Prominent Kids’ Authors Build a Low-Residency MFA Program

Three high-profile authors have put their heads and their networks together to dream up a university program tailor-made for children’s and YA creators. Martha Brockenbrough, A.S. King, and David Macinnis Gill are launching a low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Young Readers, headquartered at the University of San Francisco. The first cohort will begin their studies in June 2026, and the application portal is open.

In addition to the three co-founders, inaugural faculty include Tracey Baptiste, Ann Dávila Cardinal, Erin Entrada Kelly, An Na, and Dashka Slater, with additional faculty coming on board in the future. Students and faculty will meet in person each June and January on the University of San Francisco campus. The rest of the time, students will work from home to complete coursework in craft and criticism. Once their two years of courses are complete, they’ll finish their degrees with a fifth residency where they present their work and co-lead a workshop with a faculty member.

“Our agenda will be to make room for all sorts and shapes of stories,” program director Brockenbrough told PW. “I have had so many exciting conversations with people about building something truly epic, and we’re raising scholarship funds to ensure students have every possibility to attend.” The program will actively recruit students from marginalized communities and will nurture inclusive stories, and the co-founders will fundraise with industry partners to reduce students’ financial burdens and defray the $48,000 program cost. Literary agent Barry Goldblatt was the first to step up as a sponsor, pledging $10,000.

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