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UC Riverside

Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA

Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts

Low Residency MFA Creative Writing Students at Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort

Residency

Our residencies are everything you never imagined grad school could be.

 

We don't learn in classrooms, we learn in ballrooms.

We don't stay in dorms, we stay at a resort.

We don't have meals in a cafeteria, we have them in the olive grove.

We understand that you do your best work when you have a chance to breathe and enjoy life, so why shouldn't school feel like a vacation?

Learn from award-winning faculty at five 10-day, in-person writing residencies at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort near sunny Palm Springs, California.

Hear From Recent Students

Mark Takano
I am a proud alumnus of the University of California, Riverside where I earned an MFA in creative writing. I loved the literature classes, the workshopping, and most of all, I loved learning to write children's stories from a future national poet laureate. UCR is an incredibly diverse institution in and of itself and programs like this one make higher education attainable and enjoyable for people looking to pursue a graduate degree. Not only am I proud to call myself a Highlander, it’s also an honor to be able to represent this world-class university in Congress.
Representative Mark Takano
Nonfiction | 2010
Carol Park
Getting accepted to and graduating from the UCR Palm Desert MFA program was the best thing to happen to me as an aspiring writer. The program's innovative, caring, kind, and supportive structure shaped me into a better writer and allowed me to grow professionally. Through the program I met other writers and formed lasting friendships. I also met agents, directors, and myriad other people involved in the writing industry. Without these connections, the education, and the excellent guidance from the professors and administration, I would not have achieved my writing goals. No other program – I firmly believe – offers what UCR PDMFA does.
Carol Park
Nonfiction | 2011
Liska Bettina Jacobs
Life's too short not to do what you love. Writing is hard work, but there's nothing else I'd rather be doing. If you're ready to commit, the Palm Desert MFA program is your next step. The UCR Palm Desert MFA program is thanked in every book I publish for good reason.
Liska Jacobs
Fiction | 2015
I started the UCR Low-Residency MFA program in the fall of 2020. While we were all disappointed to learn that the spring residency had to take place online, Tod Goldberg, Agam Patel, and the rest of the staff went above and beyond to replicate the student workshops, as well as the informative faculty, guest, and graduate student lectures that we normally experience during in-person residencies. We were also able to have invaluable one-on-one meetings with industry professionals and were even given the opportunity to pitch a major studio executive.
Lynn Grant Beck
Guy Nicolucci
I left with a sense of belonging to a community as well as an ability to see more opportunities as a writer. (And a better tan.)
Guy Nicolucci
Screenwriting | 2014
Jalysa Conway
The Palm Desert MFA program made me believe that I could actually have a professional career as a writer; then, they taught me how to go about accomplishing that goal. I'm now an established television writer at the co-producer level. I've been staffed in both the Shonda Rhimes camp (“Grey's Anatomy”) and the Ryan Murphy camp (“911: Lone Star”). I owe my entire career to these guys. The tribe – both colleague and professor alike. They've gotten me through everything, at every step along the way. The people make this program exceptional. Do it. Get off that fence. Become a better writer, like you've been hungering for. You want to work on your craft? Find your voice? This program will guide you there.
Jalysa Conway
Fiction | 2014
Pamela Pete
The best thing about the program is that you have time to discover yourself. You are prompted to go through doors you may have been hesitant to open. And once you do you are exposed to a whole new you. I have a whole new family and community that shares and cares. They celebrate my wins and encourage me in my struggles. The community of writers is awesome.
Pamela Peté
Poetry | 2020
Despite being forced to proceed under difficult circumstances, our virtual June residency exceeded expectations. Not having to choose between two or more interesting lectures that were scheduled for the same time was an unexpected bonus —being able to view one lecture live, and then catch up with other lectures later, at my convenience, meant I didn’t miss anything. I also deeply appreciated the opportunity to have my friends who are alumni watch and support my own graduate lecture, which would not have been possible previously.
Anjali Becker
Michelle Castillo
Writing has allowed me to share my unique lived experiences through poems, articles, essays, and storytelling. I am proud to share my stories and hope others can connect and be inspired to share their stories. The program gave me the time and space to focus on my writing more intentionally. As the program cultivates a hybrid model of working online and having in-person residencies, I enjoyed that flexibility in time, allowing me to be still engaged in my community, work, personal life, and connected to the UCR MFA community.
Michelle Castillo
Poetry | 2017

So what IS residency?

While the majority of your class time takes place online from the comfort of your own home, residency is a twice yearly escape into a beautiful, sunny paradise. For ten days in June and ten days in December, you are immersed in your writing community (and sometimes the resort pool), surrounded by peers and mentors, industry professionals, and the best of the best from the wider writing world.

 

Each day is broken into lectures, workshop, grad lectures, and evening programming. 
Lectures

Those professionals and best of the best come in from all corners of the industry and country to teach you everything they know about writing, publishing, producing, and thriving as a writer. With up to three lectures running simultaneously and many rounds throughout the day, you can build your schedule to hit every topic that fits your personal journey. You'll also have the chance to meet with them one-on-one to pick their brain and start to get your name out there, build your network!
 

Workshop

In workshop you meet with your small group of classmates and professor, the ones you've only known as names online until now, and have the opportunity to read and discuss each other's writing, gaining a wealth of valuable feedback from your peers and getting a sneak peak into their upcoming best-sellers and blockbusters.
 

Grad Lectures

The lectures aren't all from faculty and guest faculty. The graduating students each give a lecture during their final residency on a topic of their choosing relevant to what they've spent the past two years reading and writing. Maybe it's a lecture on retelling fairy tales, maybe it's the use of subtext in dialogue, maybe it's how to develop a character based on their drink of choice. The joy is in getting to learn something new while seeing how incredible your classmates are at what they do.
 

Evening Programming

After dinner we meet back up for book launches, author interviews, film screenings, panel discussions, basically anything you can enjoy over a glass of wine before heading out to the firepits for the evening!

 

Make Industry Connections

We know writing can be a solitary activity, but getting that writing out into the world is a team effort. We'll make sure you leave our program with a full network ready to help launch your literary, screen, or stage career.

You’ll not only meet one-on-one with some of the best writers, agents, editors, producers, and showrunners in the business, but you’ll also have your work read by them at your final residency. 

Past guests include editors from every major New York publishing house; Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning writers, producers and showrunners; plus studio executives from Amazon, Netflix, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Disney, and some of the top indie voices in the business.

Escape to the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort

Our students deserve a residency experience that sounds too good to be true, so we've teamed up with the amazing staff at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort to make sure you have something to tell the New York Times about when you hit it big.

The resort is located in Indian Wells, in the heart of the Coachella Valley, near shopping, dining, entertainment, hiking, and everything else your heart desires. 

It has pools, bocce ball, fire pits that wind through a beautiful olive grove, and the kind of vibes that will keep you coming back to visit long after graduation.

Breakfast each morning and a full lunch buffet each afternoon are both included. You will receive generous discounts on food, amenities, and services across the property. And your resort stay is included in your tuition and fees.

General Residency Information


Location:

Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort
45000 Indian Wells Lane
Indian Wells, CA 92210

442-305-4500

 
Nearby Airports:
General Information:
  • Check-in at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte is at 3 p.m. Check-out is at noon.
  • All students receive their own room. There is NO double-occupancy option. 
  • Discounts and special menus will be available.
  • Breakfast and lunch are provided. 
  • Free snacks and coffee provided all day! 

Residency FAQ

  • When are the residencies?

    The in-person residencies begin on the first Friday in June and the first Friday in December. They last 10 days. You must attend all five residencies.

  • Do I have to go to everything?

    No. It would be impossible, as you’ll see. There will be approximately 35 faculty or guest lectures/seminars offered, plus nightly panels/discussions, not all of which are going to be of interest to you, depending upon your genre of choice, expertise, and level of complete exhaustion. In essence, the lectures and readings make up the contact hours of your literature component in both your major and cross-genre, so, to be technical, you should attend at least 10 of them. We’d like you to attend all of them that you find compelling, since, well, you’re paying for them and there will be something to be gained from each of them. But you’re adults. We trust we’ll see you at least 10 different times. All students must attend orientation and new students are required to attend new student orientation.

  • Okay, but what do I absolutely have to go to? Specifically

    Your genre workshops and your cross-genre workshops. 10 lectures/seminar

  • What is there to eat?

    Breakfast and lunch are provided. There will be free coffee and snacks in our office each day. There are several dining choices at the resort for dinner including room service, the main restaurant, and the bar, which provides bar food faire. Menus have been provided for you in your welcome packet. Remember: all food and beverage you purchase at the hotel will be given a discount. In addition, there are several restaurants within driving distance from the hotel. You will be provided with a list of restaurants that are nearby that are affordable for dinner. Please note: if you have a spouse/friend/guest stay with you and you’d like them to eat with you, you will be charged a per-day fee that will be charged to your room.

  • Do I need to bring my computer?

    We consider the residency a time to learn, not a time to write, so there won’t be any assignments per se apart from exercises in class. We will have computers and printers in the office, but only a few, so if you wish to stay connected to your email, a laptop is not a bad idea. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Bring a book to read by the pool.

  • What do I need to bring?

    Clothes. It will be hot during the day. Temperatures in the 90s are normal and sometimes it gets up into the 100s. The evenings are also warm. Your classrooms are usually quite cool. The fanciest restaurants in the desert let people in with shorts and T-shirts in June, so dress as you wish. People tend to dress up for graduation.

  • How much is parking?

    Self-parking is free.

  • What will my room be like?

    All the rooms are exceptionally nice. If you haven’t looked yet, take a gander at the Tommy Bahama Miranonte Resort website. If, however, you arrive at the hotel and find that your room is not to your liking, the hotel is excellent about changing rooms. If there’s a persistent problem, please let us know, and we’ll make sure you’re taken care of.

  • Do I need a rental car?

    No. Plenty of your classmates will be driving in from Southern California and will be happy to drive you places. Really. We promise. You’ll all be getting along like one big happy family. Plus, if you tend towards the antisocial, the hotel is walking distance to restaurants and entertainment.

  • Will I be able to buy books?

    Yes. We’ll have a bookseller on-site from Sunday through Friday.

  • What if I need…

    There will be a staff member in the office every day during the residency who can help you with whatever your problems might be.

Recent & Upcoming Residency Faculty

Check Out Some Past Residency Schedules

Spring 2025
Fall 2024
Spring 2024
Fall 2023
Spring 2023