Welcome

An exceptional program designed for talented and highly motivated students, The Writers' Institute at The Graduate Center has been designed with both creative ambitions and real-world practicalities in mind.   Our mission is to offer to fifteen exceptionally qualified writers of creative non-fiction the opportunity to hone their craft under the auspices of some of today’s most visible and prestigious book and magazine editors. 

The Writers’ Institute will offer a one-year intensive course of instruction capped by a certificate.  The course load will consist of four 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 essay, reportage, reviewing, and memoir.  Topics for discussion and analysis will range from narrative development, to voice and tone, subject selection, and structure.  Our goal is not to favor a particular style but to encourage students to explore and develop their own creative impulses. 

What makes The Writers’ Institute unique is both its small size and the involvement of 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 the finest writers writing today. 

Tuition is $10,000.00 per year.

In addition to classes, there will be a bi-weekly luncheon for students.  Four times a year a prominent non-fiction writer will join us for lunch and a discussion period. 

The Writers’ Institute expects to command an eminent position in New York City and in the world of graduate writing programs by facilitating the stimulating and rewarding interaction between gifted writers and very gifted editors.  This combination of professional input and unparalleled access sets our program apart as one of the nation’s most remarkable and remarkably rewarding non-fiction writing programs. The Writers’ Institute is directed by André Aciman, noted non-fiction author and chair of The Graduate Center’s doctoral program in Comparative Literature.