georgetown mfa creative writing

College of Arts & Sciences

Archive: Creative Writing

Welcoming prof. zein el-amine to the english department.

Prof. Zein El-Amine is in the midst of a book tour promoting his most recent collection of short stories, Is This How You Eat a Watermelon? It's already won the Megaphone Prize for Short Fiction and

Categories: Announcement , News Story Tags: Creative Writing , English , Faculty Publications , News , Poetry

English Alumna, Desiree C. Bailey’s Debut Poetry Collection Longlisted for 2021 National Book Award for Poetry

We are excited to share that English alumna, Desiree C. Bailey (C'11) recently had her debut poetry collection, What Noise Against the Cane, longlisted for the 2021 National Book Award for Poetry. It

Category: Announcement Tags: Alumni , Award , Creative Writing , Department of English , News , Poetry

Carolyn Forché Finalist for 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

We have some wonderful news to share about University Professor, Carolyn Forché: her latest book of poetry, In the Lateness of the World, was selected as a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Poe

Category: Announcement Tags: Award , Creative Writing , Department of English , Faculty , Poetry , Pulitzer Prize

Tope Folarin Wins 2021 Whiting Award in Fiction

We are excited to announce that Professor Tope Folarin, Lannan Creative Writing Visiting Lecturer, has won the 2021 Whiting Award in Fiction. It was given for his debut novel, A Particular Kind of Bl

Category: Announcement Tags: Creative Writing , Department of English , Fiction , Literary Prize

Amanda Chu (SFS’22), Creative Writing Minor, Reflects on Asian American Lives Lost in Atlanta Shooting in Baltimore Sun Article

Earlier this week, Amanda Chu, a junior creative writing minor and SFS student, shared her deeply personal reflection to the Asian American lives lost in the recent Atlanta shooting in an article pub

Category: Announcement Tags: Asian American , Creative Writing , Reflection

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The 10 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in the US

The talent is there. 

But the next generation of great American writers needs a collegial place to hone their craft. 

They need a place to explore the writer’s role in a wider community. 

They really need guidance about how and when to publish. 

All these things can be found in a solid Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree program. This degree offers access to mentors, to colleagues, and to a future in the writing world. 

A good MFA program gives new writers a precious few years to focus completely on their work, an ideal space away from the noise and pressure of the fast-paced modern world. 

We’ve found ten of the best ones, all of which provide the support, the creative stimulation, and the tranquility necessary to foster a mature writer.

We looked at graduate departments from all regions, public and private, all sizes, searching for the ten most inspiring Creative Writing MFA programs. 

Each of these ten institutions has assembled stellar faculties, developed student-focused paths of study, and provide robust support for writers accepted into their degree programs. 

To be considered for inclusion in this list, these MFA programs all must be fully-funded degrees, as recognized by Read The Workshop .

Creative Writing education has broadened and expanded over recent years, and no single method or plan fits for all students. 

Today, MFA programs across the country give budding short story writers and poets a variety of options for study. For future novelists, screenwriters – even viral bloggers – the search for the perfect setting for their next phase of development starts with these outstanding institutions, all of which have developed thoughtful and particular approaches to study.

So where will the next Salinger scribble his stories on the steps of the student center, or the next Angelou reading her poems in the local bookstore’s student-run poetry night? At one of these ten programs.

Here are 10 of the best creative writing MFA programs in the US.

University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)

Starting off the list is one of the oldest and most venerated Creative Writing programs in the country, the MFA at the University of Oregon. 

Longtime mentor, teacher, and award-winning poet Garrett Hongo directs the program, modeling its studio-based approach to one-on-one instruction in the English college system. 

Oregon’s MFA embraces its reputation for rigor. Besides attending workshops and tutorials, students take classes in more formal poetics and literature.  

A classic college town, Eugene provides an ideal backdrop for the writers’ community within Oregon’s MFA students and faculty.  

Tsunami Books , a local bookseller with national caché, hosts student-run readings featuring writers from the program. 

Graduates garner an impressive range of critical acclaim; Yale Younger Poet winner Brigit Pegeen Kelly, Cave Canem Prize winner and Guggenheim fellow Major Jackson, and PEN-Hemingway Award winner Chang-Rae Lee are noteworthy alumni. 

With its appealing setting and impressive reputation, Oregon’s MFA program attracts top writers as visiting faculty, including recent guests Elizabeth McCracken, David Mura, and Li-young Lee.

The individual approach defines the Oregon MFA experience; a key feature of the program’s first year is the customized reading list each MFA student creates with their faculty guide. 

Weekly meetings focus not only on the student’s writing, but also on the extended discovery of voice through directed reading. 

Accepting only ten new students a year—five in poetry and five in fiction— the University of Oregon’s MFA ensures a close-knit community with plenty of individual coaching and guidance.

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)

Cornell University’s MFA program takes the long view on life as a writer, incorporating practical editorial training and teaching experience into its two-year program.

Incoming MFA students choose their own faculty committee of at least two faculty members, providing consistent advice as they move through a mixture of workshop and literature classes. 

Students in the program’s first year benefit from editorial training as readers and editors for Epoch , the program’s prestigious literary journal.

Teaching experience grounds the Cornell program. MFA students design and teach writing-centered undergraduate seminars on a variety of topics, and they remain in Ithaca during the summer to teach in programs for undergraduates. 

Cornell even allows MFA graduates to stay on as lecturers at Cornell for a period of time while they are on the job search. Cornell also offers a joint MFA/Ph.D. program through the Creative Writing and English departments.

Endowments fund several acclaimed reading series, drawing internationally known authors to campus for workshops and work sessions with MFA students. 

Recent visiting readers include Salman Rushdie, Sandra Cisneros, Billy Collins, Margaret Atwood, Ada Limón, and others. 

Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)

Arizona State’s MFA in Creative Writing spans three years, giving students ample time to practice their craft, develop a voice, and begin to find a place in the post-graduation literary world. 

Coursework balances writing and literature classes equally, with courses in craft and one-on-one mentoring alongside courses in literature, theory, or even electives in topics like fine press printing, bookmaking, or publishing. 

While students follow a path in either poetry or fiction, they are encouraged to take courses across the genres.

Teaching is also a focus in Arizona State’s MFA program, with funding coming from teaching assistantships in the school’s English department. Other exciting teaching opportunities include teaching abroad in locations around the world, funded through grants and internships.

The Virginia C. Piper Center for Creative Writing, affiliated with the program, offers Arizona State MFA students professional development in formal and informal ways. 

The Distinguished Writers Series and Desert Nights, Rising Stars Conference bring world-class writers to campus, allowing students to interact with some of the greatest in the profession. Acclaimed writer and poet Alberto Ríos directs the Piper Center.

Arizona State transitions students to the world after graduation through internships with publishers like Four Way Books. 

Its commitment to the student experience and its history of producing acclaimed writers—recent examples include Tayari Jones (Oprah’s Book Club, 2018; Women’s Prize for Fiction, 2019), Venita Blackburn ( Prairie Schooner Book Prize, 2018), and Hugh Martin ( Iowa Review Jeff Sharlet Award for Veterans)—make Arizona State University’s MFA a consistent leader among degree programs.

University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)

The University of Texas at Austin’s MFA program, the Michener Center for Writers, maintains one of the most vibrant, exciting, active literary faculties of any MFA program.

Denis Johnson D.A. Powell, Geoff Dyer, Natasha Trethewey, Margot Livesey, Ben Fountain: the list of recent guest faculty boasts some of the biggest names in current literature.

This three-year program fully funds candidates without teaching fellowships or assistantships; the goal is for students to focus entirely on their writing. 

More genre tracks at the Michener Center mean students can choose two focus areas, a primary and secondary, from Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting, and Playwriting.

The Michener Center for Writers plays a prominent role in contemporary writing of all kinds. 

The hip, student-edited Bat City Review accepts work of all genres, visual art, cross genres, collaborative, and experimental pieces.  

Recent events for illustrious alumni include New Yorker publications, an Oprah Book Club selection, a screenwriting prize, and a 2021 Pulitzer (for visiting faculty member Mitchell Jackson). 

In this program, students are right in the middle of all the action of contemporary American literature.

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)

The MFA in Creative Writing at Washington University in St. Louis is a program on the move: applicants have almost doubled here in the last five years. 

Maybe this sudden growth of interest comes from recent rising star alumni on the literary scene, like Paul Tran, Miranda Popkey, and National Book Award winner Justin Phillip Reed.

Or maybe it’s the high profile Washington University’s MFA program commands, with its rotating faculty post through the Hurst Visiting Professor program and its active distinguished reader series. 

Superstar figures like Alison Bechdel and George Saunders have recently held visiting professorships, maintaining an energetic atmosphere program-wide.

Washington University’s MFA program sustains a reputation for the quality of the mentorship experience. 

With only five new students in each genre annually, MFA candidates form close cohorts among their peers and enjoy attentive support and mentorship from an engaged and vigorous faculty. 

Three genre tracks are available to students: fiction, poetry, and the increasingly relevant and popular creative nonfiction.

Another attractive feature of this program: first-year students are fully funded, but not expected to take on a teaching role until their second year. 

A generous stipend, coupled with St. Louis’s low cost of living, gives MFA candidates at Washington University the space to develop in a low-stress but stimulating creative environment.

Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)

It’s one of the first and biggest choices students face when choosing an MFA program: two-year or three-year? 

Indiana University makes a compelling case for its three-year program, in which the third year of support allows students an extended period of time to focus on the thesis, usually a novel or book-length collection.

One of the older programs on the list, Indiana’s MFA dates back to 1948. 

Its past instructors and alumni read like the index to an American Literature textbook. 

How many places can you take classes in the same place Robert Frost once taught, not to mention the program that granted its first creative writing Master’s degree to David Wagoner? Even today, the program’s integrity and reputation draw faculty like Ross Gay and Kevin Young.

Indiana’s Creative Writing program houses two more literary institutions, the Indiana Review, and the Indiana University Writers’ Conference. 

Students make up the editorial staff of this lauded literary magazine, in some cases for course credit or a stipend. An MFA candidate serves each year as assistant director of the much-celebrated and highly attended conference . 

These two facets of Indiana’s program give graduate students access to visiting writers, professional experience, and a taste of the writing life beyond academia.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)

The University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program cultivates its students with a combination of workshop-driven course work and vigorous programming on and off-campus. Inventive new voices in fiction and poetry consistently emerge from this two-year program.

The campus hosts multiple readings, events, and contests, anchored by the Zell Visiting Writers Series. The Hopgood Awards offer annual prize money to Michigan creative writing students . 

The department cultivates relationships with organizations and events around Detroit, so whether it’s introducing writers at Literati bookstore or organizing writing retreats in conjunction with local arts organizations, MFA candidates find opportunities to cultivate a community role and public persona as a writer.

What happens after graduation tells the big story of this program. Michigan produces heavy hitters in the literary world, like Celeste Ng, Jesmyn Ward, Elizabeth Kostova, Nate Marshall, Paisley Rekdal, and Laura Kasischke. 

Their alumni place their works with venerable houses like Penguin and Harper Collins, longtime literary favorites Graywolf and Copper Canyon, and the new vanguard like McSweeney’s, Fence, and Ugly Duckling Presse.

University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)

Structure combined with personal attention and mentorship characterizes the University of Minnesota’s Creative Writing MFA, starting with its unique program requirements. 

In addition to course work and a final thesis, Minnesota’s MFA candidates assemble a book list of personally significant works on literary craft, compose a long-form essay on their writing process, and defend their thesis works with reading in front of an audience.

Literary journal Great River Review and events like the First Book reading series and Mill City Reading series do their part to expand the student experience beyond the focus on the internal. 

The Edelstein-Keller Visiting Writer Series draws exceptional, culturally relevant writers like Chuck Klosterman and Claudia Rankine for readings and student conversations. 

Writer and retired University of Minnesota instructor Charles Baxter established the program’s Hunger Relief benefit , aiding Minnesota’s Second Harvest Heartland organization. 

Emblematic of the program’s vision of the writer in service to humanity, this annual contest and reading bring together distinguished writers, students, faculty, and community members in favor of a greater goal.

Brown University (Providence, RI)

One of the top institutions on any list, Brown University features an elegantly-constructed Literary Arts Program, with students choosing one workshop and one elective per semester. 

The electives can be taken from any department at Brown; especially popular choices include Studio Art and other coursework through the affiliated Rhode Island School of Design. The final semester consists of thesis construction under the supervision of the candidate’s faculty advisor.

Brown is the only MFA program to feature, in addition to poetry and fiction tracks, the Digital/Cross Disciplinary track . 

This track attracts multidisciplinary writers who need the support offered by Brown’s collaboration among music, visual art, computer science, theater and performance studies, and other departments. 

The interaction with the Rhode Island School of Design also allows those artists interested in new forms of media to explore and develop their practice, inventing new forms of art and communication.

Brown’s Literary Arts Program focuses on creating an atmosphere where students can refine their artistic visions, supported by like-minded faculty who provide the time and materials necessary to innovate. 

Not only has the program produced trailblazing writers like Percival Everett and Otessa Moshfegh, but works composed by alumni incorporating dance, music, media, and theater have been performed around the world, from the stage at Kennedy Center to National Public Radio.

University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)

When most people hear “MFA in Creative Writing,” it’s the Iowa Writers’ Workshop they imagine. 

The informal name of the University of Iowa’s Program in Creative Writing, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop was the first to offer an MFA, back in 1936. 

One of the first diplomas went to renowned writer Wallace Stegner, who later founded the MFA program at Stanford.

 It’s hard to argue with seventeen Pulitzer Prize winners and six U.S. Poets Laureate. The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is the root system of the MFA tree.

The two-year program balances writing courses with coursework in other graduate departments at the university. In addition to the book-length thesis, a written exam is part of the student’s last semester.

Because the program represents the quintessential idea of a writing program, it attracts its faculty positions, reading series, events, and workshops the brightest lights of the literary world. 

The program’s flagship literary magazine, the Iowa Review , is a lofty goal for writers at all stages of their career. 

At the Writers’ Workshop, tracks include not only fiction, poetry, playwriting, and nonfiction, but also Spanish creative writing and literary translation. Their reading series in association with Prairie Lights bookstore streams online and is heard around the world.

Iowa’s program came into being in answer to the central question posed to each one of these schools: can writing be taught? 

The answer for a group of intrepid, creative souls in 1936 was, actually, “maybe not.” 

But they believed it could be cultivated; each one of these institutions proves it can be, in many ways, for those willing to commit the time and imagination.

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Core Writing Team

Jason “J” Palmeri (they/them) is professor of English and Director of the Writing Program. Palmeri coordinates the first year writing program and also provides to support to faculty across campus in integrating writing into their courses in ways that enhance student learning. As a scholar, Palmeri focuses on the history and theory of writing pedagogy, multimodal rhetorics, digital humanities, and queer literacies. Palmeri has published two books about the technologically-mediated history of English instruction:  Remixing Composition: A History of Multimodal Writing Pedagogy  (Southern Illinois UP, 2012) and  100 Years of New Media Pedagogy  (University of Michigan Press, 2021). They can be reached at j.palmeri [at] georgetown.edu.

Elizabeth Catchmark is assistant teaching professor and the director of the Writing Center . Catchmark previously served as an assistant director of the University of Maryland’s Academic Writing Program and a faculty fellow for the Professional Writing Program. She also independently developed and delivered a tutor-training program for the Petey Greene Program, which supports incarcerated learners. Catchmark received her B.A.s from Penn State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. Her work in writing program administration focuses on linguistic justice in the teaching and tutoring of English, while her doctoral work examined health justice in the long Black freedom struggle. She has research expertise in linguistic diversity, Black studies and the medical humanities.

David Lipscomb is an Associate Teaching Professor who teaches first-year writing, Approaches to Teaching Composition, Professional Writing, and Cybersecurity Communications. He serves on the board of the  Center For Plain Language (new window)  and also serves on the drafting committee for the first international standard for plain language —  ISO 24495-1 . Previously, David led a communication consulting company, Redpen21, where he worked with the American Red Cross, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Kellogg, and dozens of other organizations. Before coming to Georgetown, David taught at Wake Forest University and Columbia University, where he earned his PhD.

Monica Maxwell-Paegle is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English Writing Program specializing in teaching international students. She holds graduate degrees in American literature and education from the State University of New York at Albany and earned her Ph.D. in linguistics at Georgetown University. This background enables her to assist students from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds to strengthen their academic writing skills and comprehend American literature within cultural and historical contexts. Her professional interests include second/foreign language pedagogy, art/literature/culture/humanities connections, and language skills assessment.

Phil Sandick is an Assistant Teaching Professor whose interests include teaching with podcasts, pedagogical theory, and writing research. He received a PhD in English (Rhetoric and Composition) from The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where he also served as Assistant Director for the UNC Writing Program. His book chapter, “Lore 2.0: Creative Writing as History” is a part of the collection of essays on creative writing pedagogy,  Can Creative Writing Really Be Taught?  (Bloomsbury Academic). Formerly a fiction editor at The Carolina Quarterly, Phil received an MFA in fiction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and currently directs the Creative Writing Minor at Georgetown.

Rebecca Tarsa  is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the English Department’s Writing Program. Her research interests include digital literacies, digital writing interfaces, and first year writing. Her work can be seen in  College English , as well as the recent collections  Precarious Rhetorics  and  Type Matters: The Rhetoricity of Letterforms.  She holds a PhD in Composition and Rhetoric from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The Best 15 Creative Writing MFA Programs in 2023

April 7, 2023

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? This article walks you through the considerations for an MFA program, as well as the best Creative Writing MFA programs in the United States.

First of all, what is an MFA?

A Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree that usually takes from two to three years to complete. Applications require a sample portfolio for entry, usually of 10-20 pages of your best writing.

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.

Reasons to 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.

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 programs 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 (baltimore, md).

This is a two-year program, with $33,000 teaching fellowships per year. This MFA offers the most generous funding package. Not to mention, it offers that sweet, sweet health insurance, mind-boggling faculty, and a guaranteed lecture position after graduation (nice). No nonfiction MFA (boo).

• Incoming class size: 8 students
• Admissions rate: 11.1%
• Alumni: Chimamanda Adiche, 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 (Austin, TX)

A fully-funded 3-year program with a generous stipend of $29,500. The program offers fiction, poetry, playwriting and screenwriting. The Michener Center is also unique because you study a primary genre and a secondary genre, and also get $3,000 for the summer.

• 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 (Iowa City, IA)

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. Most students are funded, with fellowships worth up to $21,000. The Translation MFA, co-founded by Gayatri Chakravorti Spivak, is also two years, 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: 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

4) University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)

Anne Carson famously lives in Ann Arbor, as do the MFA students U-Michigan’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 $23,000 stipend, summer funding, and health care.

This is a 2-3-year program, 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.

• Incoming class size: 18
• Acceptance rate: 4% (which maybe seems high after less-than-1%)
• Alumni: Brit Bennett, Vievee Francis, Airea D. Matthews, Celeste Ng, Chigozie Obioma, Jia Tolentino, Jesmyn Ward

5) Brown University (Providence, RI)

Brown offers an edgy, well-funded program in a place that doesn’t dip into arctic temperatures. Students are all fully-funded for 2-3 years with $29,926 in 2021-22. 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.

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

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs (Continued) 

6) university of arizona (tucson, az).

This 3-year program 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 dry heat is good for arthritis.

This notoriously supportive program pays $20,000 a year, and offers the potential to volunteer at multiple literary organizations. You can also do supported research at the US-Mexico Border.

• Incoming class size: 9
• Acceptance rate: 4.85% (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 (Tempe, AZ):

Arizona State is also 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. Everyone gets a $19,000 stipend, with other opportunities for financial support.

• 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 (new york, ny).

This two-year program is in New York City, meaning it comes with close access to literary opportunities and hot dogs. NYU is private, and 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.

• Incoming class size: 40-60
• Acceptance rate: 6%
• 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 (New York, NY)

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.

• Incoming class size: 110
• Acceptance rate: 21%
• 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 (Bronxville, NY)

Sarah Lawrence offers speculative fiction beyond the average fiction, poetry, and nonfiction course offerings. 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.

• Incoming class size: 30-40
• Acceptance rate: N/A
• Alumni: Cynthia Cruz, Melissa Febos, T Kira Madden, Alex Dimitrov, Moncho Alvarado

LOW RESIDENCY

11 bennington college (bennington, vt).

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, and then you get a degree. The tuition is $23,468 per year, with scholarships available.

• Acceptance rate: 53%
• Incoming class: 40
• Alumni: Larissa Pham, Andrew Reiner, Lisa Johnson Mitchell, and others

12)  Institute for American Indian Arts (Santa Fe, NM)

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 offered, in screenwriting, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

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

• Incoming class size : 22
• Acceptance rate: 100%
• Alumni: Tommy Orange, Dara Yen Elerath, Kathryn Wilder

13) Vermont College of Fine Arts

One of few MFAs where you can study the art of the picture book, middle grade and young adult literature, graphic literature, nonfiction, fiction, and poetry for young people. Students meet twice a year for nine days, in January and July, in Vermont. 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 is $48,604.

• 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 (el paso, tx).

The world’s first bilingual and online MFA program in the world. UTEP is considered the best online MFA program, and features award-winning faculty from across the globe. Intensive workshops allow submitting in Spanish and English, and genres include poetry and fiction. This three-year program costs $14,766 a year, with rolling admissions.

• Alumni: Watch alumni testimonies here

15) Bay Path University (Long Meadow, MA)

This 2-year online program is dedicated entirely to nonfiction. A supportive, diverse community, Bay Path offers small class sizes, close mentorship, and a potential field trip in Ireland.

There are many tracks, including publishing, Narrative Medicine, and teaching. Core courses include memoir, narrative journalism, and the personal essay. The price is $785/credit, for 39 credits, with scholarships available.

• Incoming class size: 20
• Acceptance rate: an encouraging 78%
• Alumni: Read alumni testimonies here

Prepare for your MFA in advance:

• Best English Programs
• Best Creative Writing Schools
• Writing Summer Programs

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

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MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics

Master of fine arts in creative writing and poetics.

Join a thriving community of writers and artists working across genres and forms with our open-genre program. Discover our MFA in Creative Writing.

Program Overview

Naropa’s MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics provides the only open-genre degree in the country. Rooted in the lineage of experimental poetics, writers at the Jack Kerouac School work across artistic disciplines and genres to hone their voices on and off the page.

From contemplative to documentary poetics, MFA writers at Naropa work at the cutting edge of contemporary, experimental forms alongside the traditions of letterpress printing, book arts, and small press publishing.

Founded in 1974 by Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, and Diane di Prima, the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics values the craft and spirit of writing. Its MFA in creative writing program culminates in a critical and creative thesis , enabling writers to enter the world ready to take their work to the next level from academia to publishing, performance, and community building.

Cross-Genre Curriculum

The graduate program’s approach explores revolutionary genre-bending in the craft of writing, and our inclusion of poetics , unique among MFAs in creative writing, encourages exploration across genres and themes. Naropa’s cross-genre curriculum helps writers shape their own aesthetic and develop their unique critical and creative voices. We challenge the notion of safe or generic works and create a space for radical exploration and experimentation.

Writing Community

At Naropa, community is fostered through a culture of collaboration over competition . Our greatest concerns are not program rankings or how often and where student work is being published. Instead, we are concerned with writers discovering the full expression of their creative capacity . Our writing community is strengthened by a rich calendar of events, including our Summer Writing Program , an annual convocation of students, poets, fiction writers, performers, letterpress printers, and more.

Diverse & Renowned Faculty

Our faculty includes accomplished poets and writers from around the country and the world , including program director Anne Waldman, distinguished professor and world-renowned poet and performer. To date, Naropa’s graduate creative writing program students have studied with Joy Harjo, Roberto Tejada, Layli Long Soldier, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Tongo Eisen-Martin, and other visiting faculty. Encounters with these gifted writers and performers are a hallmark of Naropa’s Jack Kerouac School.

Quick Facts

• Open-genre curriculum
• On-campus degree
• Unique experimental approach
• Participation in the Summer Writing Program
• Guidance in preparing the creative thesis for publication
• Cohort model developing a strong sense of community among MFA students
• Several scholarship and financial aid opportunities
• Applications open for August 2024
• Deadline for guaranteed fellowship consideration: February 1, 2024.

Program Format

The MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics is a two-year, on-campus, 48-credit graduate degree. Students typically enroll in 9 credit hours per semester and 12 credit hours in the Summer Writing Program (over two summers).

The program offers an open-genre curriculum within a contemplative academic environment , providing MFA students maximum flexibility within the degree. Graduate students are encouraged to take classes across genres, enabling them to investigate a personal, intensely original writing process and style.

Course Spotlight

Multigenre workshop: text and image, degree requirements, mfa in creative writing & poetics requirements, 9 credits of writing workshop.

Semester-long courses in creative writing workshops require regular submission of original work for critique, oral presentation, and editing. Creative reading and writing courses have distinct literature and creative writing components.

• WRI-614 Prose Workshop: Memoir/Anti-Memoir(3)
• WRI-625 Multigenre Workshop: Adaptation(3)
• WRI-629 Multigenre Workshop: Translation(3)
• WRI-671 Prose Workshop: Narrative Practices(3)
• WRI-715 Poetry Workshop: Experimental Poetry(3)
• WRI-720 Prose Workshop: Experimental Prose(3)
• WRI-722 Poetry Workshop: Eco-Poetics(3)
• WRI-729 Multigenre Workshop: Collaborative Texts(3)
• WRI-730 Multigenre Workshop: Performance Art and Writing(3)
• TWRI-731 Prose Workshop: the Novel(3)
• WRI-739 Poetry Workshop: Contemplative Poetics(3)
• WRI-744 Multigenre Workshop: Somatic Writing(3)
• WRI-748 Multigenre Workshop: Activist Writing(3)
• WRI-749 Multigenre Workshop: Text and Image(3)
• WRI-758 Poetry Workshop: Documentary Poetics(3)
• WRI-763 Multigenre Workshop: Notes on Architecture(3)
• WRI-770 Multigenre Workshop: Cross-Genre Forms(3)
• WRI-775 Multigenre Workshop: Cross-Disciplinary Writing(3)
• WRI-793 Special Topics: Writing Workshop(3)

9 credits of poetics seminars

These examine a single writer’s work or specific topics in literary history, or encompass a survey of historical or theoretical orientations, and require critical papers in a standard academic format. Students must take WRI-617 in their first semester.

• WRI-617 Poetics Seminar: Writers in Community(3)
• WRI-640 Poetics Seminar: Women Writers(3)
• WRI-656 Poetics Seminar: The Archive(3)
• WRI-677 Poetics Seminar: Critical Theory(3)
• WRI-707 Poetics Seminar: Major Authors(3)
• WRI-727 Poetics Seminar: Cross-Cultural Literature(3)
• WRI-733 Poetics Seminar: Queer Lit(3)
• WRI-740 Poetics Seminar: Film Poetics(3)
• WRI-757 Poetics Seminar: Lineages(3)
• WRI-761 Poetics Seminar: Contemporary Trends(3)
• WRI-796 Special Topics: Poetics Seminar(3)

12 credits of the Summer Writing Program (workshops, lectures, readings)

• WRI-652 Week Two Summer Writing Program(2)
• WRI-651 Summer Writing Program(2)
• WRI-653 Summer Writing Program I(2)
• WRI-751 Summer Writing Program(2)
• WRI-752 Week Two Summer Writing Program(2)
• WRI-753 Summer Writing Program(2)

3 credits of contemplative practice

There are a variety of courses available that satisfy this requirement, including, but not limited to, Taijiquan, sitting meditation, aikido, ikebana, sumi brushstroke, thangka painting, and yoga. Each of these disciplines provides training in an art form that cultivates mindful awareness.

The Creative Writing and Poetics program offers the following 3-credit contemplative courses:

3 credits of professional development (teaching or publishing)

There are a variety of courses available that provide professional development in teaching and publishing.

• WRI-602 Professional Development: Letterpress: Well-Dressed Word(3)
• WRI-603 Professional Development: Letterpress: First Impressions(3)
• WRI-607W Professional Development: Teaching Practicum: Designing a Writing Workshop(2)
• WRI-672 Professional Development: Book Arts(3)
• WRI-700 Professional Development: Writing Pedagogy Seminar(3)
• WRI-705 Professional Development: Small Press Publishing(3)
• WRI-781 Professional Development: Project Outreach(3)
• WRI-797 Special Topics: Professional Development(3)

6 credits of electives (workshops, interdisciplinary courses, etc.)

Students have ample choices to fulfill the 6-credit elective requirement and may choose courses from a wide range of offerings (including taking extra poetics and workshop courses). The Creative Writing and Poetics program also offers the following electives:

• WRI-789W Fall Writers Practicum(1)
• WRI-791W Spring Writers Practicum(1)
• WRI-794W Writers Practicum With Anne Waldman(1)
• WRI-795W Writing Practicum with Allen Ginsberg Visiting Fellow(1)

6 credits of thesis (faculty mentorship on book-length creative manuscript and critical research poetics essay)

In their last semester, MFA students submit an MFA thesis, which includes creative and critical components. Additional information about the MFA thesis and extended thesis is available in the JKS office.

• WRI-875 MFA Critical Thesis Seminar(3)
• WRI-880 MFA Creative Thesis(3)
• WRI-881 Extended MFA Thesis(0.5)

Why Choose Naropa?

Strong writing tradition.

The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics has encouraged experimental forms across genres since its foundation in 1974 by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman. We challenge the notion of safe or generic works and create a space for radical exploration and experimentation.

Contemplative Approach

Naropa students deepen their writing craft not only through external exploration but by plumbing the depths of their minds, hearts, and souls. Introspective pedagogy leads to better writing and a greater connection with yourself and your writing community.

In-house Publishing & Printing

At Naropa, you will have the opportunity to Publish your work in the student-run literary journal of the Kerouac School , Bombay Gin, which is distributed nationally through Small Press Distribution. Students and alumni have also started their own presses with support from the university.

How this Program Prepares You

Professional dossier.

Naropa students graduate with a solid record of written work, developed alongside peers and polished under the guidance of expert faculty. Our workshops, seminars, and summer programs are designed to push students to discover and harness their own writing voice.

Critical Analysis

Our program actively encourages students to approach reading and writing through a critical lens , questioning assumptions, identifying bias, and deconstructing generalizations. Graduates from the MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics are trained to recognize intersectionality in the literary arts, recognizing the wider spectrum that surrounds any piece.

Writing as Creative Art

Our program guides students through the process of crafting creative work, encouraging cross-genre exploration to enrich their practice and develop their writing skills. Students are encouraged to follow and develop their artistic instincts to the fullest, realizing their potential as artists and writers.

What You'll Learn

Superior writing craft.

Strengthen your craft and technique in a variety of literary genres.

Foundation in Critical Theory

Clearly communicate original ideas on a variety of literary texts and topics.

Awareness of Intersectionality in the Literary Arts

Recognize and appreciate intersecting social identities in literature.

Freedom of Expression

Discover your full potential as a writer by learning to take creative risks.

Career Preparedness

Become a published author, writing teacher, translator, or editor.

Career Opportunities with a Creative Writing & Poetics

• Lyricist: write words for songs, matching melody and rhyme.
• Poet: use language to creatively express emotion, ideas and experiences.
• Proofreader: check written work for errors and inconsistencies.
• English Teacher: teach at the postsecondary level.
• Author: craft and publish original material.
• Editor: review and improve written work for publication.

Hear from a Graduate

Heather fester, faqs about the creative writing & poetics, what can you do with an mfa in creative writing, why get an mfa in creative writing, how long does a creative writing mfa take to complete.

The MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics is a two-year, 48-credit graduate degree. As this is an on-campus degree, students must relocate to Boulder, Colorado, in order to attend. Alternatively, our low-residency MFA in creative writing can also be completed in two years and does not require relocation.

What sets Naropa’s Creative Writing MFA apart from other programs?

What types of funding are available.

Funding includes the Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, and Anselm Hollo Graduate Fellowships.

The fellowships are awarded annually to three incoming MFA Creative Writing and Poetics students (residency program). Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, and Anselm Hollo fellowship recipients will receive full funding (tuition and fees), plus an additional $5,000 scholarship as well as a $4,500 stipend. Fellowship recipients may not simultaneously hold a Graduate Assistantship.

Additionally, partial funding is provided for students who have applied for and been offered graduate assistantships with the Naropa Writing Center.

Visit our Graduate Scholarship page to read more about funding, fellowships and scholarships for the Creative Writing & Poetics MFA and other degrees.

Learn More About the Program

Connect with your counselor

Olivia phipps.

Graduate Admissions Counselor

• [email protected]
• Schedule an Appointment
• Attend An Info Session

Ready to Apply?

Admission requirements.

Naropa’s application process evaluates both academic performance and candidates’ openness and willingness to engage in contemplation.

Learn more about admission requirements and the application process for or Creative Writing MFA.

Graduate Students

Completion of an undergraduate degree is required in order to apply for our MFA in Creative Writing. Candidates must submit a transcript of their undergraduate coursework, a statement of interest, a resume, two letters of interest, and a creative writing sample. They may also apply for financial aid at this stage.

Applicants who meet qualifying criteria will be invited to an interview day, which includes group and individual interview. 

Discover all admission requirements.

International Students

You can apply to Naropa as an international student with an undergraduate diploma from a non-US university. However, additional documentation must be submitted together with your application. Learn how to apply to Naropa as an international student.

Costs and Financial Aid

Naropa graduate students can apply for many grants, scholarships and financial aid opportunities. Over 75% of our graduate students receive federal or institutional support to finance their studies. 

See our Costs & Aids page to learn more about the costs of attending Naropa, well as grants, scholarships, and programs you may be eligible for.

Undergraduate Scholarship Opportunities

Interested in our Creative Writing MFA?

Read our blog or listen to our podcast, heartfire festival returns to naropa university, episode 92. andrew schelling: writing as a spiritual practice, womxn of naropa celebrates national poetry month, summer writing program from the archives, together in spirit, student support and resources, academic support, online student support, career services, financial aid, accessibility, related programs, mfa in creative writing (low-residency), ba in creative writing and literature, request information, plan a visit, about naropa, events & community, user information, support naropa.

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Naropa campuses closed on friday, march 15, 2024.

Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed Friday, March 15, 2024.  All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. All online and low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.

Based on the current weather forecast, the Healing with the Ancestors Talk & Breeze of Simplicity program scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday will be held as planned.

Staff that do not work remotely or are scheduled to work on campus, can work remotely. Staff that routinely work remotely are expected to continue to do so.

As a reminder, notifications will be sent by e-mail and the LiveSafe app.  

Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors.  Naropa University trusts you to make thoughtful and wise decisions based on the conditions and situation in which you find yourself in.

The Creative Writing Program

The PhD in English Literature with Creative Dissertation at the University of Georgia is for writers who wish to advance their expertise and sophistication as scholars. Our students are accomplished poets, fiction writers, essayists, translators, and interdisciplinary artists who are ready to move beyond the studio focus of the MFA to a more intensive program of literary study. Over the course of the five-year program our students develop research specialties that complement their writing practice and prepare them professionally for a teaching career at the university or college level.

Our creative writing faculty are nationally and internationally recognized writers and translators with academic specializations in a variety of literary and theoretical fields, including Genre Theory, Poetics, Global Literature, Native American Literature, African American Literature, Postcolonial Literature, and Translation Studies. Our program fosters serious conversations among our students about aesthetics and criticism, experience and culture, and politics and history—not only in the classroom but through public readings and lectures. Our faculty and students play an active role in the cultural life of Athens, both as artists and organizers.

Program Overview

During the first two years of study our Ph.D. candidates select from course offerings in the English Department, seminars that signal both our faculty’s recognition of intellectual and disciplinary change and our abiding commitment to traditional literary history. Each student takes at least one Creative Writing course a year in addition to courses in various literary specialties. A list of our department’s recent graduate course offerings can be found here .  Prior to beginning their third year, students prepare reading lists for comprehensive exams in three academic research fields of their choosing. Every CWP student chooses “Forms and Craft” as one of their exam areas. This reading list serves as a research field unique to each writer’s approach to their particular genre. Some of the “Forms and Craft” lists designed recently by CWP students include, “The Midwestern Novel”; “Occult and Visionary Poetics”; “History of Surrealism”; “Monstrosity in Epic Poetry”; and “Literary Translation: Theory and Practice.” The two other exam fields should complement and expand the student’s areas of expertise beyond craft in order to broaden their historical and theoretical understanding of literature. In recent years, CWP students have elected to take exams in fields such as, “A Global History of the Novel,” ”Modernism and the Historical Avant-Garde,” “Aesthetic Theory,” ”African American Literature,” “Latinx Literature,” “Ecopoetics,” “The Southern Novel,” “Lyric Theory,” and “Science Fiction.”

Typically the exam committee is headed by a member of the creative writing faculty and two other professors from the department at large, experts in the respective exam areas. During the third year students read in preparation for written and oral exams. Each written exam takes the form of a twenty-page written exhibit in which the student answers a directive question formulated in conjunction with the exam area’s director. This exhibit should demonstrate the student’s grasp of the field as a whole and serves as a demonstration of their ability to teach in this area at the undergraduate level. Once the student has passed written exams, they are admitted to an oral exam overseen by the exam committee as a whole. Once the student passes both oral and written exams, they are admitted officially to candidacy for the PhD and begin working on their dissertation.

During their fourth and fifth years CWP students complete a creative dissertation with a critical introduction. The dissertation typically is a full-length work in a single genre—a work of fiction, creative non-fiction, or poetry. The introduction is the author’s scholarly address to their audience. In the past students have used the introduction as a scholarly analysis of the state of the genre, a critical meditation on process informed by literary history, or a theoretical tracing of literary influence.

CWP Faculty

[email protected] | 706-542-1261

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Upcoming Events

March 29 the sentimental touring club: creative writing program graduate student reading, april 4 diann blakely visiting poet: ana božičević, latest news.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Professor LeAnne Howe Delivers Plenary Talk at The 50th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies 

Monday, March 11, 2024

Creative Writing Student Sayantika Mandal's poem published in Glassworks Magazine

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Aruni Kashyap to deliver the 2024 Tagore Lecture in Modern Indian Literature at Cornell University

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Creative Writing Courses

Lit-700 advanced fiction workshop (3).

Course Level: Graduate

A graduate level writing workshop in which students produce and critique original fiction. Course may include additional assigned reading and craft exercises, depending upon instructor. Usually offered every term. May be taken pass/fail only, and may be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: admission to MFA in Creative Writing program or permission of instructor.

LIT-701 Advanced Poetry Workshop (3)

A seminar run according to the workshop model in which students submit work weekly to be critiqued by professor and their peers. The workshop uses class visits, texts by contemporary poets and the analysis of poetic forms. An intensive approach to the techniques of writing verse, the graduate workshop represents the highest level of mastery of the writing of poetry. Usually offered every term. May be taken pass/fail only and may be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: admission to MFA in Creative Writing program or permission of instructor.

LIT-704 Advanced Creative Nonfiction Workshop (3)

Topics vary by section, may be repeated for credit with different topic. Intensive critical workshop in writing memoirs and personal essays, emphasizing the development of the first-person voice. Usually offered every semester. Prerequisite: admission to MFA in Creative Writing program or permission of instructor. May be taken pass/fail only and may be repeated for credit.

LIT-705 Seminar on Translation (3)

This required course introduces students to the international community of writers by providing approaches to and models for the translation of literary works as well as experience in translating. It is expected that students will learn about the use of their own attitudes toward the English language in the process. Fluency in another language is helpful but not required; all students will be required to work with a co-translator who is a native speaker of the language in which they are working. Prerequisite: admission to MFA in Creative Writing program or permission of instructor.

LIT-710 The Art of Literary Journalism (3)

A required workshop in which the craft of literary nonfiction is studied and practiced. Clear expository writing is the aim, tied to established criteria for sound critical approaches in journalism. Students will be offered practical instruction in finding and assessing publishing venues, writing story proposals, and crafting both long and short form articles, with the eventual goal of publication. Usually offered every spring. Prerequisite: Enrollment in the MFA Program in Creative Writing or permission of instructor.  

Lit-730 Teaching Composition (3)

This Seminar offers students an introduction to the field of composition studies as well as the theory and practices of teaching academic writing. Students read research and theory which examine fundamental questions about the personal, social, and cultural dimensions of literacy. We explore the nature of written discourse, the composing process, and learning ; we discuss issues and examine current approaches in teaching for contemporary composition classrooms. Usually offered every fall. Through extensive reading, writing, and discussion, students can expect to

• Better understand the way individuals construct—and are constructed by—writing.
• Study the dynamics of written discourse, of learning, and of teaching.
• Become familiar with major theories of composing and approaches to teaching composition.

(Recommended for Fall of 2nd year)

Internships

Teaching internships (3 hours credit, p/f).

Both options allow students to acquire training and experience in

• responding to and evaluating student writing
• creating writing assignments
• working with student writers

Lit-690 College Writing Classroom (3)

Course Level: Graduate Working closely with a faculty mentor for the semester, observing and participating in one section of a College Writing Seminar taught by a mentor teacher. Interns attend all class meetings of the course and do supervised teaching, grading, and meeting with students. Students develop skills in classroom management, course planning and teaching, evaluation and grading. Usually offered every spring. LIT 730 isprerequisite, and internship is competitive, based on performance in LIT 730 , availability of mentors, and an application process.

Lit-691 Writing Center Internship (3)

Receiving training and experience in one-on-one teaching through work in the Writing Center, working with a wide variety of writing assignments and writers, including international students. Interns also explore an issue in literacy education through research and may tailor their semester to a focus on working with non-native speakers of English or planning and facilitating writing workshops in a classroom setting. Students develop their skills in talking about writing with students, conducting productive writing conferences, and working with a wide variety of student needs and learning styles.

Other Internships (3)

Other internship options allow students to acquire training and experience in writing-oriented professional environments, including:

• The Writer's Center in Bethesda,
• The Folger Shakespeare Library,
• The Library of Congress,
• Writers-in-the-Schools programs,
• The National Endowment for the Arts,
• WAMU 88.5 fm/American University radio
• National Public Radio,
• affiliations with in-house and trade publishers.
• AU Registrar for current class offerings and times

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Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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