university of virginia creative writing mfa faculty

Creative Writing

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• (434) 924-6074

The UVA Creative Writing Program offers one of the best MFA programs in the country, along with undergraduate English concentrations in poetry and literary prose and elective coursework.

Explore Creative Writing Events

Creative writing stories.

The Educator’s Bookshelf — A List of Must Reads from U.Va. Professors

For any student unsure of what their first post-finals read should be, look no further than the favorite books of these four academics.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2024/04/the-educators-bookshelf-a-list-of-must-reads-from-u-va-professors?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_featured

Ta-Nehisi Coates Speaks at UVA on the Future of Reparations and the Power of Writing

Author, journalist and activist Ta-Nehisi Coates, spoke on Friday, March 8, to a UVA audience and to attendees of the ninth annual conference of the African American Intellectual History Society hosted by the University’s Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies.

https://as.virginia.edu/ta-nehisi-coates-speaks-uva-future-reparations-and-power-writing

Poetic Unity: 'A Standing Witness' Examines Our Nation’s Recent History Through a Cycle of Songs

Rita Dove was on sabbatical from the University of Virginia English department when Richard Danielpour emailed the U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner. The Grammy Award-winning composer wanted to discuss collaborating on A Standing Witness, a cycle of songs that covers 50 years of American history, with original music set to poems as lyrics. The project was no small task. And Dove says that, at first glance, it seemed outside her wheelhouse.

https://www.c-ville.com/poetic-unity

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The Graduate Program

At a time of rapid transition in the field of literary and cultural studies, we are intent upon sustaining our offerings in traditional historical periods, elaborating those in diverse world literatures, and engaging fully with the spectrum of current theoretical concerns. The University of Virginia is also widely recognized as a leader in digital humanities, an area for which much of the initiative comes from faculty and graduate students in the English department. We take pride in offering graduate study superintended by an internationally renowned faculty.

The Master of Arts  Program provides advanced training in literary studies, preparing students for either admission to Ph.D. programs or careers in a variety of fields that require intellectual ingenuity, skills in writing or research, or training in literary criticism and theory. Those who wish to pursue doctoral degrees regularly gain admission to other fine programs. Those seeking careers immediately following the MA have found jobs in secondary teaching, technology, the public sector, business, publishing, and higher education. The MA degree may be completed in three full semesters, though students opting to write an MA thesis often take a fourth semester. 

Students may also opt to complete an MA on a part-time basis, so long as they complete the degree within five years. Some students take a full load in their first semester and then finish the degree as a part-time student, but other schedules are possible.  Some sample MA timelines may be found here .

Note: The funding of an MA degree can be challenging, as few sources of scholarship support are currently available, either at UVA or nationally. This is a matter of much current concern and discussion in graduate education circles.  (See the description, below, of our MA Teaching concentration, a partly funded degree.) Funding issues may impinge on a student’s decision to study full or part time, in that many students take loans that require them to maintain full-time status. All students with loans should contact their lenders directly to understand any implications part-time status might have for them.  Moreover, part-time UVA students are currently not eligible to receive student wages, so may not hold student jobs at the university (though this policy is under review and may change). UVA Student Financial Services can help students understand if part-time status is the right financial choice for them.

In addition to our regular MA, we offer an  MA in English with a Concentration in Teaching Literature and Writing . This two-year program provides specialized training in teaching, and, in the second year, teaching opportunities and financial support (tuition, fees, one-person health insurance coverage, and a salary per course). In cooperation with the Law School, we offer an interdisciplinary  MA in Law and Literature . Our  BA/MA program  enables selected UVa undergraduates to take graduate courses in their fourth year and go on to complete the MA degree the following year. Interested MA students may choose to earn a graduate certificate in American Studies , Africana Studies , Gender Studies , Environmental Humanities , or  Digital Humanities .  The MA in English is a terminal degree; UVa MA students who apply to the PhD program compete with other transfer applicants. 

The PhD program , with its coursework, exams, guided dissertation research, and training in teaching, places graduates in college and university research and teaching positions, in secondary education, and in academic administration, as well as in positions in publishing, consulting, the public sector, private foundations, and journalism—everywhere that research skills, rigorous analysis, and good writing are valued. In addition to their specialized research, interested PhD students may choose to earn a graduate certificate in Premodern Cultures and Communities , American Studies ,  Gender and Sexuality Studies , Africana Studies , Environmental Humanities , or  Digital Humanities . Financial support, including health insurance and tuition remission, is awarded to all PhD students from the first through the sixth year of study. As part of their package, PhD students teach one course per semester in years two through four and in year six of the program.  The fifth year of study is a fully funded year dedicated entirely to writing the dissertation without teaching obligations. Beyond the sixth year, students in good standing may receive tuition remission, fees, and a salary in consideration for teaching. Government loans and work-study funding are also available. Students typically complete the doctoral degree in six to seven years. 

The English Department makes every effort to place its students and has a good record of doing so. Recent recipients of the PhD have found teaching positions at such institutions as Williams College, Illinois, Ohio Wesleyan, Harvard, Yale, UCLA, Virginia Commonwealth University, Bowdoin, Clemson, Iowa, McGill, Nevada, MIT, Dartmouth, Bowling Green, New Mexico State, Penn, North Carolina, Rutgers, Fordham, Tufts, Arizona, Wake Forest, and Berkeley. Find more information about placement and careers in and outside of academia here .

 The University library system is a resource of many dimensions. The  Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library holds a number of remarkable collections of American and British literature. Most noteworthy is the Barrett Library, one of the finest research collections in the world for American literature, including rare books and manuscripts of Cabell, Cather, Crane, Cummings, Eliot, Frost, Harte, Hawthorne, Hemingway, Holmes, Howells, James, Twain, Wharton, and Whitman. Manuscripts in the collection include  The Red Badge of Courage , the 1860  Leaves of Grass , and  The Sun Also Rises . Other collections of note include the William Faulkner Collection, the unique Sadleir-Black Collection of Gothic Novels, the Wagelin Collection of American Poetry, the Taylor Collection of American Fiction, and the Tunstall Collection of Poetry.  Alderman Library, the largest circulating library on Grounds, is an excellent research facility with a standard working collection suitable for advanced studies across the humanities.  The library's online holdings and well-staffed  Scholars' Lab  provide access to a large collection of literary works and advanced computer techniques for working with the texts.  In addition, Clemons Library holds an abundant collection of video material and a well-equipped media center. The Department itself is the home of three prize-winning journals:  New Literary History , an internationally respected journal of theory and interpretation;  Studies in Bibliography , the premier international journal of analytical bibliography and textual study; and  Meridian , a student-edited journal of writing.

Students with physical or learning disabilities which may require reasonable accommodation at the University should contact  Brad Holland, Coordinator of  Services for Students with Disabilities .  Information about the larger University and Charlottesville communities may be found  here .

The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only.  The Undergraduate Record and Graduate Record represent the official repository for academic program requirements. These publications may be found at  http://records.ureg.virginia.edu/index.php .

Creative Writing (M.F.A.)

Campus:   Virginia Tech Blacksburg Campus,  Instructions: Residential/On Campus

Program Overview

Our three-year M.F.A. degree offers tracks in Poetry and Fiction, and all students are fully and equally funded via GTA-ships of more than $20,000 per year. We encourage cross-genre experimentation, offer additional courses in creative nonfiction, playwriting, new media creative writing, and literary editing, and all students have the opportunity to teach creative writing and composition, as well as serve as editors of our literary journal,  The New River Journal .

Why choose this program?

Our three-year M.F.A. degree offers tracks in Poetry and Fiction, and all students are fully and equally funded via GTA-ships of more than $20,000 per year. We encourage cross-genre experimentation, offer additional courses in creative nonfiction, playwriting, new media creative writing, and literary editing, and all students have the opportunity to teach creative writing and composition, as well as serve as editors of our literary journal, The New River Journal .

In the years since the program started, we’ve been consistently ranked among the top 30 programs in the country by Poets & Writers in their  M.F.A. rankings .

The faculty members in our creative writing program at Virginia Tech are accomplished, prize-winning, innovative, and diverse: Ed Falco ,  Evan Lavender-Smith ,  Khadijah Queen ,  Lucinda Roy , Sophia Terazawa , and Matthew Vollmer .

Our program is small—we admit 4–5 students a year in each genre—and we pride ourselves on the diversity and rigor of our program, our respect for our students’ voices, our financial support for our students, the individual attention students receive from faculty, and our robust  Visiting Writers Series . 

Our  students  and  alumni  are exceptional; they have  published books , received prestigious awards and fellowships for their writing, and gone on to further success as writers, teachers, and professionals.

All students have the opportunity to to hold editorial positions and gain publishing experience working on the digital journal, The New River Journal .

Emily Morrison Prizes in Fiction and Poetry, and other M.F.A. writing awards offered each year.

What You'll Study

The M.F.A. in Creative Writing is designed to be completed in three years. Students may specialize in Fiction or Poetry. A minimum of 49 hours is required for this terminal degree. A series of creative writing workshops, courses in form and theory, new media writing, composition pedagogy, and literature and theory electives are designed for students wishing to pursue careers as writers or writer/scholars at the college level. Students also have the opportunity to work as editors on The New River: a Journal of Digital Writing and Art . A creative thesis, a written final exam, and an oral defense are required.

The 49 hours required for the degree must be distributed as follows:

• Creative Writing Workshops: 15 hours (6704/Fiction, 6714/Poetry, 6724/Playwriting, 6734/Creative Nonfiction, 6744/New Media Writing); at least 9 hours must be in the designated specialty; students are encouraged to explore other genres in 6 hours of workshops.
• Form and Theory Courses: 6 hours (5734/Form and Theory of Fiction, 5744/Form and Theory of Poetry).
• GTA Training and Composition Pedagogy: 3 hours.
• Creative Writing Pedagogy and Practicum: 3 hours.
• Editing a Literary Journal (5774): 6 hours 
• Research & Thesis (5994): 6 hours; a book-length creative thesis (a collection of poetry; a collection of short stories, or a novel)
• Graduate English courses: 9 hours; students may use an independent study in Editing a Digital Journal to help fulfill this requirement.

Admissions Requirements

• Minimum GPA 3.0 (4 Scale)
• TOEFL/ IELTS score Required  (If Applicable)

Learn more 

Tuition and Fee

Tuition & Fee Rates

Funding Opportunities

The Department of English has a limited number of  graduate assistantships and fellowships  available for students applying for full time study on the Blacksburg Campus. Entering students can apply for such funding as part of their admissions application.  No separate application  required.

• All students equally and fully funded through Graduate Teaching Assistantships.
• GTA-ships include tuition remission, health insurance, and stipends of more than $20,000 per year for all three years of the program

Find out what loans are available as a graduate student and other opportunities.

How to Apply?

Visit the Admission Requirements page for information on how to apply, including requirements, deadlines, and application fee.

Course List

Course List 

Plan of Study

Download Plan of Study

Applications Deadlines

Deadline is Jan. 15, 2024. 

Visit Campus

Visit Campus / Attend an Open House

Contact Program Leader

Matthew Vollmer 431 Shanks Hall  540-231-8322 [email protected]

Contact Program Specialist

Marie Trimmer Graduate Programs Coodinator 310 Shanks Hall 540-231-4659  [email protected]

Meet Our M.F.A. Students

Our Students

Current Students

• Visiting Writers Series
• Meet Our Graduates
• M.F.A. Bookshelf
• Graduate School
• Forms and Documents
• Time Table of Classes
• Add/Drop Online

Matthew Vollmer 431 Shanks Halll 540-231-8322l [email protected]

Faculty In Creative Writing

• --> General Item Ed Falco -->
• --> General Item Khadijah Queen -->
• --> General Item Evan Lavender-Smith -->
• --> General Item Matthew Vollmer -->
• --> General Item Lucinda Roy -->
• --> General Item Sophia Terazawa -->

Literary Awards 

• Creative non-fiction nomination
• Emily Morrison prize for fiction
• Emily Morrison prize for poetry 

Faculty Bookshelf

Related Programs

English (M.A)  

Rhetoric and Writing (Ph.D.)

U.Va. Creative Writing Program Ranks Third in MFA Survey

• By Anne E. Bromley , [email protected]

Media Contact

Article information.

October 26, 2009

/content/uva-creative-writing-program-ranks-third-mfa-survey

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Virginia Tech

MFA in Creative Writing

Why Virginia Tech?

July 1, 2020 By VTCWMFA

Our 3-year MFA program is consistently ranked among the top MFA programs in the country. We offer tracks in poetry and fiction, encourage cross-genre writing, and fully fund all students with stipends of $20,000+.

VIRGINIA TECH VISITING WRITERS SERIES 2023-2024

August 31, 2023 By Matthew Vollmer

2022-2023 Faculty and Alumni Publications

July 24, 2023 By Florence Gonsalves

Welcome, Class of 2026!

June 9, 2023 By Florence Gonsalves

August 31, 2023 Matthew Vollmer

July 24, 2023 Florence Gonsalves

Faculty Books: Alumni Books: Community Events & Readings:

June 9, 2023 Florence Gonsalves

Jesus Govea Jesus Govea is a writer from Chicago, Illinois. He received his B.A in Creative Writing from Columbia College Chicago. He has been published in Poetry, Respect the Mic: […]

Congratulations to the Class of 2023!

Visiting Writers Series 2022-2023

September 2, 2022 Shannon Sullivan

Craft talk and Reading with Lillian-Yvonne Bertram

October 19, 2021 VTCWMFA

FREEDOM REVOLUTIONS: Reading with Lucinda Roy and Bessie Flores Zaldivar

October 13, 2021 VTCWMFA

Virginia Tech Visiting Writers Series 2021-22

September 30, 2021 VTCWMFA

Congrats Alum! Shaina Phenix: WICW Fellow 2021-2022.

July 31, 2021 VTCWMFA

Khadijah Queen Wins 2021 William Carlos Williams Award

June 21, 2021 VTCWMFA

Click here to read one of the winning poems

MFA Bookshelf

8 Lessons From Nikki Giovanni

Quick Links

Creative Writing M.F.A.

This extremely well-funded two-year creative writing M.F.A. program, whose home is the Jackson Center for Creative Writing , emphasizes an individualized approach. To the 20-24 Creative Writing M.F.A. students enrolled in the program, books are essential nourishment, and reading them is inextricable from writing them.

The creative writing (M.F.A.) students, like the professors, are unusually committed to a diversity of voices and literatures, contemporary and across the ages. They work successfully in and across every genre, including poetry, short fiction, novels, and creative nonfiction.

Students and professors at Hollins enjoy an intimate, supportive community with amazing guest readers and opportunities for editorial experience, introducing and giving public readings, writing-based service work in the community, travel and research funding, and time to read and write. In addition, our beautiful location in Roanoke, Virginia offers an excellent setting to recharge, with the city’s small-scale, bustling culture, where it’s easy to explore the wildness of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains right from your door.

Our Faculty

Our professors don’t just teach — they create. They’re accomplished writers in their own fields — novelists, poets, essayists, and so much more. If we teach you anything, it’s to be you. Learning from professionals who have been there helps you grow that much more.

This two-year creative writing M.F.A. program, whose home is the Jackson Center for Creative Writing, emphasizes an individualized approach. The 20-24 students enrolled in the program have a strong interest in and aptitude for writing and literary study. They work successfully in every genre, including poetry, short fiction, novels, and creative nonfiction.

$22,760 for 2023-24

• Nonrefundable application fee: $40
• New student nonrefundable deposit: $500
• Technology fee: $600 per year
• Health services: $395 per year

Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-In-Residence

Each spring, Hollins hosts a distinguished writer-in-residence who works with graduate and selected undergraduate students. Louis D. Rubin Jr., the nation’s best-known scholar and publisher of southern literature, founded Hollins’ renowned creative writing program.

Great Authors Go to Hollins

The Hollins creative writing M.F.A. program has one of the highest publishing records of any graduate school in the country. Among the many outstanding writers who have graduated from the creative writing program are:

• Pulitzer Prize winners  Annie Dillard ,  Henry Taylor , and  Natasha Trethewey
• Novelists and story writers  Madison Smartt Bell ,  Kiran Desai,   Tony D’Souza ,  David Huddle ,  Adam Ross , and  Jill McCorkle
• Poets and essayists  Adrian Blevins ,  Jenny Boully ,  Scott Cairns ,  Wyn Cooper ,  Kevin Prufer , and  Mary Ruefle
• Novelists and memoirists  Richard McCann  and  Karen Salyer McElmurray
• Photographer  Sally Mann
• Filmmaker  George Butler
• Non-fiction author  Beth Macy

Books by Hollins authors

Upload Image in Upper Single Testimonial block

The Roanoker magazine says:

“The Roanoke Valley has a history of being writer-friendly, primarily because of the presence of Hollins University, which has been called ‘Pulitzer U.’ Annie Dillard, Henry Taylor, and most recently, U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey have won the U.S.’s top writing prize.”

Select link in Lower Single Testimonial block

Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest Announces 2024 Winners

A student from China has captured first place in Hollins University’…

Elani Spencer '27 is Roanoke's First-Ever Youth Poet Laureate

A Hollins University undergraduate has been selected as Roanoke’s fi…

As an Educator and Writer, Becca Mullins '26 Seeks to Make a Difference in …

Becca Mullins '26 knows what it means to face heartbreaking tragedy. …

Hollins Welcomes Acclaimed Poet Nickole Brown as 2024 Writer-in-Residence

Award-winning poet Nickole Brown is Hollins University’s Louis D. Ru…

Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest Honors Seven Young Writers

Hollins University’s 59th Annual Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest has awar…

From a Thesis on Storytelling to Chronicling Arts and Culture, Lindsey Hull…

With so many possibilities to consider, choosing a college is a decisi…

Hollins Mourns the Loss of Celebrated Professor, Author, and Scholar R.H.W….

R.H.W. Dillard, renowned author and figure in the creative writing wor…

Professor Emerita's New Book Centers on “What's Remembered, What's Ob…

Award-winning poet and novelist Pablo Medina promises that "you'll be …

Hollins Welcomes Pulitzer Prize Winner Anne Boyer As This Year's Writer-in-…

Poet and essayist Anne Boyer, winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Gen…

In New Essay, Hollins Professor Looks at How 19th-century Novels for Girls …

When it comes to addressing the challenges and anxieties of modern-day…

“A Poet at the Top of His Form”: Hollins Professor's Newest Col…

The often lost and surprising senses of the world and of words are exh…

Meghana Mysore M.F.A. '22 Awarded Steinbeck Fellowship

When first asked about earning a prestigious Steinbeck Fellowship, Meg…

Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest Recognizes Six Young Writers

A Florida student has captured the top honor in Hollins University’s…

Hollins Professor R. H. W. Dillard Revisits His Connection To Cult Classic …

When Hollins Professor of English R. H. W. Dillard was just a grad stu…

New Hollins Professor, Poet/Novelist Candice Wuehle, To Bring Focus On Genr…

Candice Wuehle seems like the perfect fit to teach English and creativ…

Award-Winning Author Scott Blackwood Joins Hollins as Distinguished Profess…

For author Scott Blackwood, one word comes to mind when asked about Ho…

Hollins 2021-22 Reading And Lecture Series To Feature Pulitzer-Winning Poet…

"In person" is back in session at Hollins, and not just for classes ei…

From Graduation to Publication: Debut Books by New Creative Writing M.F.A. …

Poets Maddie Gallo and Gabriel Reed became close friends after they en…

M.F.A. in Creative Writing Alumna Welcomes Launch Of Debut Novel “Led…

Anna Caritj M.F.A ’16 never imagined that the manuscript she started…

Presidential Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco Talks About Reading For Hollins …

It’s not every day that a presidential inaugural poet gives a readin…

Hollins Professor Jessie Van Eerden Celebrates Launch of Award-Winning Four…

When it comes to writing, some projects are well worth the wait. Autho…

Hollins Announces Six Winners of the 57th Annual Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest

Whoever said poetry doesn’t pay must’ve never applied to a poetry …

London Calling: Through an Internship Abroad, a Senior “Storyteller” Fu…

When a high school English teacher who also happens to be an alumna of…

English and Creative Writing Professor's Artistic Journey Brings “Voi…

When Professor of English and Creative Writing T.J. Anderson III is as…

Tinker Mountain Writers Workshop Hosts Winter Recharge Weekend, Jan. 29-31

Offering both manuscript and "write now" workshops, the Tinker Mountai…

“Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir” by Natasha Trethewey M.A….

The American Library Association (ALA) has announced that Memorial Dri…

New Memoir by Natasha Trethewey M.A. '91 Earns Praise and Inspires Dialogue

“To survive trauma, one must be able to tell a story about it,” wr…

Marilyn Chin Named Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in-Residence for 2021

An award-winning author whose books have become Asian American classic…

For the Stephensons, the Hollins Experience Is a Family Affair

From his service as a U.S. Army officer and a career teaching high sch…

Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest Recognizes Seven Young Writers

A South Carolina student has captured the top honor in Hollins Univers…

Poliner Selected as Finalist for the 2019 Algren Award

Elizabeth Poliner, associate professor of English and creative writing…

With Gratitude To Her Parents and Professors, Yitazba Largo-Anderson '19 Fi…

When deciding on a college, Yitazba Largo-Anderson ’19 needed to loo…

Hollins Partners With City of Roanoke For Art By Bus, Writer By Bus Program…

Hollins is helping promote the value of public transportation to the R…

Championed by Dedicated Volunteers and Hollins Writers and Artists, Artemis…

Few publications have celebrated the prodigious talents of Southwest V…

Hollins Announces Nancy Thorp Poetry Contest Winners

"Ode to My Mother's Ex-Boyfriend, Ending in a Bushel of Strawberries" …

Hollins Professor to Keynote POW/MIA Awareness Day Ceremony

Hollins University Professor of English Marilyn Moriarty will deliver …

“LeVar Burton Reads” Spotlights New Short Story by Karen Bender

The podcast hosted by the star of Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generatio…

2018 Grad Wins Hallberg Award for Creative Nonfiction

Rachael Walker ’18 has been named the recipient of the Fourth Annual…

Hollins to Launch Creative Writing Major in 2018-19

Hollins University has long earned its place on the literary map, prod…

Natasha Trethewey M.A. '91 Receives Heinz Award

Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey …

Hollins Author Is Finalist for Library of Va. Literary Award

Hollins University Professor of English Cathryn Hankla is among the ni…

Hollins Professor's Novel Wins Kafka Prize

As Close to Us as Breathing, a novel by Associate Professor of English…

Prof's New Poetry Collection “A Book of Seeking, Beseeching”

Hollins University Professor of English Cathryn Hankla's new volume of…

Lee Smith Remembers Creative Writing Program Founder Louis Rubin

Acclaimed author Lee Smith '67 pays tribute to Louis D. Rubin, Jr., fo…

Hollins Professor's New Novel Garners Considerable Attention

The author of one of the country's most-talked-about new novels also h…

Hollins Writers Make National Book Awards Shortlists

Two Hollins authors are among the twenty finalists for one of the nati…

Hollins Appoints Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing

Hollins University has named author and professor Carrie Brown as dist…

Hollins Graduate Natasha Trethewey Named U.S. Poet Laureate

Hollins University alumna and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Tret…

R. H. W. Dillard, Wilson Museum Honored by Arts Council of the Blue Ridge

Professor of English R.H.W. Dillard (pictured) and the Eleanor D….

Will Schutt M.F.A. '09 Wins Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition

Poet Will Schutt, who received his MFA in creative writing from Hollin…

Hollins Debuts Online Writing Classes in Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonficti…

Hollins University is giving both novice and practiced writers the opp…

Hollins Writers Karen Osborn and Shelby Smoak Win Gold IPPY Awards

Karen Osborn, this year’s Louis D. Rubin, Jr., Writer-in-Residence a…

Karen McElmurray Selected as Hollins' Writer-in-Residence for 2014

Award-winning fiction and creative nonfiction author Karen Salyer McEl…

Will Shutt MFA '09 Receives Starred Review in Publisher's Weekly

Poet Will Schutt, who earned his MFA in creative writing from Hollins…

Jackson Center for Creative Writing to Co-Sponsor Largest Literary Conferen…

The Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University is joini…

Tinker Mountain Writers' Workshop/Online Introduces New Eight-Week Session

Hollins University’s Tinker Mountain Writers’ Workshop/Online (TMW…

Two Hollins Alumni Among Best New Poets for 2013

Meighan L. Sharp M.F.A. ’11 and Chad Temples M.F.A. ’08 are two of…

Two Hollins Authors Are Among This Year's “Best New Poets”

S.H. Lohmann ’08, M.F.A. ’12 and Brittney Scott M.F.A. ’10 are t…

Carrie Brown Named Finalist for the Library of Virginia's 2014 Fiction Awar…

Distinguished Visiting Professor of Creative Writing Carrie Brown’s …

Hollins Professor Wins Faulkner-Wisdom Competition Award

Hollins University Professor of English Marilyn Moriarty is the winner…

Related Programs

Children’s book writing and illustration m.f.a., dance m.f.a., master of fine arts in children’s literature, playwriting m.f.a., screenwriting m.f.a..

Creative Writing, MFA

Publishing Laboratory Enjoys a Relationship with Harpercollins, the World’s Second-Largest English Language Publisher

2 Literary Magazines & 1 Literary Book Imprint - We Offer Graduate Students Experience Working for All 3

Writers’ Week is a Literary Festival Featuring a Diverse Lineup of Writers

STUDY OF CREATIVE WRITING PREPARES STUDENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS. OUR ALUMNI ARE:

Graduates have published books with top commercial, university and independent presses, garnering critical acclaim and prestigious awards. Many have careers as technical writers. Most importantly, they learned the skills and habits to pursue a satisfying and sustainable writing life.

The MFA is a terminal degree and qualifies graduates to teach at the university level. We provide teaching assistantships and pedagogical training. Our graduates go on to teach writing and publishing throughout the country.

Our graduate students gain hands-on experience in the editing, design, production and marketing of books and magazines and go on to careers as agents, marketing coordinators, art directors, managing editors, and small press publishers.

Generate complex, original writing of literary merit and personal value

Utilize form, style, and technique in effective and sophisticated ways

Critically analyze literary works

Articulate your own evolving aesthetic as a writer

“ I gained valuable teaching experience, served as managing editor of Ecotone, and relished my time with mentors who encouraged and challenged me. Simply put, it changed my life. ”

A Community of Writers

Our MFA program joins students who share a common passion and faculty members who provide critical support of their work. The faculty of the Department of Creative Writing view MFA students as colleagues-in-the-making. To help initiate them into the profession, we offer a series of panels and workshops designed to address practical issues that lie outside the scope of the writing workshop.

Apprenticeship Leading to Publishable Quality Manuscript

The MFA at UNCW is a 48-hour apprenticeship, requiring a total of 21 hours of writing workshops, 21 hours of literature or other elective courses, and 6 thesis hours, leading to completion and defense of a substantial book-length manuscript of literary merit and publishable quality.

While students apply in poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction, and focus primarily on that genre, some cross-genre study is required. Coursework in editing and publishing is offered through our Publishing Laboratory. Experience in magazine and book production is also offered in conjunction with our imprint Lookout Books and with Ecotone and Chautauqua , our department's national literary magazines.

SAMPLE COURSES

Admission deadlines & requirements, information: mfa creative writing.

• Complete applications are considered for admission as a group, after the published deadline.
• All application and supporting documents must be received by the published deadline.

Coordinator

• Dr. Melissa Crowe 910-962-3436 [email protected]  

Location/Delivery Method

• Main Campus

Concentrations

• Creative Non-Fiction

Deadlines (11:59 p.m. EST)

• Fall 2024:   January 15, 2024

Transcripts

• One official transcript is required from each U.S. post-secondary institution attended. Refer to the Getting Started page for international transcript instructions.

Test Scores

• None Required

Recommendations

Additional requirements.

• Upload Supplemental Documents After Application Submission
• Writing Sample: A typed manuscript in the applicant’s primary genre, labeled “poetry,” “fiction" or “creative nonfiction”: 10 pages of poetry, 30 pages of fiction or 30 pages of creative nonfiction (double-spaced prose, single-spaced poetry). The manuscript should demonstrate mastery of basic craft and unmistakable literary promise. Applicants are advised not to apply with a mixed-genre manuscript.
• Essay:  An essay (300-500 words) on the applicant’s goals in pursuing the MFA, including previous educational experience.
• Assistantship Essay: If you are interested in being considered for an assistantship in the Creative Writing classroom, or in the Publishing Laboratory (or both), please include a brief (one- to two-page) supplemental statement of relevant experience and interest. (If interested in both, upload a single combined essay.) 

Explore More Program Details

Learn more about the Department

Related Programs

Publishing, post-baccalaureate certificate.

Students seeking to enroll in the MFA publishing certificate program must first complete the introductory course, CRW 520, The Publishing Process.

Filmmaking, MFA

UNCW’s MFA in filmmaking is an immersive three-year terminal degree program. The comprehensive curriculum includes multi-modal (narrative, documentary, and experimental) workshops in cinematography, screenwriting, editing, sound design, producing, and directing, as well as courses in cinema history, analysis and aesthetics.

English M.A.

For lovers of literature, writing, film or the English language, studying English means doing what you love most.

Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

This certificate is designed for students already enrolled in a graduate degree program at UNCW, as well as professionals not seeking a degree. The program provides the opportunity to gain substantial training in women's and gender studies as a supplement to departmental degrees and careers.

Lillian-Yvonne Bertram

Associate Professor, English Director, MFA Program in Creative Writing, English

Research Expertise

Creative Writing

Lillian-Yvonne Bertram is an African American writer, poet, artist, and educator who works at the intersection of computation, AI, race, and gender. They are the author of Travesty Generator (Noemi Press), a book of computational poetry that received the Poetry Society of America’s 2020 Anna Rabinowitz prize for interdisciplinary work and longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry. They are the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship. Their other poetry books include How Narrow My Escapes (DIAGRAM/New Michigan), Personal Science (Tupelo Press), a slice from the cake made of air (Red Hen Press), and But a Storm is Blowing From Paradise (Red Hen Press). Their fifth book, Negative Money , is available now. They direct the MFA in creative writing program at the University of Maryland. Their new chapbook, written with AI, is called A Black Story May Contain Sensitive Content and won the 2023 Diagram/New Michigan chapbook contest. 

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MFA Faculty

Alexia Arthurs

Assistant professor.

Alexia Arthurs is the author of the short story collection  How to Love a Jamaican (Ballantine, 2018). The story “Bad Behavior” was awarded the Paris Review’s 2017 Plimpton prize and “Mermaid River” was awarded a 2019 O. Henry award and a 2019 Best American Short Stories honorable mention. Before joining the English department at George Mason, she taught fiction writing at the University of Iowa and Colby College. 

Courtney Angela Brkic

Courtney Angela Brkic (M.F.A., New York University, 2001) is the author of The First Rule of Swimming (Little, Brown, and Company, 2013), Stillness: and Other Stories (FSG, 2003) and The Stone Fields (FSG, 2004). Her work has also appeared in Zoetrope , The New York Times , The Washington Post Magazine , Harpers & Queen , the Utne Reader , TriQuarterly Review , Guernica, National Geographic , and others. Brkic has been the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Whiting Writer’s Award. Stillness, her short fiction collection about the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, was named a Barnes and Noble Discover pick, a 2003 Chicago Tribune "Best Book" and a 2003 New York Times "Notable Book". The Stone Fields records her work on mass gravesites around Srebrenica, as well as her family's history during the Second World War in Sarajevo, and was shortlisted for a Freedom of Expression Award by the Index on Censorship.

Timothy Denevi

Associate professor.

Timothy Denevi's most recent book is Freak Kingdom: Hunter S. Thompson's Manic Ten-Year Crusade Against American Fascism ,  (2018, Hachette/PublicAffairs). He is also the author of  Hyper (2014, Simon & Schuster). His essays on politics, sport, and religion have recently appeared in The New York Times,   Salon,  New York magazine, CNN.com,  and  Literary Hub .

Tania Rachel James

Tania James is the author of the novel  The Tusk That Did the Damage (Knopf, 2015), Aerogrammes and Other Stories (Knopf, 2012), and the novel Atlas of Unknowns (Knopf 2009). Tusk was a New York Times Editor’s Choice, and named a Best Book of 2015 by The San Francisco Chronicle and NPR, and was shortlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize and longlisted for the Financial Times Oppenheimer Award. Her short stories, essays, and reviews have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Oxford American, Granta, Kenyon Review, One Story, and A Public Space. She has received fellowships from the Ragdale Foundation, the Macdowell Colony, the Sustainable Arts Foundation, and the Fulbright Program.

Sally Keith

Sally Keith graduated from the Iowa Writers Workshop in 2000 and holds a B.A. from Bucknell. She has published four collections of poetry, most recently  River House (Milkweed Editions 2015). She has published individual poems in journals and anthologies, including Colorado Review , Conjunctions , New American Writing , and A Public Space . Keith, a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, has been awarded fellowships to the BreadLoaf Writers' Conference, a Pushcart Prize, and the Denver Quarterly's Lynda Hull Award. 

Listen to Sally reading a poem from  The Fact of the Matter on PBS Art Beat,  here .  

Kyoko Mori is the author of three nonfiction books ( Yarn; Polite Lies; The Dream of Water) .  The title essay from her book, “Yarn,” was selected for The Best American Essays 2004, and Polite Lies was short-listed for PEN’s Martha Albrand Nonfiction Award.  She has also published novels ( Barn Cat ; Stone Field, True Arrow; One Bird; Shizuko’s Daughter ).  Her essays have appeared in journals such as Ploughshares , the American Scholar, the Missouri Review, and Harvard Review.   Prior to joining the faculty at Mason, Mori taught nonfiction writing at Harvard as a Briggs-Copeland Lecturer in Creative Writing.

Vivek Narayanan

Vivek Narayanan was born in India to Tamil parents and grew up in Zambia.  He earned a master’s degree in cultural anthropology from Stanford University and a master’s in creative writing from Boston University.  He has taught at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and in the mid-2000s worked at Sarai-CSDS, a center for experimental practice and theory in New Delhi.  His books of poems include  Universal Beach ,  Life and Times of Mr S and, most recently, After (NYRB Poets, 2022).  A full-length collection of his selected poems in Swedish translation was published by the Stockholm-based Wahlström & Widstrand in 2015. He has been a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University (2013-14) and a Cullman Fellow at the New York Public Library (2015-16).  His poems, stories, translations and critical essays have appeared in journals like The Paris Review , Chimurenga Chronic , Granta.com ,  Poetry Review  (UK),  Modern Poetry in Translation ,  Harvard Review ,  Agni ,  The Caribbean Review of Books  and elsewhere, as well as in anthologies like  The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem  and  The Bloodaxe Book of Contemporary Indian Poetry .  Narayanan is also a member of  Poetry Daily ’s editorial board. He was the Co-editor of  Almost Island , an India-based international literary journal from 2007-2019.

The artist credit for the image is Dyuti Mittal.

Helon Habila Ngalabak

Helon Habila's current book is The Chibok Girls: The Boko Haram Kidnappings and Islamist Militancy in Nigeria , a nonfiction investigation into the kidnapping of 276 girls in Nigeria by Islamist militants in 2014. His first novel, Waiting for an Angel , has been translated into many langauges including Dutch, Italian, Swedish, and French.  His writing has won many prizes including the Caine Prize, 2001; the Commonweath Writers Prize, Africa region, 2003; the Emily Balch Prize, 2008, and the Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction, 2015.

He is a contributing editor to the Virginia Quarterly Review .  His second novel, Measuring Time, published in 2007, won the Virginia Library Foundation Fiction Award, 2008, and was shortlisted for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, 2008.  His third novel, Oil on Water , was published in the U.S. in 2011.  His stories, articles, reviews, and poems have appeared in various magazines and papers including Granta, AGNI, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Guernica , and the London Guardian .  His short story, The Hotel Malogo , was selected for the Best American Non-required Reading Anthology.  Habila is the editor of the Granta Book of African Short Story, 2011.

Eric Pankey

Eric Pankey (MFA, University of Iowa, 1983) is the author of many collections of poems: For the New Year ( Atheneum 1984),which was selected as the winner of the Walt Whitman, Heartwood ( Atheneum 1988), which was reissued by Orchises Press in 1998,  Apocrypha (Alfred A. Knopf 1991), The Late Romances ( Alfred A. Knopf 1997), Cenotaph (Alfred A. Knopf 2000), Oracle Figures (Ausable Press 2003), Reliquaries (Ausable Press 2005), T he Pear as One Example: New and Selected Poems (Ausable Press 2008), Trace ( Milkweed Editions 2013), Dismantling the Angel (Free Verse Editions 2013), which won the New Measures Prize,  Crow-Work ( Milkweed Editions 2015), Augury (Milkweed Editions 2017), The Owl of Minerva (Milkweed Editions 2019), Vestiges: Notes, Responses, and Essays 1988-2018 (Parlor Press 2019),  Alias:Prose Poems  (Free Verse Editions 2020) and Not Yet Transfigured (Orison Books 2021). His poetry, essays, and reviews have appeared widely in such journals as The Iowa Review, The Harvard Review, The Kenyon Review,The New Yorker, The New Republic, The New Yorker,  and The Yale Review .  His work has been supported by fellowships from John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the Brown Foundation.  He teaches poetry workshops and courses on modern and contemporary poetry. He is professor of English and the Heritage Chair in Writing at George Mason University. A new chapbook,  The Future Perfect: A Fugue, which won the 2020 Snowbound Chapbook Award, is out from Tupelo Press now.  Two new books are forthcoming:  The History of the Siege (Codhill Press 2024) and  Vanishments ( Slant Books 2024).

Peter Streckfus

Peter Streckfus is the author of two poetry books: Errings , winner of Fordham University Press’s 2013 POL Editor’s Prize, and The Cuckoo , winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets competition in 2003. His awards include fellowships and grants from the Breadloaf Writers' Conference, the Peter S. Reed Foundation, the University of Alabama, George Mason University, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the American Academy in Rome, where he a Brodsky Rome Prize Fellow In Literature.

He and Sally Keith are editorial co-directors of Poetry Daily . 

His new poems can be found in recent and forthcoming issues of Be nnington Review , Image , Poem-A-Day , Ploughshares,   The Adroit Journal, and Terrain . These poems come from an in-progress work titled “Netherlands,” a book about communal safety.

Photo © Don Usner.

Read an interview in which Peter speaks about teaching at GMU, here .

Read a story about  Poetry Daily 's work in the Fairfax Juvenile Detention Center here .

Creative Writing

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Department of English

College of humanities and sciences.

Clint McCown, MFA

[email protected]

(804) 828-8315

Hibbs Hall, 900 Park Ave., room 315

Curriculum vitae

Creative Writing

• MFA, Fiction Writing, Indiana University
• MA, English Literature, Wake Forest University
• BA, English Literature, Speech Communication & Theatre Arts
• Additional training, Circle-in-the-Square Theatre School, New York

Research Interests

• Novel Writing
• Short Story Writing
• Screenwriting
• Verse Writing
• Creative Nonfiction Writing

Select Publications

• Mr. Potato Head vs. Freud:  Lessons on the Craft of Writing Fiction (Press 53, 2021)
• Music for Hard Times:  New & Selected Stories (Press 53, 2021)
• Haints (New Rivers Press, 2012)
• War Memorials (Houghton Mifflin, 2001; Graywolf, 2000)
• The Member-Guest (Doubleday, 1995)
• Short Fiction Writing
• Inducted into Writers Hall of Fame, 2021 Wake Forest University
• Midwest Book Award, 2013, Midwest Independent Publishers Association
• S. Mariella Gable Prize, 2004, Graywolf Press 
• American Fiction Prize, 1991, 1993
• Society of Midland Authors Award for Best Literary Fiction, 1995

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing The Write Stuff for Writers

Credit Hours

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100% online, 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Grow Your Writing Passion into a Career with Liberty’s Online MFA in Creative Writing

Many people write creatively, but few hone their skills to develop their writing craft to its highest form. Even fewer learn the other skills it takes to become a successful writer, such as the steps needed to get a book published and into the hands of readers. Liberty’s 100% online Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing can help you develop your writing passion into a career so you can set your works free to impact culture and the world.

Employers in every industry need professionals who have strong writing skills, so you can be confident that your ability to write effectively can also help set you apart in your current career. With in-demand writing expertise and the ability to customize your degree with electives in literature or writing practice, Liberty’s online MFA in Creative Writing can help you achieve your professional writing goals.

Our online MFA in Creative Writing is designed to help you build on your writing skills with specific workshops dedicated to the craft of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or screenwriting. With a work-in-progress approach to writing practice and mentorship from our faculty of experienced writers and scholars, you can learn the specific skills you need to make your writing stand out.

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• Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
• Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Why Choose Liberty’s MFA in Creative Writing?

Our online MFA in Creative Writing is mainly offered in an 8-week course format, and our tuition rate for graduate programs hasn’t increased in 9 years. Through our program, you can study the writing process and develop your creative skills through workshops with experienced writing professionals. With our flexible format, you can grow in your creative writing while continuing to do what is important to you.

As a terminal degree, the online MFA in Creative Writing can also help you pursue opportunities to teach writing at the K-12 or college level. You will gain comprehensive and in-depth exposure to writing, literature, publishing, and many other professional writing skills that you can pass on to students. Partner with the Liberty family and learn under faculty who have spent years in the field you love. Your career in professional writing starts here.

What Will You Study in Our MFA in Creative Writing?

The MFA in Creative Writing program is designed to help you become an excellent creative writer across the genres of creative fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, and poetry. You can learn how to produce aesthetically and culturally engaged creative works while gaining professional knowledge and practice. You will also study foundational contemporary literature so that you have a background in studying important works to draw on for your writing.

To help you in your professional writing, you will also study many essential skills in editing, layout, and the business of publishing so that you can best position yourself for success in the market. Through your creative writing courses and workshops, you can develop your craft so that you will be ready for your thesis project.

Here are a few examples of the skills Liberty’s MFA in Creative Writing can help you master:

• Marketing your projects and pursuing new writing opportunities
• Organizing writing and adapting it to different types of writing
• Tailoring writing to specific audiences and markets
• Understanding what makes art effective, compelling, and impactful
• Writing compelling stories that engage readers

Potential Career Opportunities

• Book and magazine writer
• Business communications specialist
• Creative writing instructor
• Publications editor
• Screenwriter
• Website copy editor and writer
• Writing manager

Featured Courses

• ENGL 600 – Editing, Layout, and Publishing
• ENGL 601 – Writing as Cultural Engagement
• ENGL 603 – Literary Theory and Practice
• WRIT 610 – Writing Fiction

Degree Information

• This program falls under the College of Arts and Sciences .
• View the Graduate Arts and Sciences Course Guides (login required).
• Download and review the Graduate Manual for MFA .

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Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for the majority of our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years – and counting.

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Admission Information for the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Admission requirements.

• A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required) .
• Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form .
• Creative Writing Sample – A creative writing sample of one creative writing work of at least 2,500 words or a culmination of creative writing samples totaling 2,500 words.*
• Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy .

*A sample of one or more poems totaling a minimum of 750 words may also be submitted. Song lyrics are not accepted at this time as writing samples.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

• Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
• Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
• Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
• If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application .
• Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.

Dual Enrollment

Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.

Transcript Policies

Unofficial college transcript policy.

Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:

• Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
• Cumulative GPA
• A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
• Degree and date conferred (if applicable)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to [email protected] .

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

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Who May Qualify?

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Available Benefits:

• Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
• Additional discount for veterans who service in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course) *
• 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Not applicable to certificates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an mfa in creative writing.

A Master of Fine Arts degree, or MFA, is a terminal degree in an artistic craft that demonstrates that you have achieved the highest level of training and skill in your discipline. Like a doctorate, an MFA often allows you to teach courses at the graduate level while also providing many opportunities for scholarship and leadership in education. If you want to grow your creative writing skills to become the best writer you can be, then the Master of Fine Arts can help you get there.

How will students work towards developing their writing skills?

With creative writing workshops and a thesis project, you will receive support and guidance to help you become the best writer you can be.

How long will it take to complete the MFA in Creative Writing?

You can complete the MFA in Creative Writing in just 48 credit hours!

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Creative Writing Blog

Celebrating the spring 2024 mfa graduates.

May 10, 2024

Office of the Vice President for Research

Ahi supports creative endeavors from six faculty members.

From bringing veterans’ experiences to the stage with the help of augmented reality to exploring the art of Indian printmaking, six University of Iowa faculty members will cultivate a wide range of scholarly and creative projects with the support of the Arts and Humanities Initiative (AHI).   

The Office of the Vice President for Research backs AHI, a competitive, internally reviewed grant program that supports scholars in the humanities or creative, visual, and performing arts. The program provides up to $7,500 for a standard grant, $10,000 for a major conference, and $30,000 for a major project grant.

“These projects highlight the role of the arts and humanities in understanding our own inner worlds and the past and present issues of the world we share,” said Kristy Nabhan-Warren, associate vice president for research, professor and V.O. and Elizabeth Kahl Figge Chair of Catholic Studies. “We are excited to see these faculty bring their visions to wider audiences with the support of AHI funds.”

The spring 2024 winners are:

Major Project Grants

Mary beth easley, associate professor, theatre arts, college of liberal arts and sciences (clas) aratorio for the mis_remembered: an immersive ar/vr musico-theatre work.

Easley is collaborating with theatre arts lecturer Mark Bruckner, recent MFA graduate and freelance designer Kalen Novak, and MFA playwriting alumnus and freelance librettist Sandy Dietrick to create ARatorio for the Mis_Remembered. ARatorio  is a live musico-theatre work that will merge historical practices of documentary theatre with augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies to create an immersive memorial to the stories of staff and student veterans. Drawing on interviews conducted in collaboration with the university’s Iowa Veterans Education and Transition Office (IVETS), the project aims to engage audiences in the stories of these soldiers, capturing their experiences and memories of service in a far more nuanced and arresting way than the combat stories portrayed in mainstream media. The AHI award will support the final phase of the project, culminating in a public, multimedia performance in summer 2025. The performance will include   live streaming and VR headsets.

Anita Jung, professor, art and art history, CLAS Video Project for the Waswo Collection of Indian Printmaking 

Jung will create a feature-length video to contextualize the Waswo Collection of Modern and Contemporary Indian Printmaking housed at the Stanley Museum of Art . The Waswo Collection comprises over 300 prints by 100 artists and is paramount to preserving India’s fine art printmaking heritage. Jung will collaborate with videographer Pooja Usha and independent art and culture manager Amit Kumar Jain to incorporate more than 60 interviews with living artists featured in the collection, some of which Jung conducted during a Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award in 2022. In 2025, the team will spend two months in India, conducting 10 to 15 additional artist interviews and visiting government-run studios across the country. The documentary will accompany an exhibition at the Stanley and will be housed by the Iowa Digital Library.

Standard Grants

Sarah bond, associate professor, history, clas pasts imperfect: writing and publishing for the public.

Bond is collaborating with Melissa Febos, professor of English; Tom Keegan, head of the UI Libaries’ Digital Scholarship and Publishing Studio; Lauren Lessing, Stanley Museum of Art director; Christopher Merrill, director of the International Writing Program; and Jen Teitle, assistant dean in the Graduate College to host a public panel and workshop at the Stanley Museum of Art on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. The event will explore how academics can write for the public from pitch to publication, taking an interdisciplinary approach to developing, publishing, and amplifying the writing of scholars and graduate students, especially those from historically marginalized and diverse backgrounds. Derek (DK) Nnuro, author and curator of special project at the Stanley, will moderate a panel discussion featuring Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief at Hyperallergic; Stephanie Wong, editor and writer at the University of Michigan Alumni Magazine and a PhD candidate in history at Brown University; and Jennifer Banks, senior executive editor for religion and the humanities at Yale University Press. The event will be recorded as part of a larger public writing forum and toolbox website helping scholars here at Iowa and beyond to write and publish public-facing work that meets the public where they are, and then introduces the populace to the work done within the academy. The departments of History and Classics are also sponsoring the event.

Horacio Castellanos Moya, associate professor, Spanish and Portuguese, CLAS Revisiting Exile

Castellanos Moya will address the long periods of his life spent living in exile through a non-fiction project. After receiving death threats in his native El Salvador for his controversial novel Revulsion, Thomas Bernhard in San Salvador , Castellanos Moya left the country and lived in Madrid, Mexico City, Guatemala City, and Frankfurt from 1997 to 2006. In 2023, Castellanos Moya settled permanently in the US. He will revisit the four cities in which he stayed, comparing the past and present not only of his worldview and personal circumstances, but also the cultural and political environs of each city. The author of 13 novels and three collections of essays, Castellanos Moya will blend memoir, travel literature, and essay in his first autobiographical book.

Matthew Hill, associate professor, anthropology, CLAS A World Teeming with Dogs: Dogs at the Intersection of White Colonizers, Enslaved Africans, and Native Americans in Colonial Virginia

Hill will explore human-animal relationships and the influence of human social structures by studying the archaeological remains of 40 dogs from seven sites occupied by white landowners and enslaved people in colonial-era Virginia. From the 17 th to 19 th century, white Europeans, European Americans, native North Americans, and enslaved African people in Virginia lived in close geographic proximity but were separated by race, class, and culture. Numerous dogs lived among these distinct communities and were imagined to be separated along the same boundaries as their human companions. Hill will analyze genetics, dietary isotopes and bone size and shape to determine whether dogs from White European American and enslaved African communities mated with each other, ate different foods, were of different sizes and shapes, and had different life histories.

Johanna Kasimow, assistant professor, theatre arts, CLAS The Grüb: A new performance work that probes sensations of hiding and rhythms of survival

Kasimow is the instigator, director, and co-writer of The Grüb, an experimental, semi-autobiographical play created in collaboration with Eva Steinmetz and Alex Tatarsky, and designer Maiko Matsushima. The piece probes sensations of hiding and rhythms of survival across generations, drawing on the experience of Kasimow’s father, who, as a young boy, spent nearly two years hiding with his family from the Nazis in a pitch-black hole underneath a barn outside Vilnius, Lithuania. The family called it the “grüb”—Yiddish for “grave.” The piece is a theatrical diptych, split between a woman’s apartment and an underground pit, and draws on multiple theatrical traditions, including clown, melodrama, grotesque, and hyper-realism. Kasimow hopes to premiere the piece in 2026 or 2027.

Congrats Spring 2024 MA English & MFA Creative Writing Graduates!

Director of Communications

• Wise, Virginia, United States, 24293
• Communications & Marketing
• University of Virginia
• Develop and execute a storytelling approach for the organization that is aligned with the broader UVA Wise strategic plan and distribute content through a serial email, social media, the magazine, and other communication tools.
• Engage communicators across campus to educate them about institutional storytelling strategies and encourage contributions to support overall content strategies.
• Measure the reach and impact of communications strategies to evolve and improve storytelling strategy.
• Develop rapport and ongoing relationships with local, regional, and national reporters, editors, and producers to earn regular news coverage, in alignment with organizational objectives.
• Oversee the preparation, production, and distribution of information to the media and the public, which includes researching, writing, and approving major press releases and announcements.
• Respond to media inquiries and coordinate interviews with campus leaders as needed.
• Advise faculty and institutional leaders on media presence and presentation.
• Monitor news coverage and media mentions.
• Serve as a key consultant for crisis communications and respond to requests regarding issues of a sensitive or controversial nature.
• Benchmark best practices in higher education and other industries to ensure a contemporary approach to issues management and crisis communications.

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