Creative Writing
Creative Writing Program
The Creative Writing program offers a variety of degree paths for students. Each degree offers a strong foundation in traditional and contemporary letters, creative writing in the classroom, and various approaches to career goals.
These degrees are designed to prepare students for careers requiring strong writing backgrounds; students seeking to develop professional portfolios in one of the specialized areas of creative non-fiction, fiction, or poetry; or students pursuing narrative writing careers with opportunities for theatre, film, and television writing. They also provide a foundation in traditional and contemporary literature and opportunities to study professional editing and publishing. The program also houses the Idaho Review and the Free Poetry Chapbook series.
Undergraduate Program Overview
Come study with our award-winning MFA faculty whose publications include internationally bestselling novels, prize-winning poetry collections, translations, and essays, and whose awards include the Pacific Northwest Book Award, the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Whiting Award, the Idaho Book of the Year, the Stegner Fellowship, the Iowa Prize, The University of Georgia Press Prize, the Wisconsin Institute Fellowship, the NYT bestseller list and second place in the Apache County Fair for a Hereford calf.
Recent form and theory classes have focused on poetics, beauty, graphic novels, speculative fiction, screenwriting, and novel writing. Students are encouraged to take classes in other disciplines and recent students have studied Dance, Metal Work, Anthropology, Sculpture, and Theater. We also offer classes in publishing and editing, where students work on The Idaho Review and can help with Free Poetry.
MFA in Creative Writing
The MFA Program in Creative Writing offers degree tracks in fiction and poetry, emphasizing the art and craft of literary writing and concentrating on the student’s written work. Close work with faculty and visiting writers is encouraged through seminars, conferences, and classroom interaction during the three-year course, the third year of which is normally devoted to thesis preparation.
Students who intend to pursue a career in teaching literature and writing at the college level have the opportunity to study the pedagogy of creative writing. Also offered are classes in the craft of literary publishing, with coursework in the production of a literary annual The Idaho Review. Internships and graduate assistantships are available. The program also publishes Free Poetry, featuring essays and poetry from today’s leading poets.
More MFA Info