columbia university creative writing masters

• [email protected]
• (650) 338-8226

Cupertino, CA

• Our Philosophy
• Our Results
• News, Media, and Press
• Common Application
• College Application Essay Editing
• Extracurricular Planning
• Academic Guidance
• Summer Programs
• Interview Preparation

Middle School

• Pre-High School Consultation
• Boarding School Admissions

College Admissions

• Academic and Extracurricular Profile Evaluation
• Senior Editor College Application Program
• Summer Program Applications
• Private Consulting Program
• Transfer Admissions
• UC Transfer Admissions
• Ivy League Transfer Admissions

Graduate Admissions

• Graduate School Admissions
• MBA Admissions

Private Tutoring

• SAT/ACT Tutoring
• AP Exam Tutoring
• Olympiad Training

Research Programs

• Science Research Program
• Humanities Competitions
• Passion Project Program
• Ad Hoc Consulting
• Athletic Recruitment
• National Universities Rankings
• Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings
• Public Schools Rankings

Acceptance Rates

• University Acceptance Rates
• Transfer Acceptance Rates
• Supplemental Essays
• College Admissions Data
• Chances Calculator
• GPA Calculator

National Universities

• College Acceptance Rates
• College Overall Acceptance Rates
• College Regular Acceptance Rates
• College Early Acceptance Rates
• Ivy League Acceptance Rates
• Ivy League Overall Acceptance Rates
• Ivy League Regular Acceptance Rates
• Ivy League Early Acceptance Rates

Public Schools

• Public Schools Acceptance Rates
• Public Schools Overall Acceptance Rates
• Public Schools Regular Acceptance Rates
• Public Schools Early Acceptance Rates

Liberal Arts

• Liberal Arts Colleges Acceptance Rates
• Liberal Arts Colleges Overall Acceptance Rates
• Liberal Arts Colleges Regular Acceptance Rates
• Liberal Arts Colleges Early Acceptance Rates

Columbia University Creative Writing: A Comprehensive Guide

By Eric Eng

Located in New York City, Columbia University is renowned for academic excellence. One of its programs, the Columbia University Creative Writing, offers an in-depth exploration of journalism and writing skills.

If you’re aiming to become a writer or have an interest in journalism, this guide highlights the program’s details and the opportunities it offers. Explore how this course could be the foundation for your writing career.

What is the Columbia University Creative Writing Program?

Located in the heart of New York City, Columbia University is a renowned hub for arts, culture, and academia. Among its many esteemed programs, the Creative Writing course stands out, especially for aspiring writers and journalists. So, what makes this program unique?

Program Highlights

At its core, this course offers more than just academic learning; it immerses you in the world of writing. Designed for high school students with a flair for writing and storytelling, the program aims to nurture your talent, equipping you with the tools and guidance you need.

Intensive Learning Experience

Over six days, you’ll study journalism and creative writing. Instead of traditional lectures, you’ll experience hands-on training, tackle real-world challenges, and participate in interactive sessions. Workshops on narrative techniques and investigative journalism ensure a comprehensive learning experience.

Embracing Diversity

A standout feature is the program’s emphasis on diversity. In our globalized world, stories transcend geographical borders. To resonate with a global audience, understanding diverse perspectives is crucial. The program welcomes students from various backgrounds, enriching discussions and broadening horizons.

Mentorship from Experts

The course boasts a lineup of veteran journalists, renowned authors, and top media professionals. Imagine receiving feedback on your article from an award-winning journalist or delving into character development with a bestselling author. Such interactions inspire and push you to excel.

Future-Ready Approach

While the course enhances your writing and journalistic skills, it also prepares you for the evolving world of journalism. With the rise of digital media and multimedia storytelling, it’s essential to be versatile. This program ensures you’re ready for these dynamic shifts.

The Creative Writing course at Columbia University is more than just academic learning. It’s a transformative journey where you’ll find your voice, refine your skills, and emerge as a confident storyteller. If you’re a high school student passionate about writing, consider this program a stepping stone to your dreams.

The Origins and Purpose of the Program

Columbia University addresses pressing issues in academia and beyond. The creative writing program at Columbia is a clear reflection of this commitment.

Addressing the Industry’s Diversity Challenge

The dawn of the 21st century brought about significant global changes. With the rise of the internet and global communication, our world has become more interconnected.

This newfound connectivity, however, spotlighted a pressing issue in many sectors, including journalism: a stark lack of diversity. By 2001, the journalism industry was predominantly represented by a single demographic. Recognizing this, Columbia University launched a program to bridge this gap.

Embracing True Diversity

While racial diversity was a primary concern, the program’s founders understood that diversity goes beyond just ethnicity. It includes religious background, political beliefs, socio-economic status, gender, and more. The program’s design ensures inclusivity, welcoming students from all walks of life. This approach aims to enrich the journalistic landscape with varied perspectives.

Shaping Holistic Journalists

The program’s goal goes beyond teaching writing skills. It seeks to mold individuals who are globally aware, understand diverse perspectives, and can effectively communicate these views. Through workshops, you’ll engage in discussions and debates and delve into various topics.

Practical training ensures you’re not confined to just theory. You’ll experience real-world journalism, understanding its challenges and rewards. Field trips further enhance this, offering a firsthand view of the industry.

The Creative Writing program at Columbia is not just an academic pursuit. It’s a movement aiming to reshape journalism, making it more inclusive and representative of our diverse world. If you’re passionate about writing and wish to make an impact, this program offers the perfect blend of skill development and awareness.

Who is Eligible?

Columbia University, a renowned institution in academia, offers a unique creative writing program that combines academic rigor with creative freedom. But who can join this esteemed course? Let’s explore the eligibility criteria and what the university looks for in its applicants.

High School Students Welcome

The program isn’t an exclusive club for a select few. It champions inclusivity and diversity. If you’re a high school student, regardless of your year, you’re eligible to apply. This approach ensures a blend of fresh ideas and experienced insights, enhancing the learning environment.

Diverse Backgrounds Encouraged

While Columbia University might be associated with elite academic circles, this program breaks such notions. It welcomes students from all racial, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds. This diversity ensures that the narratives created resonate globally, mirroring the world’s vast experiences.

Seeking Passionate Individuals

The program values passion above all. Are you deeply passionate about journalism in its many forms, from broadcasting to online media? If so, this course aims to nurture and amplify your enthusiasm.

Traits of an Ideal Applicant

You might wonder what sets apart a standout applicant. Here are some insights:

• Curiosity: A journalist’s strength lies in asking the right questions. If you’re curious about the world, you’re already on the right path.
• Varied Experiences: Volunteering, traveling, or participating in exchange programs can enrich your perspective.
• Portfolio : If you’ve written articles, blogs, or any other pieces, showcasing them can be beneficial. It’s a testament to your dedication.
• Recommendations: Endorsements from teachers or mentors can strengthen your application, highlighting your commitment.

The Creative Writing program at Columbia University is more than just academics; it’s a transformative experience. If you’re a high school student passionate about journalism, this course offers an unparalleled opportunity to hone your skills and make a mark in the literary world.

Key Features of the Columbia University Creative Writing Program

Columbia University’s commitment to academic excellence is evident in its diverse range of programs. One such standout is the Creative Writing program, tailored for aspiring writers and journalists. Let’s explore what makes this program unique.

A Comprehensive Curriculum

Central to the program is a curriculum designed to meet the evolving needs of the journalism industry. In our interconnected world, journalists frequently interact with diverse cultural backgrounds. The program trains you to communicate effectively across these cultures, ensuring authentic and relatable narratives.

Beyond just writing, you’ll learn to lead teams, manage projects, and make crucial editorial decisions. The program also emphasizes the significance of diverse voices in journalism, ensuring you value varied perspectives. In a time of misinformation, it’s vital to uphold ethical standards in journalism.

Here, you’ll adopt strong ethical values, ensuring you maintain integrity in your work. Networking is crucial in journalism. The program offers ample opportunities to connect with industry professionals and also provides guidance on mapping out your professional journey.

Affordability and Accessibility

Higher education can be financially challenging. With this in mind, the program ensures that financial constraints don’t hinder your talent. There’s no application fee, and if you’re selected, expenses like airfare, lodging, and meals are covered, making the program accessible to all.

How Does Columbia University Creative Writing Prepare Students for the Future?

Located in the heart of New York City, Columbia University is renowned for its commitment to academic excellence and innovation. Its Creative Writing course stands out, especially for its modern approach to journalism and writing. Let’s explore how this program equips its students to the evolving world of journalism.

Adapting to the Digital Age

The digital age has transformed traditional writing tools. This program ensures you become proficient in the latest digital tools. You’ll learn about content management systems, digital storytelling platforms, social media analytics, and multimedia integration. Such training ensures you’re ready for modern newsrooms and media houses.

Perfecting Storytelling

While tools change, the essence of journalism remains storytelling. Here, you’ll refine your ability to craft compelling narratives for diverse audiences. Whether you’re diving into investigative journalism, sharing human-interest stories, or creating multimedia content, you’ll acquire the skills to produce impactful stories from multiple perspectives.

Understanding Global Perspectives

Today’s journalists often report from various global locations, engaging with a range of cultures. This program prepares you to approach stories with cultural sensitivity. Through interactive sessions, you’ll learn to appreciate different communities’ nuances, ensuring your narratives remain authentic and respectful.

Maintaining Ethical Integrity

In a time when misinformation is rampant, a journalist’s role as a truth-bearer is paramount. Ethics is a cornerstone of this program. You’ll not only learn the principles of journalistic ethics but also how to apply them in real scenarios, from source confidentiality to balancing public interest and privacy.

Expanding Your Network

In journalism, connections can lead to unique stories and opportunities. This program offers numerous networking chances. You’ll interact with experienced journalists during guest lectures and attend industry events, helping you establish valuable contacts for your future career.

Columbia University’s writing program is more than just a course; it’s a comprehensive training ground. By merging traditional journalistic principles with contemporary tools and techniques, it ensures graduates are ready to tackle the challenges of modern journalism. Whether you aspire to work in traditional newsrooms, digital platforms, or freelance, this program provides the foundation you need.

Important Dates and Deadlines

Columbia University, renowned for its commitment to academic excellence, offers a range of programs across various disciplines. One such program that stands out is the Creative Writing course, which attracts students worldwide. If you’re considering this program, it’s essential to be aware of the crucial dates and deadlines.

Timelines in academia provide structure, offering clarity and allowing you to plan both academic and personal commitments. This becomes especially important if you’re traveling from a different state or country.

For those eyeing the 2023 cohort, here are some dates to remember:

• Application Status: The application window for 2023 has closed. However, if you’re interested in future cohorts, regularly check the program’s official announcements to stay updated.
• Program Duration: The intensive week-long session runs from July 15-21, immersing students in the world of journalism and providing a mix of theoretical and practical experience.
• Venue: The 2023 session takes place in Washington, D.C. This location offers a rich backdrop, filled with history and political significance, providing ample learning opportunities for budding journalists.

If you’ve secured a spot for 2023, here’s how to prepare:

• Travel Plans: If you’re from outside Washington, D.C., start your travel preparations early to find better deals and reduce last-minute stress.
• Lodging: Familiarize yourself with the city’s accommodation options, especially if you’re considering an extended stay.
• Preparation Material: Some programs recommend readings or preparatory materials. Look out for such resources to ensure you’re well-prepared for the sessions.

In conclusion, the Creative Writing program at Columbia University is a unique opportunity for aspiring writers and journalists. Whether you’re part of the 2023 cohort or considering future sessions, staying informed and prepared will help you make the most of this experience.

Tips for Aspiring Applicants

Located in New York City, Columbia University offers diverse academic programs. One that stands out is their Creative Writing course, which attracts writers and journalists globally. If you’re considering this program, here are some tips to enhance your application:

Know the Program

Before applying, understand the program thoroughly. It’s not just about improving writing skills but also about understanding journalism, storytelling techniques, and various writing styles. Familiarize yourself with the course structure, faculty, and alumni achievements. This will help you tailor your application and show your genuine interest.

Show Your Enthusiasm

The admissions team values candidates with a strong passion for journalism and writing. Highlight your previous works, such as workshops, internships, or personal projects. Emphasize what you learned from each experience and how it deepened your interest in further studies.

Celebrate Diversity

Journalism thrives on varied voices. The program values applicants with diverse experiences and perspectives. Share your unique experiences, challenges, or viewpoints. It’s not just about racial or ethnic backgrounds but also about showcasing different mindsets and experiences.

Gather Strong Recommendations

A good recommendation can make a difference. Seek endorsements from teachers, mentors, or professionals in journalism or writing. Choose those who are familiar with your work and provide specific examples of your achievements.

Stay Informed

Ensure you’re updated with any changes in the application process by checking the official program website. This proactive approach can help you avoid last-minute issues. Gaining admission into Columbia University’s writing program offers unparalleled learning experiences and networking opportunities. By following these tips, you can present a compelling application, showcasing your skills, dedication, and unique voice.

What Opportunities Await After Completing the Columbia University Creative Writing Program?

Columbia University, renowned for its commitment to academic excellence, offers a variety of programs. Among them, the creative writing program stands out. If you’re considering this course or have recently completed it, you’re likely curious about the opportunities that await. Let’s delve into the potential paths you can pursue.

Standing Out in the Job Market

Having a degree from a recognized institution like Columbia University can give you an advantage. You won’t just carry the prestige of the university; you’ll also bring the skills and experiences you’ve gained. Whether you’re eyeing roles in print media, digital platforms, or broadcasting, you’ll find yourself well-prepared.

Landing Roles in Renowned Firms

Many graduates secure positions in esteemed media houses and publishing firms, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and HarperCollins. The program’s rigorous training and industry exposure prepares you to take on significant roles early in your career.

Further Studies

The world of journalism and literature is vast. Some graduates choose to specialize further, pursuing advanced degrees in journalism, literature, or related fields. While Columbia offers advanced courses, many also find opportunities in other top institutions worldwide.

Internships and Workshops

One of the program’s highlights is its industry connections. You’ll have access to internships with leading media houses and publishing firms. These internships provide invaluable real-world experience. Additionally, you can benefit from workshops, seminars, and guest lectures, expanding your network and learning from industry experts.

Starting Your Own Venture

Not everyone opts for traditional employment. With the skills you acquire, you might decide to launch your own media platform, publishing house, or content agency. The program’s emphasis on modern tools ensures that if you choose to freelance, you’re ready for the digital age.

The Creative Writing program at Columbia University isn’t just an academic course—it’s a stepping stone. As a graduate, you’ll have the tools, knowledge, and connections to navigate the dynamic world of journalism and literature. Whether you aim to join a top media house, continue your studies, or carve an independent path, a world of opportunities awaits.

Columbia University Creative Writing is more than just a program; it’s a community of budding writers and journalists eager to make their mark in the world.

With its comprehensive curriculum, esteemed mentors, and commitment to diversity, it offers students a unique platform to kickstart their journalism journey. Whether you’re a high school student passionate about writing or a parent seeking the best opportunities for your child, this program is undoubtedly worth considering.

Want to assess your chances of admission? Take our FREE chances calculator today!

Why College Admissions Isn’t Perfect

US News Rankings

The Personal Statement: The Holy Grail of College Admissions

The Modern Day 4.0 and 1600 SAT Score Student Is No Longer Impressive

The Competitive Nature of College Admissions for Asian Americans

The College Application

Our Comprehensive Approach

Ivy League Schools

How Early Should You Prepare for College?

Featured in US News & World Report Best Colleges Publication

Congratulations to AdmissionSight Students and their Acceptances!

College Rejection

College Rankings

College Consultants Could Make A Difference

College Admissions Scandal and Higher Education

5 Factors to Consider Before Choosing Your Dream Study Destination

Top Extracurricular Activities for Ivy Leagues

Where is NYU located?

Where Is Williams Located?

Where is Boston University Located?

Where Is Barnard Located?

Top 10 Undergraduate Business Programs

Where is Claremont McKenna Located?

Ivy League Rankings 2024

10 Humanities Programs for High School Students

Where is Georgia Tech located?

How to Qualify for National Merit Semifinalist 2025

Where Is Harvey Mudd Located?

Where is the University of Virginia located?

Where is Wake Forest located?

Where is the University of Michigan located?

How to Update Caltech After Submitting Your Application

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Recent Articles

5 Factors to Consider Before...

Top Extracurricular Activities for Ivy...

10 Humanities Programs for High...

How to Qualify for National...

Sign up now to receive insights on how to navigate the college admissions process..

Admissions Counseling

• Academic & Extracurricular Profile Evaluation

Copyright © AdmissionSight 2024

Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions

Columbia University in the City of New York MA in Creative Writing

Featured programs, how much does a master’s in creative writing from columbia cost, columbia graduate tuition and fees.

Does Columbia Offer an Online MA in Creative Writing?

Columbia master’s student diversity for creative writing, male-to-female ratio.

Women made up around 64.1% of the creative writing students who took home a master’s degree in 2019-2020. This is less than the nationwide number of 66.6%.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

Around 25.8% of creative writing master’s degree recipients at Columbia in 2019-2020 were awarded to racial-ethnic minorities*. This is about the same as the nationwide number of 24%.

Popular Reports

Compare your school options.

Explore summer courses and register.

Offered in collaboration with the School of the Arts, the Writing Department at Columbia University offers summer workshops and craft seminars in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry designed by acclaimed writers and editors. Hone your craft in courses that cater to a wide variety of writing styles, from comedy writing to travel writing, children's books, YA, art writing, and everything in between. Students can apply to take individual courses listed below as a Visiting Student or as a part of the Arts in Summer program .

For questions about specific courses, contact the department.

FICTION WORKSHOP WRIT1001S001 3 pts

The Fiction Writing Workshop is designed for students who have little or no experience writing imaginative prose. Students are introduced to a range of craft concerns through exercises and discussions, and eventually produce their own writing for the critical analysis of the class. Outside readings supplement and inform the exercises and longer written projects. Enrollment limited to 15.

Course Number

Summer 2024, times/location, section/call number, fiction workshop writ1001s002 3 pts, nonfiction writing workshop writ1101s002 3 pts.

The Nonfiction Writing Workshop is designed for students new to the practice of such genres as reportage, criticism, biography and memoir. Various techniques are explored through exercises and other assignments. Critique of student work is supplemented by outside readings.

POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP WRIT1201S001 3 pts

The Poetry Writing Workshop is designed for all students with a serious interest in poetry writing, from those who lack significant workshop experience or training in the craft of poetry to seasoned workshop participants looking for new challenges and perspectives on their work. Students will be assigned writing exercises emphasizing such aspects of verse composition as the poetic line, the image, rhyme and other sound devices, verse forms, repetition, collage, and others. Students will also read an variety of exemplary work in verse, submit brief critical analyses of poems, and critique each others original work.

POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP WRIT1201S002 3 pts

Writing about art writ3215w001 3 pts.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. 

This course will introduce students to writing about visual art. We will take our models from art history and contemporary art discourse, and students will be prompted to write with and about current art exhibitions and events throughout the city. The modes of art writing we will encounter include: the practice of ekphrasis (poems which describe or derive their inspiration from a work of art); writers such as John Ashbery, Gary Indiana, Eileen Myles, and others who for periods of their life held positions as art critics while composing poetry and works of fiction; writers such as Etel Adnan, Susan Howe, and Renee Gladman who have produced literature and works of art in equal measure. We will also look at artists who have written essays and poetry throughout their careers such as Robert Smithson, Glenn Ligon, Gregg Bordowitz, Moyra Davey, and Hannah Black, and consider both the visual qualities of writing and the ways that visual artists have used writing in their work. Lastly, we will consider what it means to write through a “milieu” of visual artists, such as those associated with the New York School and Moscow Conceptualism. Throughout the course students will produce original works and complete a final writing project that enriches, complicates, and departs from their own interests and preoccupations.

WRITING CHILDREN'S BOOKS WRIT4313S001 3 pts

Travel writing writ4320s001 3 pts, writing the young adult novel writ4323s001 3 pts.

The Young Adult (YA) publishing boom has changed the way we read—and write—coming-of-age stories. This course will introduce students to the elements that shape YA novels, and explore the fiction writing techniques needed for long projects, including narrative arcs, character construction, worldbuilding, and scene work. We’ll study work from a wide range of YA genres and authors, including Angie Thomas, Elana K. Arnold, Leigh Bardugo, Jason Reynolds, A.S. King, Elizabeth Acevedo, and more.

Students will begin to write and outline their own YA novel, and a variety of in-class writing exercises will support the development of each project. All students will workshop their own writing and respond to the work of others. By the end of class, students will have a portfolio of materials to draw from, and a richer understanding of the YA landscape and its possibilities.

HOW TO WRITE FUNNY WRIT4810S001 3 pts

Are you seeking one-on-one college counseling and/or essay support? Limited spots are now available. Click here to learn more.

15 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in 2024

May 15, 2024

Whether you studied at a top creative writing university or are a high school dropout who will one day become a bestselling author , you may be considering an MFA in Creative Writing. But is a writing MFA genuinely worth the time and potential costs? How do you know which program will best nurture your writing? If you’re considering an MFA, this article walks you through the best full-time, low residency, and online Creative Writing MFA programs in the United States.

What are the best Creative Writing MFA programs?

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this article, let’s start with the basics. What is an MFA, anyway?

A Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree that usually takes from two to three years to complete. Applications typically require a sample portfolio, usually 10-20 pages (and sometimes up to 30-40) of your best writing. Moreover, you can receive an MFA in a particular genre, such as Fiction or Poetry, or more broadly in Creative Writing. However, if you take the latter approach, you often have the opportunity to specialize in a single genre.

Wondering what actually goes on in a creative writing MFA beyond inspiring award-winning books and internet memes ? You enroll in workshops where you get feedback on your creative writing from your peers and a faculty member. You enroll in seminars where you get a foundation of theory and techniques. Then, you finish the degree with a thesis project. Thesis projects are typically a body of polished, publishable-quality creative work in your genre—fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.

Why should I get an MFA in Creative Writing?

You don’t need an MFA to be a writer. Just look at Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison or bestselling novelist Emily St. John Mandel.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of reasons you might still want to get a creative writing MFA. The first is, unfortunately, prestige. An MFA from a top program can help you stand out in a notoriously competitive industry to be published.

The second reason: time. Many MFA programs give you protected writing time, deadlines, and maybe even a (dainty) salary.

Third, an MFA in Creative Writing is a terminal degree. This means that this degree allows you to teach writing at the university level, especially after you publish a book.

Fourth: resources. MFA programs are often staffed by brilliant, award-winning writers; offer lecture series, volunteer opportunities, and teaching positions; and run their own (usually prestigious) literary magazines. Such resources provide you with the knowledge and insight you’ll need to navigate the literary and publishing world on your own post-graduation.

But above all, the biggest reason to pursue an MFA is the community it brings you. You get to meet other writers—and share feedback, advice, and moral support—in relationships that can last for decades.

Types of Creative Writing MFA Programs

Here are the different types of programs to consider, depending on your needs:

Fully-Funded Full-Time Programs

These programs offer full-tuition scholarships and sweeten the deal by actually paying you to attend them.

• Pros: You’re paid to write (and teach).
• Cons: Uprooting your entire life to move somewhere possibly very cold.

Full-Time MFA Programs

These programs include attending in-person classes and paying tuition (though many offer need-based and merit scholarships).

• Pros: Lots of top-notch non-funded programs have more assets to attract world-class faculty and guests.
• Cons: It’s an investment that might not pay itself back.

Low-Residency MFA Programs

Low-residency programs usually meet biannually for short sessions. They also offer one-on-one support throughout the year. These MFAs are more independent, preparing you for what the writing life is actually like.

• Pros: No major life changes required. Cons: Less time dedicated to writing and less time to build relationships.

Online MFA Programs

Held 100% online. These programs have high acceptance rates and no residency requirement. That means zero travel or moving expenses.

• Pros: No major life changes required.
• Cons: These MFAs have less name recognition.

The Top 15 Creative Writing MFA Programs Ranked by Category

The following programs are selected for their balance of high funding, impressive return on investment, stellar faculty, major journal publications , and impressive alums.

FULLY FUNDED MFA PROGRAMS

1) johns hopkins university , mfa in fiction/poetry.

This two-year program offers an incredibly generous funding package: $39,000 teaching fellowships each year. Not to mention, it offers that sweet, sweet health insurance, mind-boggling faculty, and the option to apply for a lecture position after graduation. Many grads publish their first book within three years (nice). No nonfiction MFA (boo).

• Location: Baltimore, MD
• Incoming class size: 8 students (4 per genre)
• Admissions rate: 4-8%
• Alumni: Chimamanda Adichie, Jeffrey Blitz, Wes Craven, Louise Erdrich, Porochista Khakpour, Phillis Levin, ZZ Packer, Tom Sleigh, Elizabeth Spires, Rosanna Warren

2) University of Texas, James Michener Center

The only MFA that offers full and equal funding for every writer. It’s three years long, offers a generous yearly stipend of $30k, and provides full tuition plus a health insurance stipend. Fiction, poetry, playwriting, and screenwriting concentrations are available. The Michener Center is also unique because you study a primary genre and a secondary genre, and also get $4,000 for the summer.

• Location : Austin, TX
• Incoming class size : 12 students
• Acceptance rate: a bone-chilling less-than-1% in fiction; 2-3% in other genres
• Alumni: Fiona McFarlane, Brian McGreevy, Karan Mahajan, Alix Ohlin, Kevin Powers, Lara Prescott, Roger Reeves, Maria Reva, Domenica Ruta, Sam Sax, Joseph Skibell, Dominic Smith

3) University of Iowa

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is a 2-year program on a residency model for fiction and poetry. This means there are low requirements, and lots of time to write groundbreaking novels or play pool at the local bar. All students receive full funding, including tuition, a living stipend, and subsidized health insurance. The Translation MFA , co-founded by Gayatri Chakravorti Spivak, is also two years long but with more intensive coursework. The Nonfiction Writing Program is a prestigious three-year MFA program and is also intensive.

• Incoming class size: 25 each for poetry and fiction; 10-12 for nonfiction and translation.
• Acceptance rate: 2.7-3.7%
• Fantastic Alumni: Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor, Sandra Cisneros, Joy Harjo, Garth Greenwell, Kiley Reid, Brandon Taylor, Eula Biss, Yiyun Li, Jennifer Croft

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs (Continued) 

4) university of michigan.

Anne Carson famously lives in Ann Arbor, as do the MFA students in UMichigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program. This is a big university town, which is less damaging to your social life. Plus, there’s lots to do when you have a $25,000 stipend, summer funding, and health care.

This is a 2-3-year program in either fiction or poetry, with an impressive reputation. They also have a demonstrated commitment to “ push back against the darkness of intolerance and injustice ” and have outreach programs in the community.

• Location: Ann Arbor, MI
• Incoming class size: 18 (9 in each genre)
• Acceptance rate: 2%
• Alumni: Brit Bennett, Vievee Francis, Airea D. Matthews, Celeste Ng, Chigozie Obioma, Jia Tolentino, Jesmyn Ward

5) Brown University

Brown offers an edgy, well-funded program in a place that only occasionally dips into arctic temperatures. All students are fully funded for 2 years, which includes tuition remission and a $32k yearly stipend. Students also get summer funding and—you guessed it—that sweet, sweet health insurance.

In the Brown Literary Arts MFA, students take only one workshop and one elective per semester. It’s also the only program in the country to feature a Digital/Cross Disciplinary Track.  Fiction and Poetry Tracks are offered as well.

• Location: Providence, RI
• Incoming class size: 12-13
• Acceptance rate: “highly selective”
• Alumni: Edwidge Danticat, Jaimy Gordon, Gayl Jones, Ben Lerner, Joanna Scott, Kevin Young, Ottessa Moshfegh

6) University of Arizona

This 3-year program with fiction, poetry, and nonfiction tracks has many attractive qualities. It’s in “ the lushest desert in the world, ” and was recently ranked #4 in creative writing programs, and #2 in Nonfiction. You can take classes in multiple genres, and in fact, are encouraged to do so. Plus, Arizona’s dry heat is good for arthritis.

This notoriously supportive program is fully funded. Moreover, teaching assistantships that provide a salary, health insurance, and tuition waiver are offered to all students. Tucson is home to a hopping literary scene, so it’s also possible to volunteer at multiple literary organizations and even do supported research at the US-Mexico Border.

• Location: Tucson, AZ
• Incoming class size: usually 6
• Acceptance rate: 1.2% (a refreshingly specific number after Brown’s evasiveness)
• Alumni: Francisco Cantú, Jos Charles, Tony Hoagland, Nancy Mairs, Richard Russo, Richard Siken, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, David Foster Wallace

7) Arizona State University 

With concentrations in fiction and poetry, Arizona State is a three-year funded program in arthritis-friendly dry heat. It offers small class sizes, individual mentorships, and one of the most impressive faculty rosters in the game. Moreover, it encourages cross-genre study.

Funding-wise, everyone has the option to take on a teaching assistantship position, which provides a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a yearly stipend of $25k. Other opportunities for financial support exist as well.

• Location: Tempe, AZ
• Incoming class size: 8-10
• Acceptance rate: 3% (sigh)
• Alumni: Tayari Jones, Venita Blackburn, Dorothy Chan, Adrienne Celt, Dana Diehl, Matthew Gavin Frank, Caitlin Horrocks, Allegra Hyde, Hugh Martin, Bonnie Nadzam

FULL-RESIDENCY MFAS (UNFUNDED)

8) new york university.

This two-year program is in New York City, meaning it comes with close access to literary opportunities and hot dogs. NYU also has one of the most accomplished faculty lists anywhere. Students have large cohorts (more potential friends!) and have a penchant for winning top literary prizes. Concentrations in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction are available.

• Location: New York, NY
• Incoming class size: ~60; 20-30 students accepted for each genre
• Acceptance rate: 6-9%
• Alumni: Nick Flynn, Nell Freudenberger, Aracelis Girmay, Mitchell S. Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, John Keene, Raven Leilani, Robin Coste Lewis, Ada Limón, Ocean Vuong

9) Columbia University

Another 2-3 year private MFA program with drool-worthy permanent and visiting faculty. Columbia offers courses in fiction, poetry, translation, and nonfiction. Beyond the Ivy League education, Columbia offers close access to agents, and its students have a high record of bestsellers. Finally, teaching positions and fellowships are available to help offset the high tuition.

• Incoming class size: 110
• Acceptance rate: not publicized (boo)
• Alumni: Alexandra Kleeman, Rachel Kushner, Claudia Rankine, Rick Moody, Sigrid Nunez, Tracy K. Smith, Emma Cline, Adam Wilson, Marie Howe, Mary Jo Bang

10) Sarah Lawrence 

Sarah Lawrence offers a concentration in speculative fiction in addition to the average fiction, poetry, and nonfiction choices. Moreover, they encourage cross-genre exploration. With intimate class sizes, this program is unique because it offers biweekly one-on-one conferences with its stunning faculty. It also has a notoriously supportive atmosphere, and many teaching and funding opportunities are available.

• Location: Bronxville, NY
• Incoming class size: 30-40
• Acceptance rate: not publicized
• Alumni: Cynthia Cruz, Melissa Febos, T Kira Madden, Alex Dimitrov, Moncho Alvarado

LOW RESIDENCY

11) bennington college.

This two-year program boasts truly stellar faculty, and meets twice a year for ten days in January and June. It’s like a biannual vacation in beautiful Vermont, plus mentorship by a famous writer. The rest of the time, you’ll be spending approximately 25 hours per week on reading and writing assignments. Students have the option to concentrate in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Uniquely, they can also opt for a dual-genre focus.

The tuition is $23,468 per year, with scholarships available. Additionally, Bennington offers full-immersion teaching fellowships to MFA students, which are extremely rare in low-residency programs.

• Location: Bennington, VT
• Acceptance rate: 53%
• Incoming class: 25-35
• Alumni: Larissa Pham, Andrew Reiner, Lisa Johnson Mitchell, and others

12)  Institute for American Indian Arts

This two-year program emphasizes Native American and First Nations writing. With truly amazing faculty and visiting writers, they offer a wide range of genres, including screenwriting, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In addition, each student is matched with a faculty mentor who works with them one-on-one throughout the semester.

Students attend two eight-day residencies each year, in January and July, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At $12,000 in tuition a year, it boasts being “ one of the most affordable MFA programs in the country .”

• Location: Santa Fe, NM
• Incoming class size : 21
• Alumni: Tommy Orange, Dara Yen Elerath, Kathryn Wilder

13) Vermont College of Fine Arts

VCFA is the only graduate school on this list that focuses exclusively on the fine arts. Their MFA in Writing offers concentrations in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction; they also offer an MFA in Literary Translation and one of the few MFAs in Writing for Children and Young Adults . Students meet twice a year for nine days, in January and July, either in-person or online. Here, they receive one-on-one mentorship that continues for the rest of the semester. You can also do many travel residencies in exciting (and warm) places like Cozumel.

VCFA boasts amazing faculty and visiting writers, with individualized study options and plenty of one-on-one time. Tuition for the full two-year program is approximately $54k.

• Location : Various; 2024/25 residencies are in Colorado and California
• Incoming class size: 18-25
• Acceptance rate: 63%
• Alumnx: Lauren Markham, Mary-Kim Arnold, Cassie Beasley, Kate Beasley, Julie Berry, Bridget Birdsall, Gwenda Bond, Pablo Cartaya

ONLINE MFAS

14) university of texas at el paso.

UTEP is considered the best online MFA program, and features award-winning faculty from across the globe. Accordingly, this program is geared toward serious writers who want to pursue teaching and/or publishing. Intensive workshops allow submissions in Spanish and/or English, and genres include poetry and fiction.

No residencies are required, but an optional opportunity to connect in person is available every year. This three-year program costs about $25-30k total, depending on whether you are an in-state or out-of-state resident.

• Location: El Paso, TX
• Acceptance rate: “highly competitive”
• Alumni: Watch alumni testimonies here

15) Bay Path University

This 2-year online, no-residency program is dedicated entirely to nonfiction. Featuring a supportive, diverse community, Bay Path offers small class sizes, close mentorship, and an optional yearly field trip to Ireland.

There are many tracks, including publishing, narrative medicine, and teaching creative writing. Moreover, core courses include memoir, narrative journalism, food/travel writing, and the personal essay. Tuition is approximately $31,000 for the entire program, with scholarships available.

• Location: Longmeadow, MA
• Incoming class size: 20
• Alumni: Read alumni testimonies here

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs — Final Thoughts

Whether you’re aiming for a fully funded, low residency, or completely online MFA program, there are plenty of incredible options available—all of which will sharpen your craft while immersing you in the vibrant literary arts community.

Hoping to prepare for your MFA in advance? You might consider checking out the following:

• Best English Programs
• Best Colleges for Creative Writing
• Writing Summer Programs
• Best Writing Competitions for High School Students

Inspired to start writing? Get your pencil ready:

• 100 Creative Writing Prompts 
• 1 00 Tone Words to Express Mood in Your Writing
• 60 Senior Project Ideas
• Common App Essay Prompts

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs – References:

• https://www.pw.org/mfa
• The Creative Writing MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students , by Tom Kealey (A&C Black 2005)
• Graduate School Admissions

Julia Conrad

With a Bachelor of Arts in English and Italian from Wesleyan University as well as MFAs in both Nonfiction Writing and Literary Translation from the University of Iowa, Julia is an experienced writer, editor, educator, and a former Fulbright Fellow. Julia’s work has been featured in  The Millions ,  Asymptote , and  The Massachusetts Review , among other publications. To read more of her work, visit  www.juliaconrad.net

• 2-Year Colleges
• Application Strategies
• Best Colleges by Major
• Best Colleges by State
• Big Picture
• Career & Personality Assessment
• College Essay
• College Search/Knowledge
• College Success
• Costs & Financial Aid
• Data Visualizations
• Dental School Admissions
• Extracurricular Activities
• High School Success
• High Schools
• Homeschool Resources
• Law School Admissions
• Medical School Admissions
• Navigating the Admissions Process
• Online Learning
• Outdoor Adventure
• Private High School Spotlight
• Research Programs
• Summer Program Spotlight
• Summer Programs
• Teacher Tools
• Test Prep Provider Spotlight

“Innovative and invaluable…use this book as your college lifeline.”

— Lynn O'Shaughnessy

Nationally Recognized College Expert

College Planning in Your Inbox

Join our information-packed monthly newsletter.

• Prospective
• Newly Admitted

• Educational Financing
• Student Services
• How to Apply
• Eligibility
• Application Deadlines and Decisions
• Information Sessions/Campus Visits
• Transfer Students
• International Students
• Planning Day
• Orientation
• Placement Exams
• University-Wide Placement Exams
• U.S. Military Veterans
• Dual and Joint Degree Programs
• Institutional Scholarships
• Federal and State Grants
• Private Scholarships and Grants
• Student Employment
• Post-9/11 GI Bill® and the Yellow Ribbon Program
• Veterans Request for Certification
• Cost of Attendance
• Prospective Students
• Newly Admitted Students
• Current Students
• University Employees
• Postbac Premed Students
• Counseling Appointments
• Document Upload Form
• Enrollment Update Form
• Student Account Refunds
• The Core Curriculum
• Degree Fulfillment
• Course Listings
• Majors and Concentrations
• Academic Honors
• Study Abroad
• Academic Calendar
• Curriculum & Courses
• Sample Schedule
• Preparatory Coursework
• Previously Completed Coursework
• Glide Year Master's Programs
• General Admission
• Linkage Admission
• Linkage Specific Program Requirements
• Reapplicants
• Letters of Recommendation
• Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• Academic Policies
• Undergraduate Announcements
• Postbac Premed Announcements
• Academic Advising
• Programs & Services
• University Studies
• Peer Advising
• Campus Services
• Fellowships
• Forms and Guides
• Health and Wellness
• Medical School Fair
• Pre-Professional Planning
• Career Planning
• Columbia Masters Programs
• Current Opportunities
• Ongoing Opportunities
• Leadership Development
• Multicultural & Social Justice Education Programs
• Student Organizations
• Upcoming Events
• Veterans Resources and Initiatives
• Statistics and Facts
• Notable Alumni
• University Policies
• Staff Directory
• Press Coverage
• Media Inquiries

Creative Writing

Undergraduate Creative Writing Program Office: 609 Kent; 212-854-3774 http://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate

Director of Undergraduate Studies: Prof. Anelise Chen, Fiction, Nonfiction, 609 Kent; 212-854-3774; [email protected]

Undergraduate Executive Committee:

• Prof. Anelise Chen, Fiction, Nonfiction, 609 Kent; 212-854-3774; [email protected]
• Prof. Heidi Julavits, Fiction, 609 Kent; 212-854-3774; [email protected]
• Prof. Dorothea Lasky, Poetry, 609 Kent; 212-854-3774; [email protected]
• Prof. Timothy Donnelly, Poetry, 415 Dodge; 212-854-4391; [email protected]
• Prof. Margo Jefferson, Nonfiction, 609 Kent; 212-854-3774; [email protected]
• Prof. Sam Lipsyte, Fiction, 609 Kent; 212-854-3774; [email protected]
• Prof. Deborah Paredez, Poetry, 609 Kent, [email protected]
• Prof. Alan Ziegler, Fiction, 415 Dodge; 212-854-4391; [email protected]

The Creative Writing Program in The School of the Arts combines intensive writing workshops with seminars that study literature from a writer's perspective. Students develop and hone their literary technique in workshops. The seminars (which explore literary technique and history) broaden their sense of possibility by exposing them to various ways that language has been used to make art. Related courses are drawn from departments such as English, comparative literature and society, philosophy, history, and anthropology, among others.

Students consult with faculty advisers to determine the related courses that best inform their creative work. For details on the major, see the Creative Writing website: http://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate .

Margo L. Jefferson

Phillip Lopate

• Benjamin Marcus
• Alan Ziegler

Associate Professors

• Susan Bernofsky
• Timothy Donnelly
• Rivka Galchen
• Heidi Julavits
• Dorothea Lasky
• Victor LaValle
• Sam Lipsyte
• Deborah Paredez
• Wendy Walters

Assistant Professors

• Anelise Chen

Adjunct Professors

• Hannah L Assadi
• Eliza B Callahan
• Bonnie Chau
• Meehan J Crist
• Matty Davis
• Alex Dimitrov
• Joseph Fasano
• Omer M Friedlander
• Emily R Gutierrez
• Alexis J Hutchinson
• Katrine Øgaard Jensen
• Emily Christine C Johnson
• Chloe Jones
• Quincy S Jones
• Sophie Kemp
• Holly Melgard
• Marie Myung-Ok Lee
• Vanessa Martir
• Kyle McCarthy
• Patricia Marx
• Molly L McGhee
• Mallika Rao
• Rebecca J Schiff
• Mina Seckin
• Joel Sedaño Jr
• Luciana Siracusano
• Wally Suphap
• Adam Z Wilson
• James C Yeh
• Samantha Zighelboim

Lecturer in the Discipline of Writing

• Peter M Rafel
• Ronald L Robertson Jr

Major in Creative Writing

The major in creative writing requires a minimum of 36 points: five workshops, four seminars, and three related courses.

Workshop Curriculum (15 points)

Students in the workshops produce original works of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction, and submit them to their classmates and instructor for a close critical analysis. Workshop critiques (which include detailed written reports and thorough line-edits) assess the mechanics and merits of the writing pieces. Individual instructor conferences distill the critiques into a direct plan of action to improve the work. Student writers develop by practicing the craft under the diligent critical attention of their peers and instructor, which guides them toward new levels of creative endeavor.

Creative writing majors select 15 points within the division in the following courses. One workshop must be in a genre other than the primary focus. For instance, a fiction writer might take four fiction workshops and one poetry workshop.

Seminar Curriculum (12 points)

The creative writing seminars form the intellectual ballast of our program.  Our seminars offer a close examination of literary techniques such as plot, point of view, tone, and voice.  They seek to inform and inspire students by exposing them to a wide variety of approaches in their chosen genre.  Our curriculum, via these seminars, actively responds not only to historical literary concerns, but to contemporary ones as well.  Extensive readings are required, along with short critical papers and/or creative exercises.  By closely analyzing diverse works of literature and participating in roundtable discussions, writers build the resources necessary to produce their own accomplished creative work. 

Creative writing majors select 12 points within the division. Any 4 seminars will fulfill the requirement, no matter the student's chosen genre concentration.  Below is a sampling of our seminars.  The list of seminars currently being offered can be found in the "Courses" section. 

Related Courses (9 points)

Drawn from various departments, these courses provide concentrated intellectual and creative stimulation, as well as exposure to ideas that enrich students' artistic instincts. Courses may be different for each student writer. Students should consult with faculty advisers to determine the related courses that best inform their creative work.

Fiction Workshops

WRIT UN1100 BEGINNING FICTION WORKSHOP. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. The beginning workshop in fiction is designed for students with little or no experience writing literary texts in fiction. Students are introduced to a range of technical and imaginative concerns through exercises and discussions, and they eventually produce their own writing for the critical analysis of the class. The focus of the course is on the rudiments of voice, character, setting, point of view, plot, and lyrical use of language. Students will begin to develop the critical skills that will allow them to read like writers and understand, on a technical level, how accomplished creative writing is produced. Outside readings of a wide range of fiction supplement and inform the exercises and longer written projects

WRIT UN2100 INTERMEDIATE FICTION WORKSHOP. 3.00 points .

Intermediate workshops are for students with some experience with creative writing, and whose prior work merits admission to the class (as judged by the professor). Intermediate workshops present a higher creative standard than beginning workshops, and increased expectations to produce finished work. By the end of the semester, each student will have produced at least seventy pages of original fiction. Students are additionally expected to write extensive critiques of the work of their peers. Please visit https://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate for information about registration procedures

WRIT UN3100 ADVANCED FICTION WORKSHOP. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: The department's permission required through writing sample. Please go to 609 Kent for submission schedule and registration guidelines or see http://www.arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate. Building on the work of the Intermediate Workshop, Advanced Workshops are reserved for the most accomplished creative writing students. A significant body of writing must be produced and revised. Particular attention will be paid to the components of fiction: voice, perspective, characterization, and form. Students will be expected to finish several short stories, executing a total artistic vision on a piece of writing. The critical focus of the class will include an examination of endings and formal wholeness, sustaining narrative arcs, compelling a reader's interest for the duration of the text, and generating a sense of urgency and drama in the work. Please visit https://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate for information about registration procedures

WRIT UN3101 SENIOR FICTION WORKSHOP,Senior Fiction Workshop. 4.00,4 points .

Prerequisites: The department's permission required through writing sample. Please go to 609 Kent for submission schedule and registration guidelines or see http://www.arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate. Prerequisites: The department's permission required through writing sample. Please go to 609 Kent for submission schedule and registration guidelines or see http://www.arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate. Seniors who are majors in creative writing are given priority for this course. Enrollment is limited, and is by permission of the professor. The senior workshop offers students the opportunity to work exclusively with classmates who are at the same high level of accomplishment in the major. Students in the senior workshops will produce and revise a new and substantial body of work. In-class critiques and conferences with the professor will be tailored to needs of each student.,

Seniors who are majors in creative writing are given priority for this course.  Enrollment is limited, and is by permission of the professor.  The senior workshop offers students the opportunity to work exclusively with classmates who are at the same high level of accomplishment in the major.  Students in the senior workshops will produce and revise a new and substantial body of work.  In-class critiques and conferences with the professor will be tailored to needs of each student.

Fiction Seminars

WRIT UN2110 APPROACHES TO THE SHORT STORY. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. The modern short story has gone through many transformations, and the innovations of its practitioners have often pointed the way for prose fiction as a whole. The short story has been seized upon and refreshed by diverse cultures and aesthetic affiliations, so that perhaps the only stable definition of the form remains the famous one advanced by Poe, one of its early masters, as a work of fiction that can be read in one sitting. Still, common elements of the form have emerged over the last century and this course will study them, including Point of View, Plot, Character, Setting and Theme. John Hawkes once famously called these last four elements the "enemies of the novel," and many short story writers have seen them as hindrances as well. Hawkes later recanted, though some writers would still agree with his earlier assessment, and this course will examine the successful strategies of great writers across the spectrum of short story practice, from traditional approaches to more radical solutions, keeping in mind how one period's revolution -Hemingway, for example - becomes a later era's mainstream or "commonsense" storytelling mode. By reading the work of major writers from a writer's perspective, we will examine the myriad techniques employed for what is finally a common goal: to make readers feel. Short writing exercises will help us explore the exhilarating subtleties of these elements and how the effects created by their manipulation or even outright absence power our most compelling fictions

WRIT UN3128 How to Write Funny. 3.00 points .

"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die." --Mel Brooks "Comedy has to be based on truth. You take the truth and you put a little curlicue at the End." --Sid Caesar "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it." --E.B. White "What is comedy? Comedy is the art of making people laugh without making them puke." --Steve Martin "Patty Marx is the best teacher at Columbia University." --Patty Marx One of the above quotations is false. Find out which one in this humor-writing workshop, where you will read, listen to, and watch comedic samples from well-known and lesser-known humorists. How could you not have fun in a class where we watch and critique the sketches of Monty Python, Nichols and May, Mr. Show, Mitchell ＆ Webb, Key and Peele, French and Saunders, Derrick Comedy, Beyond the Fringe, Dave Chappelle, Bob and Ray, Mel Brooks, Amy Schumer, and SNL, to name just a few? The crux of our time, though, will be devoted to writing. Students will be expected to complete weekly writing assignments; additionally, there will be in-class assignments geared to strategies for crafting surprise (the kind that results in a laugh as opposed to, say, a heart attack or divorce). Toward this end, we will study the use of irony, irreverence, hyperbole, misdirection, subtext, wordplay, formulas such as the rule of three and paraprosdokians (look it up), and repetition, and repetition

WRIT UN3125 APOCALYPSES NOW. 3.00 points .

From ancient myths of the world’s destruction to cinematic works that envision a post-apocalyptic reality, zealots of all kinds have sought an understanding of “the end of the world as we know it.”  But while apocalyptic predictions have, so far, failed to deliver a real glimpse of that end, in fiction they abound.  In this course, we will explore the narrative mechanisms by which post-apocalyptic works create projections of our own world that are believably imperiled, realistically degraded, and designed to move us to feel differently and act differently within the world we inhabit.  We will consider ways in which which authors craft immersive storylines that maintain a vital allegorical relationship to the problems of the present, and discuss recent trends in contemporary post-apocalyptic fiction.  How has the genre responded to our changing conception of peril?  Is literary apocalyptic fiction effective as a vehicle for persuasion and for showing threats in a new light?  Ultimately, we will inquire into the possibility of thinking beyond our present moment and, by doing so, altering our fate.

WRIT W3830 Fiction Seminar: Voices & Visions of Childhood. 3 points .

This course focuses on literature written for adults, NOT children's books or young-adult literature.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required.

Flannery O'Connor famously said, "Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days."  A child's or youth's journey-- whether through ordinary, universal rites of passage, or through extraordinary adventure or trauma-- compels an adult reader (and writer) to (re)inhabit the world as both naif and nature's savant.  Through the knowing/unknowing eye of the child or adolescent, the writer can explore adult topics prismatically and poignantly -- "from the bottom up" -- via humor, terror, innocence, wonder, or all of the above.    In this course, we will read both long and short form examples of childhood and youth stories, examining in particular the relationships between narrator and character, character and world (setting), character and language and narrator and reader (i.e. "reliability" of narrator).  Students will write two papers.  Short scene-based writing assignments will challenge student writers to both mine their own memories for material and imagine voices/experiences far from their own.

WRIT UN3121 HOW TO BUILD A PERSON. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Departmental approval NOT required. Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Departmental approval NOT required. Character is something that good fiction supposedly cannot do without. But what is a character, and what constitutes a supposedly good or believable one? Should characters be like people we know, and if so, how exactly do we create written versions of people? This class will examine characters in all sorts of writing, historical and contemporary, with an eye toward understanding just how characters are created in fiction, and how they come to seem real to us. Well read stories and novels; we may also look at essays and biographical writing to analyze where the traces of personhood reside. Well also explore the way in which these same techniques of writing allow us to personify entities that lack traditional personhood, such as animals, computers, and other nonhuman characters. Does personhood precede narrative, or is it something we bestow on others by allowing them to tell their story or by telling a story of our own creation on their behalf? Weekly critical and creative exercises will intersect with and expand on the readings and discussions

WRIT UN3132 THE ECSTASY OF INFLUENCE. 3.00 points .

What does it mean to be original? How do we differentiate plagiarism from pastiche, appropriation from homage? And how do we build on pre-existing traditions while simultaneously creating work that reflects our own unique experiences of the world? In a 2007 essay for Harper’s magazine, Jonathan Lethem countered critic Harold Bloom’s theory of “the anxiety of influence” by proposing, instead, an “ecstasy of influence”; Lethem suggested that writers embrace rather than reject the unavoidable imprints of their literary forbearers. Beginning with Lethem’s essay—which, itself, is composed entirely of borrowed (or “sampled”) text—this class will consider the nature of literary influence, and its role in the development of voice. Each week, students will read from pairings of older stories and novel excerpts with contemporary work that falls within the same artistic lineage. In doing so, we’ll track the movement of stylistic, structural, and thematic approaches to fiction across time, and think about the different ways that stories and novels can converse with one another. We will also consider the influence of other artistic mediums—music, visual art, film and television—on various texts. Students will then write their own original short pieces modeled after the readings. Just as musicians cover songs, we will “cover” texts, adding our own interpretive imprints

Nonfiction Workshops

WRIT UN1200 BEGINNING NONFICTION WORKSHOP. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. The beginning workshop in nonfiction is designed for students with little or no experience in writing literary nonfiction. Students are introduced to a range of technical and imaginative concerns through exercises and discussions, and they eventually submit their own writing for the critical analysis of the class. Outside readings supplement and inform the exercises and longer written projects

WRIT UN2200 INTERMEDIATE NONFICTION WRKSHP. 3.00 points .

The intermediate workshop in nonfiction is designed for students with some experience in writing literary nonfiction. Intermediate workshops present a higher creative standard than beginning workshops and an expectation that students will produce finished work. Outside readings supplement and inform the exercises and longer written projects. By the end of the semester, students will have produced thirty to forty pages of original work in at least two traditions of literary nonfiction. Please visit https://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate for information about registration procedures

WRIT UN3200 ADVANCED NONFICTION WORKSHOP. 3.00 points .

Advanced Nonfiction Workshop is for students with significant narrative and/or critical experience. Students will produce original literary nonfiction for the workshop. This workshop is reserved for accomplished nonfiction writers and maintains the highest level of creative and critical expectations. Among the many forms that creative nonfiction might assume, students may work in the following nonfiction genres: memoir, personal essay, journalism, travel writing, science writing, and/or others. In addition, students may be asked to consider the following: ethical considerations in nonfiction writing, social and cultural awareness, narrative structure, detail and description, point of view, voice, and editing and revision among other aspects of praxis. A portfolio of nonficiton will be written and revised with the critical input of the instructor and the workshop. Please visit https://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate for information about registration procedures

WRIT UN3201 SENIOR NONFICTION WORKSHOP. 4.00 points .

Nonfiction Seminars

WRIT UN2211 TRADITIONS IN NONFICTION. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. The seminar provides exposure to the varieties of nonfiction with readings in its principal genres: reportage, criticism and commentary, biography and history, and memoir and the personal essay. A highly plastic medium, nonfiction allows authors to portray real events and experiences through narrative, analysis, polemic or any combination thereof. Free to invent everything but the facts, great practitioners of nonfiction are faithful to reality while writing with a voice and a vision distinctively their own. To show how nonfiction is conceived and constructed, class discussions will emphasize the relationship of content to form and style, techniques for creating plot and character under the factual constraints imposed by nonfiction, the defining characteristics of each authors voice, the authors subjectivity and presence, the role of imagination and emotion, the uses of humor, and the importance of speculation and attitude. Written assignments will be opportunities to experiment in several nonfiction genres and styles

WRIT UN3214 HYBRID NONFICTION FORMS. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. Creative nonfiction is a frustratingly vague term. How do we give it real literary meaning; examine its compositional aims and techniques, its achievements and especially its aspirations? This course will focus on works that we might call visionary - works that combine art forms, genres and styles in striking ways. Works in which image and text combine to create a third interactive language for the reader. Works still termed fiction history or journalism that join fact and fiction to interrogate their uses and implications. Certain memoirs that are deliberately anti-autobiographical, turning from personal narrative to the sounds, sight, impressions and ideas of the writers milieu. Certain essays that join personal reflection to arts and cultural criticism, drawing on research and imagination, the vernacular and the formal, even prose and poetry. The assemblage or collage that, created from notebook entries, lists, quotations, footnotes and indexes achieves its coherence through fragments and associations, found and original texts

WRIT UN3215 ART WRITING FOR WRITERS. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. In this course, we will look at some of the most dynamic examples of "visual writing." To begin, we will look at writers writing about art, from the Romantic period through the present. The modes of this art writing we will consider include: the practice of ekphrasis (poems which address or derive their inspiration from a work of art); writers such as Ralph Ellison, Amiri Baraka, John Ashbery, and Eileen Myles, who for periods of their lives worked as art critics; writers such as Etel Adnan and Alexander Kulge, who have produced literature and works of art in equal measure; as well as numerous collaborations between writers and visual artists. We will also look at artists who have written essays and poetry throughout their careers, like artists Robert Smithson, Glenn Ligon, David Wojnarowicz, Moyra Davey, Paul Chan, and Hannah Black, as well as professional critics whose work has been elevated to the status of literature, such as Hilton Als, Janet Malcolm, and Susan Sontag. Lastly, we will consider what it means to write through a “milieu” of sonic and visual artists, such as those associated with Dada, the Harlem Renaissance, the New York School, and Moscow Conceptualism. Throughout the course, students will also be prompted to write with and about current art exhibitions and events throughout the city. They will produce original works in various of the modes described above and complete a final writing project that incorporates what they have learned

WRIT UN3217 SCIENCE AND SENSIBILITY. 3.00 points .

Writing about the natural world is one of the world's oldest literary traditions and the site of some of today's most daring literary experiments.  Known loosely as "science writing" this tradition can be traced through texts in myriad and overlapping genres, including poetry, explorer's notebooks, essays, memoirs, art books, and science journalism.  Taken together, these divers texts reveal a rich literary tradition in which the writer's sensibility and worldview are paramount to an investigation of the known and unknown.  In this course, we will consider a wide range of texts in order to map this tradition.  We will question what it means to use science as metaphor, explore how to write about science with rigor and commitment to scientific truth, and interrogate the fiction of objectivity. 

WRIT UN3224 Writing the Sixties. 3.00 points .

In this seminar, we will target nonfiction from the 1960s—the decade that saw an avalanche of new forms, new awareness, new freedoms, and new conflicts, as well as the beginnings of social movements and cultural preoccupations that continue to frame our lives, as writers and as citizens, in the 21st century: civil rights, feminism, environmentalism, LGBTQ rights, pop culture, and the rise of mass media. We will look back more than a half century to examine the development of modern criticism, memoir, reporting, and profile-writing, and the ways they entwine. Along the way, we will ask questions about these classic nonfiction forms: How do reporters, essayists, and critics make sense of the new? How do they create work as rich as the best novels and short stories? Can criticism rise to the level of art? What roles do voice, point-of-view, character, dialogue, and plot—the traditional elements of fiction—play? As we go, we will witness the unfolding of arguably the most transitional decade in American history—with such events as the Kennedy assassination, the Watts Riots, the Human Be In, and the Vietnam War, along with the rise of Pop art, rock ‘n’ roll, and a new era of moviemaking—as it was documented in real time by writers at The New Yorker, New Journalists at Esquire, and critics at Partisan Review and Harper’s, among other publications. Some writers we will consider: James Baldwin, Joan Didion, Susan Sontag, Rachel Carson, Dwight Macdonald, Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, Pauline Kael, Nik Cohn, Joseph Mitchell, Lillian Ross, Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer, Thomas Pynchon, John Updike, Michael Herr, Martha Gellhorn, John McPhee, and Betty Friedan. We will be joined by guest speakers

WRIT UN3225 LIFE STORIES. 3.00 points .

In this seminar, we will target nonfiction that tells stories about lives: profiles, memoirs, and biographies. We will examine how the practice of this kind of nonfiction, and ideas about it, have evolved over the past 150 years. Along the way, we will ask questions about these nonfiction forms: How do reporters, memoirists, biographers, and critics make sense of their subjects? How do they create work as rich as the best novels and short stories? Can criticism explicate the inner life of a human subject? What roles do voice, point-of-view, character, dialogue, and plot—the traditional elements of fiction—play? Along the way, we’ll engage in issues of identity and race, memory and self, real persons and invented characters and we’ll get glimpses of such key publications as The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, Esquire, Harper’s, and The New York Review of Books. Some writers we will consider: Frederick Douglass, Louisa May Alcott, Walt Whitman, Henry Adams, Joseph Mitchell, Lillian Ross, James Agee, John Hersey, Edmund Wilson, Gore Vidal, Gay Talese, James Baldwin, Vladimir Nabokov, Janet Malcolm, Robert Caro, Joyce Carol Oates, Toni Morrison, Joan Didion, and Henry Louis Gates Jr. The course regularly welcomes guest speakers

WRIT UN3226 NONFICTION-ISH. 3.00 points .

This cross-genre craft seminar aims to uncover daring and unusual approaches to literature informed by nonfiction (and nonfiction-adjacent) practices. In this course we will closely read and analyze a diverse set of works, including Svetlana Alexievich’s oral history of women and war, Lydia Davis’s “found” microfictions, Theresa Hak Cha’s genre-exploding “auto-enthnography,” Alejandro Zambra’s unabashedly literary narratives, Sigrid Nunez’s memoir “of” Susan Sontag, Emmanuel Carrére’s “nonfiction novel,” John Keene’s bold counternarratives, W. G. Sebald’s saturnine essay-portraits, Saidiya Hartman’s melding of history and literary imagination, Annie Ernaux’s collective autobiography, Sheila Heti’s alphabetized diary, Ben Mauk’s oral history about Xinjiang detention camps, and Edward St. Aubyn’s autobiographical novel about the British aristocracy and childhood trauma, among other texts. We will also examine Sharon Mashihi’s one-woman autofiction podcasts about Iranian Jewish American family. What we learn in this course we will apply to our own work, which will consist of two creative writing responses and a creative final project. Students will also learn to keep a daily writing journal

Poetry Workshops

WRIT UN1300 BEGINNING POETRY WORKSHOP. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. The beginning poetry workshop is designed for students who have a serious interest in poetry writing but who lack a significant background in the rudiments of the craft and/or have had little or no previous poetry workshop experience. Students will be assigned weekly writing exercises emphasizing such aspects of verse composition as the poetic line, the image, rhyme and other sound devices, verse forms, repetition, tone, irony, and others. Students will also read an extensive variety of exemplary work in verse, submit brief critical analyses of poems, and critique each others original work

WRIT UN2300 INTERMEDIATE POETRY WORKSHOP. 3.00 points .

Intermediate poetry workshops are for students with some prior instruction in the rudiments of poetry writing and prior poetry workshop experience. Intermediate poetry workshops pose greater challenges to students and maintain higher critical standards than beginning workshops. Students will be instructed in more complex aspects of the craft, including the poetic persona, the prose poem, the collage, open-field composition, and others. They will also be assigned more challenging verse forms such as the villanelle and also non-European verse forms such as the pantoum. They will read extensively, submit brief critical analyses, and put their instruction into regular practice by composing original work that will be critiqued by their peers. By the end of the semester each student will have assembled a substantial portfolio of finished work. Please visit https://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate for information about registration procedures

WRIT UN3300 ADVANCED POETRY WORKSHOP. 3.00 points .

This poetry workshop is reserved for accomplished poetry writers and maintains the highest level of creative and critical expectations. Students will be encouraged to develop their strengths and to cultivate a distinctive poetic vision and voice but must also demonstrate a willingness to broaden their range and experiment with new forms and notions of the poem. A portfolio of poetry will be written and revised with the critical input of the instructor and the workshop. Please visit https://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate for information about registration procedures

WRIT UN3301 SENIOR POETRY WORKSHOP. 4.00 points .

Prerequisites: The department's permission required through writing sample. Please go to 609 Kent for submission schedule and registration guidelines or see http://www.arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate. Seniors who are majors in creative writing are given priority for this course. Enrollment is limited, and is by permission of the professor. The senior workshop offers students the opportunity to work exclusively with classmates who are at the same high level of accomplishment in the major. Students in the senior workshops will produce and revise a new and substantial body of work. In-class critiques and conferences with the professor will be tailored to needs of each student. Please visit https://arts.columbia.edu/writing/undergraduate for information about registration procedures

Poetry Seminars

WRIT UN2311 TRADITIONS IN POETRY. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. “For those, in dark, who find their own way by the light of others’ eyes.” —Lucie Brock-Broido The avenues of poetic tradition open to today’s poets are more numerous, more invigorating, and perhaps even more baffling than ever before. The routes we chose for our writing lead to destinations of our own making, and we take them at our own risk—necessarily so, as the pursuit of poetry asks each of us to light a pilgrim’s candle and follow it into the moors and lowlands, through wastes and prairies, crossing waters as we go. Go after the marshlights, the will-o-wisps who call to you in a voice you’ve longed for your whole life. These routes have been forged by those who came before you, but for that reason, none of them can hope to keep you on it entirely. You must take your steps away, brick by brick, heading confidently into the hinterland of your own distinct achievement. For the purpose of this class, we will walk these roads together, examining the works of classic and contemporary exemplars of the craft. By companioning poets from a large spread of time, we will be able to more diversely immerse ourselves in what a poetic “tradition” truly means. We will read works by Edmund Spencer, Dante, and Goethe, the Romantics—especially Keats—Dickinson, who is mother to us all, Modernists, and the great sweep of contemporary poetry that is too vast to individuate. While it is the imperative of this class to equip you with the knowledge necessary to advance in the field of poetry, this task shall be done in a Columbian manner. Consider this class an initiation, of sorts, into the vocabulary which distinguishes the writers who work under our flag, each of us bound by this language that must be passed on, and therefore changed, to you who inherit it. As I have learned the words, I have changed them, and I give them now to you so that you may pave your own way into your own ways, inspired with the first breath that brought you here, which may excite and—hopefully—frighten you. You must be troubled. This is essential

WRIT UN3319 POETICS OF PLACE:AMERICAN LANDSCAPES, VO. 3.00 points .

When the American Poet Larry Levis left his home in California’s San Joaquin Valley, “all [he] needed to do,” he wrote, “was to describe [home] exactly as it had been. That [he] could not do, for that [is] impossible. And that is where poetry might begin. This course will consider how place shapes a poet’s self and work. Together we will consider a diverse range of poets and the places they write out of and into: from Philip Levines Detroit to Whitmans Manhattan, from Robert Lowells New England to James Wrights Ohio, from the Kentucky of Joe Bolton and Crystal Wilkinson to the California of Robin Blaser and Allen Ginsberg, from the Ozarks of Frank Stanford to the New Jersey of Amiri Baraka, from the Pacific Northwest of Robinson Jeffers to the Alaska of Mary Tallmountain. We will consider the debate between T. S. Eliot and William Carlos Williams about global versus local approaches to the poem, and together we will ask complex questions: Why is it, for example, that Jack Gilbert finds his Pittsburgh when he leaves it, while Gerald Stern finds his Pittsburgh when he keeps it close? Does something sing because you leave it or because you hold it close? Do you come to a place to find where you belong in it? Do you leave a place to find where it belongs in you? As Carolyn Kizer writes in Running Away from Home, Its never over, old church of our claustrophobia! And of course home can give us the first freedom of wanting to leave, the first prison and freedom of want. In our reflections on each “place,” we will reflect on its varied histories, its native peoples, and its inheritance of violent conquest. Our syllabus will consist, in addition to poems, of manifestos and prose writings about place, from Richard Hugos Triggering Town to Sandra Beasleys Prioritizing Place. You will be encouraged to think about everything from dialect to economics, from collectivism to individualism in poems that root themselves in particular places, and you will be encouraged to consider how those poems “transcend” their origins. You will write response papers, analytical papers, and creative pieces, and you will complete a final project that reflects on your own relationship to place

WRIT UN3322 WASTE. 3.00 points .

What if we think of writing as waste management? “To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now,” said Samuel Beckett then, famously, but: What does this mean? In this course, we will explore the many ways in which artists and writers have tried to answer this question, not only with waste as a figure for thought but as the concrete and recalcitrant reality of our being. Students will be asked to keep a notebook, with the instruction to keep everything that is for them a signature of thought. In this way, a pinecone or a piece of garbage is as much “writing” as anything else. Together, we will create an archive for the semester, of everything that is produced and/or consumed under this aegis of making. This class is designed to pose questions about form and the activity of writing and, in turn, the modes and methods of production not only as writers, but as persons. In addition to our weekly readings, we will be taking field trips throughout the city, convening with Freegan.info for a trash tour and meeting with the artist in residence at the Department of Sanitation, as well as hosting visitors for additional conversations over Zoom

WRIT UN3324 SENSORY POETICS. 3.00 points .

“A writer should have the precision of a poet and the imagination of a scientist” —Vladimir Nabokov “Every word was once an animal.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson How do writers use words to bring whole worlds to life in the senses? Sensory Poetics is a semester-long exploration of how this formal question has propelled the last 150 years of formally innovative poetry, manifestos and essays on craft. Here, we will read by critically and creatively responding to these texts with a single goal in mind: Borrow their methods to compose a dossier of writing that brings just one thing to life in the senses—any one thing—of your individual choosing. To that end, the semester is divided into 3 Labs that each isolate a different register of sensemaking: Sound, Image, and Line. For example, in the Sound Lab unit, you’ll respond to poems and essays by acoustic-centered poets like John Cage, Kamau Brathwaite and Gertrude Stein, transcribing the sound of your one thing, and writing a metered sonnet based on models from different periods and artistic contexts. To capture the look and logic of your one thing, further in you’ll read Surrealists like Aimé and Suzanne Césaire (for Image Lab), Kathy Acker’s cut-ups, and the psychedelic prose poems of Georges Perec and Yoko Ono (for Line Lab). Throughout, we’ll also read Raymond Queneau’s Exercises in Style, a book that is similarly a dossier of one thing written a hundred different ways. Class time focuses on close-reading and analyzing poems together. At the end of each of the three Labs, you’ll submit a portfolio which showcases and reflects on your favorite creative/critical writing generated during the unit. So, no matter how boring or inflexible your one thing may appear to you at any point, your only limits beyond this constraint—make a dossier on one thing—will merely be the finite plasticity of your own imagination, which luckily, readings in this course are curated to expand. This is a place to encounter, practice and experiment with new and exciting forms that broaden your repertoire for articulating your obsessions in ways that bring them to life in the ears, eyes and minds of your audience. Writers of all majors and levels welcome

WRIT UN3365 21STC AM POETRY ＆ ITS CONCERNS. 3.00 points .

The lyric has often been conceived of as timeless in its content and inwardly-directed in its mode of address, yet so many poems with lasting claim on our attention point unmistakably outward, addressing the particulars of their times. This course will examine the ways in which an array of 21st poets have embraced, indicted, and anatomized their cultural and historical contexts, diagnosing society’s ailments, indulging in its obsessions, and sharing its concerns. Engaging with such topics as race, class, war, death, trauma, feminism, pop culture and sexuality, how do poets adapt poetic form to provide meaningful and relevant insights without losing them to beauty, ambiguity, and music? How is pop star Rihanna a vehicle for discussing feminism and isolation? What does it mean to write about Black masculinity after Ferguson? In a time when poetry’s cultural relevancy is continually debated in academia and in the media, how can today’s poets use their art to hold a mirror to modern living? This class will explore how writers address present-day topics in light of their own subjectivity, how their works reflect larger cultural trends and currents, and how critics as well as poets themselves have reflected on poetry’s, and the poet’s, changing social role. In studying how these writers complicate traditional notions of what poetry should and shouldn’t do, both in terms of content and of form, students will investigate their own writing practices, fortify their poetic voices, and create new works that engage directly and confidently with the world in which they are written

WRIT UN3321 Ecopoetics. 3.00 points .

“There are things / We live among ‘and to see them / Is to know ourselves.’” George Oppen, “Of Being Numerous” In this class we will read poetry like writers that inhabit an imperiled planet, understanding our poems as being in direct conversation both with the environment as well as writers past and present with similar concerns and techniques. Given the imminent ecological crises we are facing, the poems we read will center themes of place, ecology, interspecies dependence, the role of humans in the destruction of the planet, and the “necropastoral” (to borrow a term from Joyelle McSweeney), among others. We will read works by poets and writers such as (but not limited to) John Ashbery, Harryette Mullen, Asiya Wadud, Wendy Xu, Ross Gay, Simone Kearney, Kim Hyesoon, Marcella Durand, Arthur Rimbaud, Geoffrey G. O’Brien, Muriel Rukeyser, George Oppen, Terrance Hayes, Juliana Spahr, and W.S. Merwin—reading several full collections as well as individual poems and essays by scholars in the field. Through close readings, in-class exercises, discussions, and creative/critical writings, we will invest in and investigate facets of the dynamic lyric that is aware of its environs (sound, image, line), while also exploring traditional poetic forms like the Haibun, ode, prose poem, and elegy. Additionally, we will seek inspiration in outside mediums such as film, visual art, and music, as well as, of course, the natural world. As a class, we will explore the highly individual nature of writing processes and talk about building writing practices that are generative as well as sustainable

Cross Genre Seminars

WRIT UN3010 SHORT PROSE FORMS. 3.00 points .

Note: This seminar has a workshop component.

Prerequisites: No Prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. Prerequisites: No Prerequisites. Department approval NOT required. Flash fiction, micro-naratives and the short-short have become exciting areas of exploration for contemporary writers. This course will examine how these literary fragments have captured the imagination of writers internationally and at home. The larger question the class seeks to answer, both on a collective and individual level, is: How can we craft a working definition of those elements endemic to short prose as a genre? Does the form exceed classification? What aspects of both crafts -- prose and poetry -- does this genre inhabit, expand upon, reinvent, reject, subvert? Short Prose Forms incorporates aspects of both literary seminar and the creative workshop. Class-time will be devoted alternatingly to examinations of published pieces and modified discussions of student work. Our reading chart the course from the genres emergence, examining the prose poem in 19th-century France through the works of Mallarme, Baudelaire, Max Jacob and Rimbaud. Well examine aspects of poetry -- the attention to the lyrical, the use of compression, musicality, sonic resonances and wit -- and attempt to understand how these writers took, as Russell Edson describes, experience [and] made it into an artifact with the logic of a dream. The class will conclude with a portfolio at the end of the term, in which students will submit a compendium of final drafts of three of four short prose pieces, samples of several exercises, selescted responses to readings, and a short personal manifesto on the short prose form

WRIT UN3011 TRANSLATION SEMINAR. 3.00 points .

Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Students do not need to demonstrate bilingual ability to take this course. Department approval NOT needed. Corequisites: This course is open to undergraduate & graduate students. Prerequisites: No prerequisites. Students do not need to demonstrate bilingual ability to take this course. Department approval NOT needed. Corequisites: This course is open to undergraduate ＆ graduate students. This course will explore broad-ranging questions pertaining to the historical, cultural, and political significance of translation while analyzing the various challenges confronted by the arts foremost practitioners. We will read and discuss texts by writers and theorists such as Benjamin, Derrida, Borges, Steiner, Dryden, Nabokov, Schleiermacher, Goethe, Spivak, Jakobson, and Venuti. As readers and practitioners of translation, we will train our ears to detect the visibility of invisibility of the translators craft; through short writing experiments, we will discover how to identify and capture the nuances that traverse literary styles, historical periods and cultures. The course will culminate in a final project that may either be a critical analysis or an original translation accompanied by a translators note of introduction

WRIT UN3018 Inhabiting Form: Writing the Body. 3.00 points .

The body is our most immediate encounter with the world, the vessel through which we experience our entire lives: pleasure, pain, beauty, horror, limitation, freedom, fragility and empowerment. In this course, we will pursue critical and creative inquiries into invocations and manifestations of the body in multiple genres of literature and in several capacities. We will look at how writers make space for—or take up space with—bodies in their work. The etymology of the word “text” is from the Latin textus, meaning “tissue.” Along these lines, we will consider the text itself as a body. Discussions around body politics, race, gender, ability, illness, death, metamorphosis, monstrosity and pleasure will be parallel to the consideration of how a text might function itself as a body in space and time. We will consider such questions as: What is the connective tissue of a story or a poem? What is the nervous system of a lyric essay? How is formal constraint similar to societal ideals about beauty and acceptability of certain bodies? How do words and language function at the cellular level to build the body of a text? How can we make room to honor, in our writing, bodies that have otherwise been marginalized? We will also consider non-human bodies (animals ＆ organisms) and embodiments of the supernatural (ghosts, gods ＆ specters) in our inquiries. Students will process and explore these ideas in both creative and analytical writings throughout the semester, deepening their understanding of embodiment both on and off the page

WRIT UN3031 INTRO TO AUDIO STORYTELLING. 3.00 points .

It’s one thing to tell a story with the pen. It’s another to transfix your audience with your voice. In this class, we will explore principles of audio narrative. Oral storytellers arguably understand suspense, humor and showmanship in ways only a live performer can. Even if you are a diehard writer of visually-consumed text, you may find, once the class is over, that you have learned techniques that can translate across borders: your written work may benefit. Alternatively, you may discover that audio is the medium for you. We will consider sound from the ground up – from folkloric oral traditions, to raw, naturally captured sound stories, to seemingly straightforward radio news segments, to highly polished narrative podcasts. While this class involves a fair amount of reading, much of what we will be studying and discussing is audio material. Some is as lo-fi as can be, and some is operatic in scope, benefitting from large production budgets and teams of artists. At the same time that we study these works, each student will also complete small audio production exercises of their own; as a final project, students will be expected to produce a trailer, or “sizzle” for a hypothetical multi-episode show. This class is meant for beginners to the audio tradition. There are some tech requirements: a recording device (most phones will suffice), workable set of headphones, and computer. You’ll also need to download the free audio editing software Audacity

WRIT UN3036 THE AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE. 3.00 points .

What is an aesthetic experience and what does it tell us about art or about ourselves? An aesthetic experience might be best initially defined as a subjective and often profound encounter with an object, artwork, or phenomenon that elicits a heightened sense of beauty, appreciation, or emotional response. It involves a deep engagement with the sensory, emotional, and intellectual aspects of the object of appreciation. Aesthetic experiences typically involve a sense of pleasure, contemplation, or emotional resonance, and they often transcend practical or utilitarian considerations. These experiences can encompass a wide range of phenomena, literature, natural landscapes, and even everyday objects when perceived with a heightened sense of awareness and appreciation. Aesthetic experiences are highly personal and can vary from person to person based on individual preferences, cultural backgrounds, and emotional responses. For me, an aesthetic experience is both mysterious and confounding—I’m impacted physically as much as it might mentally or emotionally. In the throes of an aesthetic experience, I might feel the small hairs on my arms or on the back of my neck stand up. I might feel nearly ill from a racing heart or my stomach turning. I might feel energized by new thoughts prompted by the experience or feel my heart swell in appreciation and awe. I might also feel a deep sense of recognition—one that connects me to the art object and its maker in a way that transcends time and place. But why do I feel this? Where does this feeling come from? What is really happening?? In this class, we’ll study this question on two levels: 1. A ‘theoretical’ level. Theorists, critics, and philosophers have long tried to understand what it means to have an aesthetic experience. Plato likened this experience to madness, Kant to the sublime; Tolstoy argued the aesthetic experience was a form of communication only accessible through engagement in art. Historians place aesthetic experience within the context of time and culture. We’ll study and discuss theories that have tried to define this mysterious phenomenon. 2. A ‘practical’ level. We’ll also read the work of writers who have puzzled through this question of the aesthetic experience by writing about their connection to a work or body of work by another artist. Often this involves a search to understand the self via the work of another artist. Books: Required books available at Book Culture on 112th Street and Broadway or in course reserves at Butler Library. Several readings will be available for free via our courseworks page. They are indicated on the syllabus as (CW)

Print Options

Send Page to Printer

Print this page.

Download Page (PDF)

The PDF will include all information unique to this page.

Full 2023-2024 Catalog (PDF)

This PDF will include the entire Bernard College 2023-2024 Catalogue.

This PDF will include the entire Columbia College 2023-2024 Bulletin. Coming Soon!

© 2014 Columbia College Chicago -->
	Columbia College Chicago
	Jul 09, 2024   2024-2025 Catalog     2024-2025 Catalog The MFA in Creative Writing is a multi-faceted, interdisciplinary, multi-genre immersion into the literary arts. Writers may choose to focus on a primary genre, explore a secondary genre, or design their own multi-genre curriculum. The program embodies a creative-critical approach to the literary arts, incorporating literature seminars, workshops, courses in theory and craft, as well as interdisciplinary electives that can be taken accross graduate programs at the college, including travel abroad options. Students will be able to take courses in literary editing and production. A majority of our students also teach as Graduate Student Instructors.  As a result of successfully completing the program requirements, students should be able to: engage critically across literary texts written in various genres; continue to generate creative work in their chosen genre(s) of study; articulate critical and theorectical approaches to their own creative work as well as the work of others, across genre and literary traditions; demonstrate knowledge of the current literary publishing landscape; and craft texts across media and genre or in a specific form that are informed by tradition, innovation, as well as the contemporary literary discourse. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS - 35 credits required CRWR 660 Thesis: Creative Writing - take twice Choose three of the following courses: CRWR 610 Advanced Graduate Fiction Workshop CRWR 625 MFA Poetry Workshop CRWR 640 Workshop: Open Genre CRWR 662 Graduate Workshop: Nonfiction Thesis Workshop Choose one of the following courses: CRWR 645 Thesis Development: Open Genre CRWR 650 Thesis Development: Fiction CRWR 655 Thesis Development: Poetry CRWR 665 Thesis Development: Nonfiction Craft Seminars Choose two of the following courses: CRWR 612A Craft Seminar in Fiction CRWR 612B Craft Seminar in Fiction CRWR 626 Graduate Poetics Seminar CRWR 630A Craft Seminar in Poetry CRWR 630B Craft Seminar in Poetry CRWR 661A Craft Seminar in Nonfiction CRWR 661B Craft Seminar in Nonfiction CRWR 663 Topics in Nonfiction CRWR 699A Craft Seminar in Creative Writing CRWR 699B Craft Seminar in Creative Writing Literature Seminars LITR 675 History of the Essay LITR 679A Graduate Seminar in Literature LITR 679B Graduate Seminar in Literature CRWR 515 Literary Magazine Editing CRWR 516 Literary Magazine Production CRWR 620 Critical Reading and Writing: Kafka and European Masters CRWR 670 Creative Writing: J-Term in Paris CRWR 672 Topics in Writing Abroad: Rome GRAD 610 Teaching Methods and Pedagogies Journals & Series Academic Programs Composition Directories Quick Links Directories Home Colleges, Schools, and Departments Administrative Units Research Centers and Institutes Resources and Services Employee Directory Contact UNLV Social Media Directory UNLV Mobile Apps Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program overview. Named one of the “Five Innovative/Unique Programs” creative writing programs by The Atlantic , the master of fine arts in creative writing is one of two programs offered by UNLV’s Creative Writing International Program with genre concentrations in fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry. By providing an innovative curriculum and fostering an educational environment where students can perfect their art, our graduates become globally-engaged writers that demonstrate socially-engaged and active writing practices. Program Outcomes Students receive a strong theoretical foundation in their selected genre concentration, as well as an appreciation for the art and theory across various genres, thereby expanding their creative abilities. Moreover, they develop a nuanced understanding of canonical contexts and the historical evolution of literature, which provides valuable insights into new writing. Through exposure to international writing and literary translation, students cultivate a practical appreciation for diverse linguistic traditions beyond English, enriching their creative perspectives.  A high percentage of our graduates have widely published fiction, literary nonfiction, journalism, and poetry with mainstream presses, indie presses, and nationally esteemed venues such as: W. W. Norton & Company Grove Press The Best American Poetry McSweeney’s The New York Times The Los Angeles Times Program Structure Our students follow a three-year course of study that includes writing workshops, genre forms courses, literature classes, a residency abroad, completion of a literary translation, and completion of a book-length manuscript that meets the standard of publishable works. Students also have the opportunity for teacher training and practical experience in literary publishing. Additionally, our department, in partnership with the Black Mountain Institute, offers the Doctorate of Philosophy in English with a Creative Dissertation, supported by a graduate assistantship combined with the Black Mountain Institute fellowship. Program Funding All MFA students are fully funded by UNLV and the Black Mountain Institute (BMI) for three years of study towards their degrees.  Graduate Assistantships of $21,000/year  Opportunities for additional funding from BMI In-state tuition  Student health insurance. Duties for the Graduate Assistantship are 20 hours per week, usually fulfilled through a combination of teaching, tutoring in the Writing Center, and working for English Department or Black Mountain Institute publications. Our Faculty Maile chapman, ph.d.. Wendy Chen, Ph.D. Claudia Keelan Roberto Lovato David Morris, MFA Douglas A. Unger The MFA Student Experience The UNLV creative writing program offers a supportive and immersive experience to its students. From day one, students become part of a vibrant community of writers where creativity thrives and collaboration flourishes. Whether students aspire to publish their writing, pursue further study, or embark on diverse career paths within the literary world, UNLV provides the resources, support, and community they need to thrive and succeed. Activities and Events With the Black Mountain Institute The UNLV Department of English has a longstanding relationship with the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute (BMI). This allows our students to receive opportunities to engage in creative and literary activities with visiting BMI fellows in socially meaningful literary events for the city of Las Vegas and its greater community. Recent BMI fellows and national and international award-winning visitors include: Percival Everett Melissa Febos Layli Long Soldier Jaquira Díaz Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah See the Black Mountain Institute's website for more information. Academic and Literary Journals The creative writing concentration helps students develop their writing craft and critical thinking skills through a workshop setting and literature courses. It equips them with professional skills for various industries and prepares them for graduate studies in English and creative writing. Founded by M.F.A. alumna Kat Kruse in 2010, Neon Lit is a completely student-run reading series featuring writing of students currently in the Creative Writing programs at UNLV. Events are held on the last Friday of each month usually at the Writer’s Block, an independent bookstore and community center in downtown Las Vegas. See Neon Lit’s website and YouTube Channel for more information. Writing Series Breakout writers series. The “Breakout Writers Series” or Emerging Writers Series features writers just emerging on the literary scene. Writers who visit and read for this series are chosen entirely by the students in the M.F.A. and Ph.D. programs. Alumni Reading Series The yearly Alumni Reading Series celebrates the literary successes of graduates of the program. Recent alumni readers include Marianne Chan, Jean Chen Ho, Clancy McGilligan, Alissa Nutting, Juan Martínez, Sasha Steensen, and Mani Rao. Admission Requirements Fiction: 20-30 pages Literary nonfiction: 20-30 pages Poetry: 10-15 pages A letter of application to the Graduate Committee detailing a statement of purpose and reasons for choosing UNLV Official transcripts from all previously attended colleges or universities  Two letters of recommendation Applicants must choose the International Focus subplan, unless they have already been accepted to the Peace Corps Master's International Partnership program. International Applicants Each year, our program admits several international writers with high competency in writing in English that immensely contribute to our literary community. Our diverse student body fosters a rich exchange of ideas and perspectives, creating a dynamic learning environment that prepares graduates for success in the global literary landscape. Furthermore, UNLV's creative writing program values inclusivity and encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to contribute to the vibrant tapestry of voices within our community. 259 IMAGES columbia creative writing graduate Introduction to Creative Writing with Columbia University My Experience as a Columbia University Creative Writing Major Creative writing masters columbia university Chinookhelicopters.com columbia creative writing graduate Classes I'm Taking as a Columbia University Student! // creative writing + business major VIDEO Graduate Program in Creative Writing MA Writing (Long Version) Graduate School of Arts and Sciences MA, Class of 2023 Ceremony Master's Programmes in Creative Writing at Lancaster University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences PhD Ceremony Class of 2023 An interview with screenwriter Zac Hug COMMENTS Writing The Columbia MFA is a two-year program requiring 60 credits of coursework to complete the degree and can take up to three years to complete the thesis. Students concentrate in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction, and also have the option of pursuing a joint course of study in writing and literary translation. Creative Writing Creative Writing. The Creative Writing Department offers writing workshops in fiction writing, poetry, and nonfiction writing. Courses are also offered in film writing, structure and style, translation, and the short story. For questions about specific courses, contact the department. The Creative Writing Program at Columbia University To study creative writing at Columbia University's School of the Arts, in New York City, is to join a distinguished group of writers who arrived at a prestigious university in the nation's literary capital to explore the deep artistic power of language. J.D. Salinger enrolled in a short story course here in 1939. Federico Garcia Lorca wrote Poet in New York while he was a student at Columbia. Undergraduate Writing Program at Columbia University The MFA program in creative writing at Columbia University's School of the Arts offers concentrations in fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction, and features a curriculum driven by a rigorous approach to literary instruction, and a faculty that is deeply committed to the work of its students. We seek students looking to deepen their artistic ... Writing MFA Degree & Concentrations Writing MFA Degree & Concentrations. Our workshops, master classes, seminars, and lectures are created for writers by writers who discuss student work and examine literature from a practitioner's perspective, not that of a scholar or theorist. We draw fully on the cultural resources of Columbia University—its faculty, libraries, archives ... Writing Graduate Courses & Requirements The required 60 points for the MFA degree must include: Three 6-point workshops and one 9-point thesis workshop. At least 21 points total of Graduate Writing Program lectures, seminars, and/or master classes. Independent studies, internships, Special Projects Workshops, and courses taken outside the program cannot be counted toward this 21 ... PDF Creative Writing Major in Creative Writing The major in creative writing requires a minimum of 36 points: five workshops, four seminars, and three related courses. Workshop Curriculum (15 points) Students in the workshops produce original works of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction, and submit them to their classmates and instructor for a close critical analysis. Graduate Writing Program at Columbia University School of the Arts Fall 2005 Courses. This seminar will consist of a rigorous inspection of a series of stories, sometimes sentence by sentence, focusing on the constitutive elements of fiction (plot, character, tone, flashback, suspense, dialogue, point-of-view, imagery, design, and theme). We will begin by concentrating broadly on the components, with mention ... Columbia University Creative Writing: A Comprehensive Guide The Creative Writing course at Columbia University is more than just academic learning. It's a transformative journey where you'll find your voice, refine your skills, and emerge as a confident storyteller. If you're a high school student passionate about writing, consider this program a stepping stone to your dreams. 2024 Best Creative Writing Master's Degree Schools University of Iowa is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in creative writing. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. More information about a master's in creative writing from University of Iowa. Request Information. 5. Columbia University in the City of New York MA in Creative Writing Women made up around 64.1% of the creative writing students who took home a master's degree in 2019-2020. This is less than the nationwide number of 66.6%. Racial-Ethnic Diversity. Around 25.8% of creative writing master's degree recipients at Columbia in 2019-2020 were awarded to racial-ethnic minorities*. Programs of Study Columbia University School of the Arts awards the Master of Fine Arts degree in Film, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Writing, as well as an interdisciplinary program in Sound Art that leads to an MFA in Visual Arts. The School also offers a Master of Arts degree in Film and Media Studies.It maintains a strong commitment to undergraduate education in the arts by offering majors in Creative Writing ... Writing Writing. Offered in collaboration with the School of the Arts, the Writing Department at Columbia University offers summer workshops and craft seminars in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry designed by acclaimed writers and editors. Hone your craft in courses that cater to a wide variety of writing styles, from comedy writing to travel writing ... Literary Arts The Institute for Comparative Literature and Society promotes a global perspective in the study of literature, culture, and their social context at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition, literary events on campus are accessible to all. The Creative Writing Lecture Series at the School of the Arts brings a diverse and brilliant ... 15 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in 2024 4) University of Michigan. Anne Carson famously lives in Ann Arbor, as do the MFA students in UMichigan's Helen Zell Writers' Program. This is a big university town, which is less damaging to your social life. Plus, there's lots to do when you have a $25,000 stipend, summer funding, and health care. Creative Writing < School of General Studies Major in Creative Writing. The major in creative writing requires a minimum of 36 points: five workshops, four seminars, and three related courses. Workshop Curriculum (15 points) Students in the workshops produce original works of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction, and submit them to their classmates and instructor for a close critical analysis. Program: Creative Writing, MFA The program embodies a creative-critical approach to the literary arts, incorporating literature seminars, workshops, courses in theory and craft, as well as interdisciplinary electives that can be taken accross graduate programs at the college, including travel abroad options. Future-Proofing with Tech: How the Technology Management Program Change is accelerating. Generative AI is redefining the shape and speed of innovation. Columbia's Master of Science in Technology Management program prepares technology professionals to future-proof their practice.. Columbia University pioneered the Ivy League's first Technology Management master's program 20 years ago to empower professionals to make an economic and social impact in a ... Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program Overview. Named one of the "Five Innovative/Unique Programs" creative writing programs by The Atlantic, the master of fine arts in creative writing is one of two programs offered by UNLV's Creative Writing International Program with genre concentrations in fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry.By providing an innovative curriculum and fostering an educational environment where ... Writing Undergraduate Major To study creative writing at Columbia University's School of the Arts, in New York City, is to join a distinguished group of writers who arrived at a prestigious university in the nation's literary capital to explore the deep artistic power of language. J.D. Salinger enrolled in a short story course here in 1939. Best 15 Custom Cabinet Makers in Kratovo, Moscow Oblast, Russia Search 745 Kratovo custom cabinet makers to find the best cabinetry and custom cabinet maker for your project. See the top reviewed local cabinetry and custom cabinet makers in Kratovo, Moscow Oblast, Russia on Houzz. Major Requirements Prerequisite: Intermediate Workshop. Permission required. Admission by writing sample. Enrollment limited to 15 students. This course can be repeated in fulfillment of the major. Building on the work of the Intermediate Workshop, Advanced workshops are reserved for the most gifted creative writing students. A significant body of writing must be ... Kratovo, Russia Kratovo (Russian: Кра́тово) is an urban locality (a suburban (dacha) settlement) in Ramensky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located 40 kilometers (25 mi) southeast of Moscow.Population: 8,277 (2010 Russian census); 6,855 (2002 Census); 6,295 (1989 Soviet census) . Zoe Williams of The Guardian wrote that Kratovo "resembles a Russian Guildford with high hedges, gigantic trees, the ... Siding Contractors & Companies in Kratovo Search 36 Kratovo siding contractors & companies to find the best exterior and siding contractor for your project. See the top reviewed local exterior and siding contractors in Kratovo, Moscow Oblast, Russia on Houzz. Undergraduate Program Intro The Undergraduate Program. The creative writing program in The School of the Arts combines intensive writing workshops with seminars that study literature from a writer's perspective. While students develop and hone their literary technique in workshops, the creative writing seminars (which explore literary technique as well as history ... Arborists & Tree Trimming Services in Kratovo Search 10 Kratovo arborists & tree trimming services to find the best tree service professional for your project. See the top reviewed local tree services in Kratovo, Moscow Oblast, Russia on Houzz. assignment essay homework phd report review speech thesis