Coursework, plus the four
things it cannot give you.
A cohort is the Core curriculum plus a mentor, a critique group, an editor, and a deadline with witnesses. Each ends with a finished, published work. The Novelist Cohort is the flagship; three siblings sit alongside it.
The Novelist Cohort
A finished, published novel — signed at Reader Nation, Las Vegas, with an Author Nation ticket in every writer's name.
Explore the CohortThe Screenplay Cohort
A completed feature screenplay, industry-formatted, closing with a live table read.
Register interest →The Novella Cohort
A published novella — the fastest honest path from student to author, and the best first step into the Academy's cohort tradition.
Register interest →The Anthology Cohort
A publishable short story, placed in the year's Academy Anthology and read aloud at the class's close.
Register interest →The Novelist Cohort convenes first. Dates for the Novella, Anthology and Screenplay cohorts are announced to the waitlist as they are scheduled.
What coursework cannot do.
A faculty mentor
Assigned, named, and present at every milestone of the work.
A critique group
Small, matched by genre and rank, meeting weekly for the length of the program.
Editorial
A full-manuscript copy edit and a developmental edit from working editors.
A milestone schedule
Outline, draft, revision and publication dates that exist whether or not you feel ready.
A culmination
Publication, and a signing. For the Novelist Cohort, that is Las Vegas.
A class
A dozen colleagues who will still be reading your work in ten years.
Doors open April 2027.
The founding Spring Term admits by application from the waitlist. Join it and you will hear from the Dean directly when the window opens.