Now in its third year, The Writers' Institute at the Graduate Center is designed with both creative ambitions and real-world practicalities in mind.  Our mission is to enable fifteen talented, highly motivated and exceptionally qualified non-fiction writers to hone their craft under the auspices of some of today's most accomplished magazine, newspaper, and book editors; take a look at the eminent faculty profiled on the right hand side of this page.

What makes The Writers' Institute unique is both its small size and the opportunity to work closely with New York City's most celebrated senior editors.  Savvy readers and brilliant sculptors of talent, these men and women have forged their careers on reading, critiquing, and shaping the work of today's finest writers. 

Unlike most MFA creative writing programs, The Writers' Institute offers a one-year intensive course of instruction capped by a certificate.  The course load will consist of four evening writing workshops, two per semester, taught by a total of four editors.  Class sessions will be devoted to the reading and discussion of students' work, which may take any form of non-fiction, including feature essays, personal essays, opinion pieces, reportage, book reviews, travel essays, memoir, etc..  Topics for discussion and analysis will range from narrative development, to voice and tone, subject selection, style, and structure.  Our goal is not to favor a particular style or a particular area of non-fiction but to encourage students to explore and take advantage of the extraordinary range of possibilities that the print media offers. 

The Institute is located in the heart of New York City on Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, across from the Empire State Building, ten blocks away from The New Yorker and from The New York Times, and in close proximity to a host of other major, national publications.

Tuition is $10,500.00 per year.

In addition to classes, there will be guest speakers from the print media who will speak about their experience both as writers and editors in the publishing industry. 

The Writers' Institute commands a prominent position in New York City and in the world of graduate writing programs by facilitating intensive interaction between talented aspiring writers and top-level editors.  This combination of professional input and unparalleled access sets our program apart as one of the nation's most remarkable and rewarding non-fiction writing programs.  

The Writers' Institute is directed by André Aciman, non-fiction author, novelist, and chair of The Graduate Center's doctoral program in Comparative Literature.