The Atheneum: Master Writing Program

What to Expect

An annual certificate program, the Atheneum melds independent study under close faculty supervision, student receptions, public readings, and other special Atheneum events created around great conversation, dialogue, and community.

Community

A unique and pragmatic format for an intensive focus on your writing while participating fully in your everyday life. 

Literary Life

Ten months of private, one-on-one conferences with published faculty, plus genre meetings, salons, readings, revision retreat, and developing a publication strategy to meet your goals.

2026 - 2027 Faculty

Brian Benson | Mo Daviau | Cari Luna | Laura Moulton

Application Deadline

Applications are due each year June 1.

"My year of Atheneum study introduced me to a whole new approach to writing. " ~ Kelly Wallace, Atheneum Class 2014
Meet Your Goals

Portland’s Best Alternative to the MFA

The Atheneum is structured to build on your strengths and encourage you to become an active participant in your literary community. Each month, Atheneum fellows sit down with a faculty member to review pages from a manuscript, fine-tune scenes, develop strategies for revision, and build a reading list to help push a project forward.

"The Atheneum faculty cultivated and challenged us throughout the program — for me, over two years. When I started, I had a handful of pages and lots of notes and ideas for a novel that felt too daunting to take on. Without the structure, provocations, and guidance from the Atheneum, I don’t know that I would have really gotten it moving. The monthly check-ins helped me understand that the good things emerge not necessarily every day, but from showing up every day — over months — to build the work over time.”

~ Rick Rees, Atheneum Class 2022 and 2023

Atheneum Fellows

Alumni

Since 2011, some 150 writers have studied in the Atheneum, making it the longest-running, independent, master writing program in Portland.

  • Kali Abel • Joliene Adams • Mary Afsari • Alison Alstrom • Leslie Barber • Heidi Beierle • Brian Benson • Greg Berman • Betsy Bertram • Brian Biggs • Ron Bloodworth • Stacy Bolt • Ashley Boucher • Nicole Bowmer • Sarah Brenner • David Buchta • Joy Bullen • Joseph Byrd • Cathy Cain • Celia Carlson • Monika Cassel • Doug Chase • Amanda Clark • Lindsey Clark • Teetle Clawson • Janie Mae Cohen • Caitlin Collins • Catherine Craglow • John Cusick • Larry Daane • Adam Davis • Lorna Day • Celeste Hamilton Dennis • Steve Deniston • Cynthia Dettman • Katja Dilmann • Jennifer Dorner • Sharon Dursi Martin • Michael Easton • Mark Eifler • Michael Farris • Felicity Fenton • Sara Fischer • Elizabeth Flint-Somerville • Rebecca Roberts Galloway • Delia Garigan • Ryan Geise • Emily Gillespie • Kathleen Goldberg • Leslie Good • Elisa Graybill • Brett Greenberg • Althea Gregory • Wayne Gregory • Jess Gregg • Anne Griffin • Rachel Guerin • Myrna Gusdorf • Sara Hains • Leah Hanes • Zaha Hassan • Liz Haswell • Elizabeth Hickey • Johanna Hibbard • Gemma Hobbs • Caitlin Hudson • Katie Hughes • Sharon Johnson • Christa Kaainoa • Heidi Kaufman • Ryan Kauffman • Steve Kelly • Tess Kelly • Catherine Kernodle • Brad Kerstetter • Linnea King • Kirsten Merrell Kippen • Leslie Knight • Tricia Knoll • Signe Kopps • Karen Krajcer • Ann Krueger • Shana Kusin • Whitney Anne Kwek • Nina Lary • Tafline Laylin • Jared Lindor • Tracey Locke • Jodi Lorimer • Lisa Loving • Anne Lown • Marvin Lurie • Theresa MacDonald • Jamie Maher • Mary Mandeville • Star Marabella • Jodie Marion • Amy Matsumoto • Kelleye McBride • Nyla McCarthy • Phil Meehan • David Melville • Ryan Meranger • Azalea Micketti • Kristine Mijares • Jen Moore • Kristin Moran • Jonah Mroz • Michael Nagle • Kate Nason • Jennifer Nevers • Kirsten Nichols • Meghan O'Connor • Adrienna Ogin • Ally Okun • Grace-Lee Park • Graham Paterson • Rich Perin • Jasmine Pittenger • Michelle Poirot • Karen Polinsky • Betsy Porter • JoAnna Prahl • Rachel Purcell • Peggy Purdue • Amy Racely • Mark Reed • Rick Rees • Ken Reid • Mericos Hector Rhodes • Sheila Rittenberg • Janine Robben • Heather Rocha • Andrea Rodriguez • Beverly Rose • Joanna Rose • Michael Royce • Jay Boss Rubin • Kate Rubick • Phillip Sauerbeck • Wally Schaefer • Roger Scarbrough • Candice Schutter • Amy Seaholt • Melea Seward • Ryan Shane Lopez • Brett Shaw • Jamie Shuali • Ann Sinclair • Tyler Sowa • Shelley Stearns • Wendy Steckloff • Dennis Steinman • Tiffany Stubbert • Carrie Sturrock • Tina Tau • Sarah Thomas • Tessa Torgeson • Jenny Tsai • Jason Vanhee • Rajesh Varma • Tania Vu • Jessica Wadleigh • Kelly Wallace • Nadia Webb • Jackie Weissman • Don Westlight • Emily Rose Williams • Michelle Williams • Desiree Wright • Louise Wynn • Michael Wynn • Lainie Yarris • Nili Yosha • Rachel Zakrasek • Serena Zilliacus • Noah Zimmerman

Application and Cost

Applications are due June 1.

Cost
Cost

  • David Biespiel and the Atheneum faculty focus on a constructive approach — building on what works in your drafts to help you discover your authentic voice rather than tearing down manuscripts. The result is accountability and wind in your sails and reaching for your goals.

Apply to the Atheneum

Apply