Residencies Overview

Three Inspirational Residencies

The Cedar Crest College Pan-European MFA in Creative Writing program centers around three 15-day European residencies that take place during the summer. The locations for these residencies have been selected by the faculty based upon the cities’ significance to the creation of acclaimed works of literature. In these venues, students will connect to intellectual and artistic sources that will inform and inspire their development as publishable writers.

Dublin, Ireland

Dublin has a rich history of literature, politics, folklore, and language, and the locale curriculum here seeks to infuse the students’ Dublin experience with an essential understanding of what makes this city such a profound source of world literature and such a keystone for the pan-European experience. This residency will immerse students in the study of Irish literature, Celtic folklore, Irish music and dance, and Irish history. Field experiences will include a historical walking tour of Dublin, a visit to the megalithic tomb of Newgrange, and the Dublin Writers Museum.

Learn more about the Dublin Residency »

Barcelona, Spain

The Barcelona residency will invite students to engage with the city’s distinctive architecture, language, and art history. Barcelona’s unique and diverse architecture–from medieval to modernista–will set the stage for the seminars and workshops. During the seminars, students will take a deep look at the medieval history of the city, Gaudí’s architecture and the role of Catalan language, as well as the artwork of Miró and Picasso and its particular relationship with place. Field experiences will include walking tours through selected routes of the city, and visits to the Picasso, Miró, and “History of the City” museums.

Vienna/Bratislava

Moving to Vienna and Bratislava, this summer residency will offer insight into Eastern and Western Europe, immersing students in the diverse cultural histories and landscapes of these two neighboring cities.

Seminars in Vienna will focus on the city’s particular literary café culture, its unparalleled music history, and the influences of the Habsburg Empire and the Austrian-Hungarian Empire on the European and global landscape.

Bratislava seminars will concentrate on literary history from behind the Iron Curtain, the voices that emerged during World War II, and the cultural and political backdrop that contributed to the fall of communism.

The cities will provide fertile settings for study and inspiration. Field experiences will include attendance of concerts and historical walking tours that explore the cities’ architecture. Bratislava will offer a particularly unusual experience in that students will both live and study in a restored 13th century abbey located in the old town and currently operating as a five-star hotel.