MFA Program Highlights

Our program — with its bold mission — has drawn the attention and the support of some of the most successful and well-known writers in Hollywood.

We provide you access to a variety of top industry pros: prominent showrunners, writers from the film and TV world, development executives, agents, and managers. Expect to interact with names you know, like Marta Kauffman (Co-creator, “Friends” and “Grace and Frankie”), and up-and-comers like MFA alum Sahar Jahani (Writer, “13 Reasons Why”).

OUR MISSION:

To bring more female and underrepresented voices and female-focused stories into mainstream media while studying film with a female gaze.

Featured Panel Discussions

Our MFA program offers something you won’t find anywhere else: during every Workshop, MFA candidates participate in panels at the Writers Guild of America. Discuss issues live with WGA writers such as Writing Women over 50 (with the creators of Hacks, Grace and Frankie, and The Neighborhood), Writing Girls Coming of Age (with writers from Never Have I Ever, On My Block, and Diary of a Future President), and Writing Female-Focused Historical Fiction (with writers from Outlander and Dickinson).

Click below to watch example panels or watch them all on our Stephens College MFA YouTube Channel.

Anatomy of a Meet Cute: Writing Romantic Comedies

Panelists included MFA alum Sahar Jahani (Writer, “Hana Khan Carries On”, “The Bold Type”, “Ramy”, and “13 Reasons Why”), Tracy Andreen (Writer, “The Holiday Sitter”, “All Saints Christmas”, “Two Tickets to Paradise”); Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith (Writer/Producer, “Trinkets”, “Legally Blonde”, “10 Things I Hate About You”, “The Ugly Truth”); and Nia Vardalos (Writer/Director/Actor, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” films, “Larry Crowne”, “I Hate Valentine’s Day”).

Transitioning to TV Writing from Previous Careers

Panelists were TV writers who transitioned to television from previous careers, including Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting alum Rashaan Dozier-Escalante (Staff Writer, “SEAL Team”; former career: Senior Physical Security Analyst for federal agencies, U.S. Army Reserve veteran), Calaya Stallworth (a former college English professor who’s a writer on “Fear the Walking Dead”), Zoanne Clack (an M.D. who’s an executive producer on “Grey’s Anatomy”), and Akilah Green (a former lawyer-lobbyist who’s a writer on HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and Showtime’s “Black Monday”). 

More than the New 30: Writing Female Characters Over 50

Panelists were female television writers who discuss their experiences developing film and TV characters over the age of 50, how characters have been depicted in the past, and how shows and films are combating ageist stereotypes and subverting expectations, including Marta Kauffman (Creator and Executive Producer of “Grace and Frankie”), Lucia Aniello (Co-Creator, Executive Producer, and Director of “Hacks”) Meg DeLoatch (Executive Producer of “The Neighborhood” and “Family Reunion”), and Cindy Chupack (Writer/Executive Producer of “Sex and the City”, Writer/Co-executive Producer of “Modern Family”, and Co-Writer/Director of “Otherhood”).

Between the Sheets: Writing About Sex on TV

This panel featured female television writers discussing how to write sex scenes with a female focus. Panelists include Michelle Ashford (Writer/Producer, “Masters of Sex”), Cindy Chupack (Writer/Executive Producer of “Sex and the City”, Writer/Co-executive Producer of “Modern Family”, and Co-Writer/Director of “Otherhood”), Dayna Lynne North (Executive producer, “Insecure”); Gladys Rodriguez (Writer, “Vida”, “Sons of Anarchy”) and MFA alum Sahar Jahani (Writer, “Hana Khan Carries On”, “The Bold Type”, “Ramy”, and “13 Reasons Why”).

Program Publications

When Women Wrote Hollywood, An Award-winning Book by the MFA Class of 2017

The 2017 MFA in TV and Screenwriting class recognized a gap in film history: the vital contributions of female screenwriters from Hollywood’s Golden Age were largely overlooked. Determined to spotlight these trailblazers, the class authored a book of essays about their lives and impact.

The chapters highlight writers like Anita Loos, Adela Rogers St. Johns, and Lillian Hellman, exploring their work on classics such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Ben-Hur, and It’s a Wonderful Life. The project aligns with the MFA students’ mission to amplify female voices and honor the women who paved the way in film and television.

Edited by program director Dr. Rosanne Welch and published in 2018, the book was runner-up for the Susan Koppelman Award for feminist studies by the Popular Culture Association.

Read a review in the Columbia Daily Tribune: “Righting History: Book by Stephens students elevates women screenwriters.”

Program Director Dr. Rosanne Welch at Skylark Books in Columbia, Missouri

Beyond acclimating me to the business of film writing and improving my scriptwriting in general, the program has helped me know how to network, jump on opportunities, and search out others in film.

Kelly Zinge ’17

Stephens MFA In the News