follows Joby Hawkins, who left his home and his mother in Saratoga Springs when he was 18, and 25 years later he has a life he built across the country. When his sister calls to tell him she’s moving to Spain and someone must take care of their mother, Joby is forced to confront his unresolved present, and a past he chose to run from.

Nikki Stinson, MFA '26, is an English professor, author and artist. She has been published in On The Run, The Dazed Starling, The Write Launch, and more, and her short story "Life Among Manananggals," will appear in the Galleon Dreaming Anthology by DILIM Press in October 2027. Her debut novel, "Daughters of Mindanao," follows Filipino-American Morgan Macabuac, who makes the discovery of a century in the Philippines in 1984. She soon learns that a deadly typhoon will hit the island and separate her from her newborn daughter. She searches for her daughter relentlessly, haunted by her grandparents’ loss of their firstborn in 1897, to ensure she does not share their same fate.