MFA Narrative Nonfiction program completes spring 2026 residency

An overhead view of a woman talking with a group of around 30 students sitting at u-shaped tables.
Author Janisse Ray talks with a group of MFA Narrative Nonfiction students during their Spring 2026 residency Jan. 4-9. (Photos/Sarah E. Freeman)

MFA Narrative Nonfiction program completes spring 2026 residency

January 13, 2026

The MFA in Narrative Nonfiction program wrapped up a weeklong residency Jan. 4-9 at Grady College.

Students in the sessions heard from both MFA faculty as well as a lineup of stellar journalists and authors. Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Kevin Sack, author of “Mother Emanuel,” spoke of how he was able to gain the trust of the congregation in Charleston where Dylann Roof killed nine people in a horrific hate crime. Janisse Ray, author of “Ecology of a Cracker Childhood,” led a session on story structure. AJC investigative reporter Carrie Teegardin showed students how documents can lead to detailed storytelling. And MFA graduates Beth Burch (MFA ’23), author of “The Pain Brokers,” and Samantha Bresnahan (MFA ’18), author of “In Blood Flowers Bloom,” broke down the process of reporting complex their respective books. 

“I feel exhilarated and energized by the week,” said Moni Basu, director of the MFA program. “I learn so much every time we get together.”

Because the MFA is low-residency, the gathering in Athens, Georgia, which always takes place the week before classes begin, lies at the heart of the program, said Basu. “It’s like attending an intense journalism conference right here at Grady College. It’s rich and nurturing and our students leave Athens excited about their writing projects.”

The MFA in Narrative Media program, including tracks in Narrative Media Writing and Screenwriting, is in its 10th year. MFA students and graduates have published books with major publishing houses and magazine pieces in The New York Times, The Oxford American, Garden & Gun, The Bitter Southerner, Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic and many other publications. 

Students, faculty and mentors of the MFA Narrative Media Screenwriting track also met at the same time, participating in panel discussions, writer’s rooms and table reads of their latest scripts.

A woman smiles as she sits at a table and reads a script.

Several people sit at a table and read a script.

A woman makes a gesture while standing at a lectern.

For more pictures of the Narrative Nonfiction and Screenwriting programs, please visit the UGA Grady Flickr account.

Writer: Moni Basu, monibasu@uga.edu

Editor: Sarah Freeman, freemans@uga.edu