oklahoma city university mfa creative writing

English: Creative Writing

Master's in creative writing.

• Thesis: 12 credit hours max
• Workshops in fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction: 12 credit hours
• Electives in creative writing, literature, teaching methodology, languages and cultural studies: nine credit hours

4 FIELD-LEADING JOURNALS

are edited by our faculty and advanced graduate students—Milton Quarterly, American Indian Quarterly, Journal of Linguistic Geography, and The Cimarron Review.

Research and Faculty

Our award-winning faculty have mentored and advised hundreds of emerging writers who have gone on to publish in their fields and to acquire jobs teaching writing. Creative writing students and alumni have placed their work in such venues as   The New Yorker , the   New York Times  and the annual   Best New Poets   anthology and published books with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, BOA, Sibling Rivalry Press and other distinguished presses.

Their accomplishments include the AWP Award Series Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction, the Gwendolyn Brooks Centennial Poetry Prize, the Gold Line Press Poetry Chapbook Competition, the Pushcart Prize, the Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the Oklahoma Book Award and selection as National Book Award finalist.

Admissions Requirements

• Transcripts
• B.A. or B.S. degree from an accredited institution of higher learning, typically in English with an option in creative writing and at least twelve hours of upper-division English courses (minimum GPA of 3.0)
• Other undergraduate majors may be eligible for admission depending on quality of writing sample
• Two letters of recommendation
• Written statement identifying specific program, reasons for undertaking graduate studies, relevant experience and future publication and/or work plans (approximately 250 words)
• Writing sample: fiction or creative nonfiction (approximately 25 pages) or 10 poems (maximum 20 pages in total length)

Test Scores:

• GRE not required
• TOEFL iBT minimum scores of 26 for reading, 26 for writing, and 100 for total
• IELTS minimum scores of 7.0 on reading, writing, and total

* Please note that the Department of English's requirements for demonstration of English language proficiency are more stringent than those of the Graduate College.

* The Department of English requires standardized Academic English proficiency test scores for all graduate program applicants who are non-native speakers of English, regardless of whether they have received previous degrees from U.S. institutions or any other English-speaking country’s institutions.

Application Deadlines:

• January 1 (Priority for fall admission)
• March 1 (fall admission)
• October 15 (spring admission)

Learn more about our program requirements at:

English Program Guidelines

Cost & Assistance

The Department of English employs a large number of graduate teaching assistants each year. They instruct their own courses, work in the OSU Writing Center, and receive mentoring and pedagogical training.  Click here for more information. Assistantships and tuition waivers are available to the majority of our graduate students. Travel funding opportunities are available on a competitive basis to support conference presentations and archival research. Scholarships are also available to recognize outstanding work.

Applications received prior to the fall admission priority placement deadline of Jan. 1 are given first consideration for assistantships and financial incentives. Students admitted in spring are typically not eligible for departmental funding, including assistantships, until the following fall semester.

Assistantships and Scholarships

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Red Earth MFA University of Oklahoma City

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The Red Earth MFA is a low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing graduate studies program. Students will complete twelve hours of course work each fall and spring semester for two years, for a total of 48 hours that, along with the thesis, lead to the MFA in Creative Writing, a terminal degree in the field.

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Red Earth MFA

Oklahoma, united states.

The Online Red Earth Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing is the only entirely online apprenticeship writing program where students develop their writing by working one-on-one with with accomplished, professional creative writers. The Red Earth maintains a small student body, which allows for a rigorous craft-focused curriculum amid a supportive community.

Contact Information

2501 N. Blackwelder Ave. Walker Center 250 Oklahoma City Oklahoma, United States 73106-1402 Phone: 4438036736 Email: [email protected] https://www.okcu.edu/artsci/departments/english/redearthmfa

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing +

Graduate program director.

It's Your Time

The Red Earth Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing at Oklahoma City University offers you the opportunity to escape your busy life to pursue your writing passions. Housed at a private university in an urban yet quiet setting, the program connects you with experienced creative and professional writers who will nurture your creative talent in workshops, peer groups, and individual instruction. The Red Earth MFA program gives you a chance to concentrate on your writing while working with like-minded communicators who, like you, wish to grow creatively and professionally in a collaborative environment.

Tailored Coursework

The Red Earth MFA is a low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing graduate studies program. Students will complete twelve hours of course work each fall and spring semester for two years, for a total of 48 hours that, along with the thesis, lead to the MFA in Creative Writing, a terminal degree in the field.

The low-residency model is suitable for both traditional and nontraditional students: you can keep your job and keep up with your family responsibilities while studying for your MFA.

Master of Fine Arts in Screen Acting +

Allison amend.

ALLISON AMEND was born in Chicago, Illinois, on a day when the Cubs beat the Mets 2-0. In high school, she lived for a year with a Spanish family in Barcelona and now speaks fluent Catalan. She attended Stanford University, and, though she dropped out three times, managed to graduate with honors in Comparative Literature. She spent her junior year pretending to attend the Sorbonne in Paris. After college, she returned to France on a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship in Lyon, where she taught high school English and mistranslated documents for the Lyon Opera. Allison then attended the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, receiving a Maytag and a Teaching/Writing Fellowship. While there, she learned never to live downwind from a pig farm and how to put English on the cue ball.

www.allisonamend.com

Lou Berney is an accomplished writer, teacher, and liar. He is the author of WHIPLASH RIVER (William Morrow, 2012) and GUTSHOT STRAIGHT (William Morrow, 2010). GUTSHOT STRAIGHT was nominated for a Barry Award and named by Booklist as one of the best debut crime novels of the year. His short fiction has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Ploughshares, and the Pushcart Prize anthology, and he has written feature screenplays and created TV pilots for, among others, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Focus Features, ABC, and Fox.

www.louberney.com

Kerry Cohen

Kerry Cohen received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Oregon and an MA in counseling psychology from Pacific University. A psychotherapist, writing teacher, and the author of Loose Girl, Dirty Little Secrets, Seeing Ezra; and the young adult novels Easy, The Good Girl, and It’s Not You, It’s Me. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

www.kerry-cohen.com

Jeanetta Calhoun Mish

Jeanetta Calhoun Mish is a poet, writer and literary scholar; in 2009, she earned her Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She has published critical essays in Stunned into Being: Essays on the Poetry of Lorna Dee Cervantes and in Mediating Chicana/o Culture: Multicultural American Vernacular. Her first poetry book, Tongue Tied Woman, won the Edda Poetry Chapbook Competition for Women in 2002. Her second poetry collection, Work Is Love Made Visible (West End Press, 2009), won the 2010 Oklahoma Book Award for Poetry, the 2010 Western Heritage Award for Poetry from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and the 2010 WILLA Award for Poetry from Women Writing the West. She is also the editor of the award-winning Mongrel Empire Press. Dr. Mish is the Director of the Red Earth Creative Writing MFA program at Oklahoma City University where she also serves as a faculty member.

www.jeanettacalhounmish.com

Donnelle McGee

Donnelle McGee is the author of the novel Ghost Man (Sibling Rivalry Press), Shine, a novella (Sibling Rivalry Press), and Naked, a collection of poetry (Unbound Content). His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Controlled Burn, Colere, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, Home Planet News, Iodine Poetry Journal, Permafrost, River Oak Review, The Spoon River Poetry Review, and Willard & Maple, among others. His work has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His newest book, American Reverie, is a call-and-response poetry collection created with coauthor Synnika Lofton. Donnelle is the founder and publisher of Thera Books, an independent publishing house based in Sacramento, California. Donnelle teaches in the MFA Program at Oklahoma City University and serves as a Professor of English at Mission College.

Publications & Presses +

The Red Earth Review

Visiting Writers Program +

Visiting Writers: • Lori A. May • Matthew Quick • James Bernard Frost • Peter Meinke • Alan Michael Parker • Thomas Larson • Lan Samantha Chang • Chad Sweeney • Dawn Lundy Martin • Margo Rabb • Joy Harjo • Laura Moriarty • Tony Medina • Ariel Gore • Rilla Askew • Elise Paschen • Jim Daniels • Luke B. Goebel • Cheryl Pallant • LeAnne Howe • Dean Rader • Michael Henson • Adrian Matejka - Clemonce Heard - Erika Wurth - Lidia Yuknavitch - Allison Joseph - Brad McClelland - Allison Hedge Coke - Octavio Quintanilla

Visiting Instructors: • Timothy Bradford • Chad Reynolds • Tim Tharp • Allison Hedge Coke • Eric Bosse • Brad McLelland • Rob Roensch • Connie Squires • Steve Garrison • Bayard Godsave • Brent Newsom • Benjamin Myers • Christopher Murphy • Joe Lambert • George McCormick • Jenny Yang Cropp • Brandon Hobson • Don Stinson

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Red Earth MFA Library & Resource Guide: Internet Resources

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Links for Creative Writing

• Association of Writers and Writing Programs Site of the AWP providing community, opportunities, ideas, news and advocacy for writers and teachers of writing.
• Clifford Garstang's Ranking of Literary Journals Literary magazine ranking resource blog created by writer Clifford Garstang. Rankings for fiction, poetry, and non-fiction literary magazines provided.
• NewPages: Engaged Readers, Creative Writers Website provides info on literary magazines, calls for submissions, writing contests, and info on writing programs.
• Poetry Foundation Site dedicated to poems and poets. Browse poets (most include samples of their work), gain access to Poetry Magazine, and check out the learning lab for resources about writing and teaching poetry.
• Poets & Writers Website providing tools and databases for writers. Databases include creative writing contests and grants for writers, literary journals and presses accepting manuscripts, and writing prompts.
• Purdue OWL: Online Writing Lab Terrific site for writing tips and APA and MLA citation guidance.
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• Last Updated: Aug 19, 2024 8:39 AM
• URL: https://libguides.okcu.edu/REMFA

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Academic Catalog

2024-2025 edition.

• Graduate College /
• Master's Degree Programs /

English: Creative Writing, MFA

Requirements for Students Matriculating in or before Academic Year 2024-2025. Learn more about Graduate College Academic Regulation 7.0 .

Total Hours: 42

Other Degree Requirements

• Creative Writing Requirements : As the defining focus of work toward the MFA degree, creative writing coursework makes up the majority of credit hours, in a combination of ENGL 5730: Seminar in Fiction Writing, ENGL 5740: Seminar in Poetry Writing, ENGL 6130: Studies in Fiction Writing, ENGL 6140: Studies in Poetry Writing, ENGL 6160: Studies in Creative Nonfiction, ENGL 5723: Craft and Forms of Poetry Writing or ENGL 5763: Craft and Forms of Fiction Writing, as well as thesis hours.
• Literature Coursework Requirement : MFA students are required to take six hours of literature course work at the 5000- or 6000-level.
• Electives : Students choose the remaining hours of coursework in consultation with their advisory committees. Course selection should take into account the student's thesis genre, artistic interests, and academic and professional goals. For instance, students interested in going on to PhD work at Oklahoma State University upon completion of the MFA would normally include courses to assist in preparing them for the first-year exam for PhD students.
• Required Hours at 5000/6000 Level : All MFA students must complete their coursework at the 5000/6000 level.
• Thesis Hours : Only MFA students may use up to 12 hours of ENGL 5000 on their Plan of Study.

Graduate College Master's Program Requirements

Learn more about Graduate College 2024-2025 Master’s Degree Program Requirements . Check the General Graduate College academic regulations for minimal GPA, language proficiency and other general requirements.

How to Become a Writer in Oklahoma with a BFA, MFA or Similar Creative Writing Degree

Created by CreativeWritingEDU.org Contributor

Chuck Norris has seen the invisible man. Brad Pitt played him in Deadpool 2 . But these two Oklahomans haven’t done what Ralph Ellison has: wrote the book on him.

OKC-native Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man was published in 1952. That year the New York Times book reviewer said the novel heralded the appearance of a richly talented writer. It’s regular required reading in any high school English classroom today.

The novel won Ellison a National Book Award in 1953, making him the first African American to achieve this distinction. Exploring themes of race, communism, and class, Time Magazine named it to its list of 100 greatest novels of all time, describing The Invisible Man as the 20 th century’s quintessential American picaresque oeuvre.

Before Ellison wrote his most famous work he’d lectured on James Joyce, written short stories, and made contributions to literary criticism. In other words, Oklahoman Ellison was doing what many present writers of today do: he was getting involved in his local creative writing scene, and soon after came a masterpiece.

It’s not fair to call it a shortcut, but studying English or creative writing in bachelor’s or master’s degree program is an ideal way of learning the craft and business of writing from professors with decades of experience in both realms.

Academia can even help you figure out the creative part of creative writing . As the author of The Invisible Man adeptly put it:

“The act of writing requires a constant plunging back into the shadow of the past where time hovers ghostlike.” ~ Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison is Indisputably One of Oklahoma’s Great Writers, But He’s Not Alone

Starting out as a pre-med student, Harjo felt the call to express herself through the written word and changed her academic focus, earning an MFA in creative writing. Among her most famous works is her volume of poetry, She Had Some Horses . She currently serves as a chancellor for the Academy of American Poets and has worked as a professor.

Lou Berney was born in Oklahoma City and still calls the state home. He earned an MFA in creative writing and from there launched a successful career as an award-winning crime fiction author who’s known to frequent local coffee shops. He’s also a great example and wealth of knowledge for his creative writing students at a university in Oklahoma.

The poet known as Ai wrote eight poetry collections and won accolades from the Academy of American Poets, a National Book Award for Poetry for her work Vice , and more. She began her career as a professional poet after earning her MFA. Later in life she decided she wanted to give back to aspiring writers and became a professor at a university in Oklahoma.

There are too many great writers from Oklahoma to list here. Maybe your name will be next? Fortunately for Oklahoma, many of its best decide to become professors and pass their writing flame on to the next generation in English and creative writing programs.

Oklahoma’s Creative Writing Classes, Courses, and Workshops Can Prepare You for a Creative Writing Degree

In creative writing, experience is the tried and true attribute that separates the wheat from the chaff. Oklahoma is chalk full of places where you can gain valuable experience.

The non-profit Oklahoma Writers’ Federation has been around since 1968. It strives to improve the quality of writing out of respect, recognizing this art form as being equal to any other that is subject to critical analysis.

Oklahoma City Writers are a non-profit group who’ve been meeting for over a century. Writers of all genres and in all stages of publication (including the non-published) are encouraged to join. Meetings take place once a month at a local church in Oklahoma City. It’s a great place for networking with other writers.

Every month the Oklahoma Romance Writers Guild meets at a library in OKC with the option to join in-person or online. Its mission is to promote the improvement of writing as a craft and support artists who pursue this through the medium of romance plots. If this describes you then drop by; their meetings are free and open to the public.

Writers of Victory meets once a month in Broken Arrow. You can submit a piece you’d like to read at their next meeting via their website, which also features a WOV writers’ blog.

The Tulsa Review is an online journal that publishes poetry and other short written pieces –drama, fiction, non-fiction, short stories, essays, and more– once per year. It’s sponsored by Tulsa Community College but anyone can make submissions.

The Oklahoma Review is an online literary magazine that publishes exceptional creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Based out of a university in Lawton it accepts unsolicited submissions.

In addition to literary magazines and journals you can also find resources for getting your work published with a number of Oklahoma-based publishing houses. The RoadRunner Press based in Oklahoma City focuses on publishing general fiction, general non-fiction, and young adult fiction.

Mongrel Empire Press in Norman is committed to publishing the best work in any genre no matter the author’s biography or genre. It’s proud to be based in a diverse place like Oklahoma and is constantly on the lookout for great writers.

You can spend decades being involved in your local creative writing scene, all the while learning valuable tricks of the trade. The time when you’re ready to take your writing to the next level, get organized, and get serious, is the time when an academic program in English or creative writing can be most advantageous.

Writing Colleges in Oklahoma Offering Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Creative Writing Provide a Path to Becoming a Writer

Oklahoma’s undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing are taught by experienced professors, many of whom are accomplished writers themselves. There’s a huge difference between getting feedback from your writing group and getting feedback from a professor who’s made a career in writing and has decades of experience dealing with publishers.

Many of Oklahoma’s best writers started their careers with an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in creative writing, building on a BA or BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts). Now it’s your turn!

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Other Bachelor’s Degrees in Creative Writing in Oklahoma

Northeastern state university.

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

Accreditation:  HLC

Degree: Bachelor – BA

Public School

• Creative Writing

Oklahoma Baptist University

DIVISION OF LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Private School

Oklahoma Christian University

DIVISION OF LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND COMMUNICATION

Oklahoma State University-Main Campus

ARTS AND SCIENCES

• English-Creative Writing

University of Central Oklahoma

University of Tulsa

KENDALL COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

• English and Creative Writing

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Other Master’s Degrees in Creative Writing in Oklahoma

Oklahoma city university.

PETREE COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Accreditation: HLC

Degree:  Master – MFA

Degree:  Master – MA

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

DODGE FAMILY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

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Find information about more than two hundred full- and low-residency programs in creative writing in our MFA Programs database, which includes details about deadlines, funding, class size, core faculty, and more. Also included is information about more than fifty MA and PhD programs.

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Find information about how Poets & Writers provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops.

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Ads in Poets & Writers Magazine and on pw.org are the best ways to reach a readership of serious poets and literary prose writers. Our audience trusts our editorial content and looks to it, and to relevant advertising, for information and guidance.

Start, renew, or give a subscription to Poets & Writers Magazine ; change your address; check your account; pay your bill; report a missed issue; contact us.

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• Help Keep This Database Current

Our MFA database includes essential information about low- and full-residency graduate creative writing programs in the United States and other English-speaking countries to help you decide where to apply.

Adelphi University

Poetry: Jan-Henry Gray, Maya Marshall Prose: Katherine Hill, René Steinke, Igor Webb

Albertus Magnus College

Poetry: Paul Robichaud Fiction: Sarah Harris Wallman Nonfiction: Eric Schoeck

Alma College

Poetry: Leslie Contreras Schwartz, Jim Daniels, Benjamin Garcia Fiction: Karen E. Bender, Shonda Buchanan, Dhonielle Clayton, S. Kirk Walsh Creative Nonfiction: Anna Clark, Matthew Gavin Frank, Donald Quist, Robert Vivian

American University

Poetry: Kyle Dargan, David Keplinger Fiction: Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Stephanie Grant, Patricia Park Nonfiction: Rachel Louise Snyder

Antioch University

Poetry: Victoria Chang Prose: Lisa Locascio

Arcadia University

Poetry: Genevieve Betts, Michelle Reale Fiction: Stephanie Feldman, Joshua Isard, Tracey Levine, Eric Smith Literature: Matthew Heitzman, Christopher Varlack, Elizabeth Vogel, Jo Ann Weiner

Poetry: Genevieve Betts, Michelle Reale Fiction: Stephanie Feldman, Joshua Isard, Tracey Levine, Eric Smith

Arizona State University

Poetry: Sally Ball, Natalie Diaz, Alberto Álvaro Ríos, Safiya Sinclair Fiction: Matt Bell, Jenny Irish, Tara Ison, Mitchell Jackson, T. M. McNally Creative Nonfiction: Sarah Viren

Ashland University

Poetry: Dexter Booth, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Adam Gellings, Tess Taylor, Vanessa Angélica Villareal Fiction: Kirstin Chen, Edan Lepucki, Sarah Monette, Nayomi Munaweera, Vi Khi Nao, Naomi J. Williams, Kyle Winkler Nonfiction: Cass Donish, Kate Hopper, Lauren Markham, Thomas Mira y Lopez, Lisa Nikolidakis, Terese Mailhot

Augsburg University

Poetry: Michael Kleber-Diggs Fiction: Stephan Eirik Clark, Lindsay Starck Nonfiction: Anika Fajardo  Playwriting: Carson Kreitzer, TyLie Shider, Sarah Myers Screenwriting: Stephan Eirik Clark, Andy Froemke

Ball State University

Poetry: Katy Didden, Mark Neely Fiction: Cathy Day, Sean Lovelace Nonfiction: Jill Christman, Silas Hansen Screenwriting: Rani Deighe Crowe, Matt Mullins

Bard College

Jess Arndt, Shiv Kotecha, Mirene Arsanios, Hannah Black, Trisha Low, Christoper Perez, Julian Talamantez Brolaski, Simone White

Bath Spa University

Poetry: Lucy English, Tim Liardet, John Strachan, Samantha Walton, Gerard Woodward Fiction: Gavin James Bower, Celia Brayfield, Alexia Casale, Anne-Marie Crowhurst, Lucy English, Nathan Filer, Aminatta Forna, Samantha Harvey, Philip Hensher, Steve Hollyman, Emma Hooper, Claire Kendal, Natasha Pulley, Kate Pullinger, C.J. Skuse, Gerard Woodward Nonfiction: Celia Brayfield, Lily Dunn, Richard Kerridge Scriptwriting: Robin Mukherjee

Poetry: Lucy English, Tim Liardet, Gerard Woodward Fiction: Gavin James Bower, Celia Brayfield, Anne-Marie Crowhurst, Nathan Filer, Aminatta Forna, Samantha Harvey, Philip Hensher, Claire Kendal, Natasha Pulley, Kate Pullinger, Gerard Woodward Nonfiction: Lily Dunn, Richard Kerridge

Bay Path University

Mel Allen, Leanna James Blackwell, Jennifer Baker, Melanie Brooks, María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado, Shahnaz Habib, Susan Ito, Karol Jackowski, Yi Shun Lai, Anna Mantzaris, Meredith O’Brien, Mick Powell, Suzanne Strempek Shea, Tommy Shea, Kate Whouley

Bennington Writing Seminars at Bennington College

Poetry: Jennifer Chang, Michael Dumanis, Randall Mann, Craig Morgan Teicher, Mark Wunderlich Fiction: Peter Cameron, Jai Chakrabarti, Stacey D’Erasmo, Monica Ferrell, Rebecca Makkai, Stuart Nadler, Téa Obreht, Moriel Rothman-Zecher, Katy Simpson Smith, Taymour Soomro Nonfiction: Garrard Conley, Sabrina Orah Mark, Spencer Reece, Lance Richardson, Shawna Kay Rodenberg, Hugh Ryan, Greg Wrenn

Binghamton University

Poetry: Tina Chang, Joseph Weil Fiction: Amir Ahmdi Arian, Thomas Glave, Leslie L. Heywood, Claire Luchette, Liz Rosenberg, Jaimee Wriston-Colbert, Alexi Zentner Nonfiction: Amir Ahmdi Arian, Leslie L. Heywood

Bluegrass Writers Studio at Eastern Kentucky University

Poetry: Julie Hensley, Young Smith Fiction: Julie Hensley, Robert Dean Johnson Nonfiction: Robert Dean Johnson, Evan J. Massey Playwriting: Young Smith

Boise State University

Poetry: Martin Corless-Smith, Sara Nicholson, Taryn Schwilling Fiction: Mitch Wieland (Director), Anna Caritj Creative Nonfiction: Chris Violet Eaton, Clyde Moneyhun

Boston University

Poetry: Andrea Cohen, Karl Kirchwey, Robert Pinsky Fiction: Leslie Epstein, Jennifer Haigh, Ha Jin

Boston University—MFA in Literary Translation

Odile Cazenave, Yuri Corrigan, Margaret Litvin, Christopher Maurer, Roberta Micaleff, Robert Pinsky (advising), Stephen Scully, Sassan Tabatabai, J. Keith Vincent, William Waters, Dennis Wuerthner, Cathy Yeh, Anna Zielinska-Elliott

Bowling Green State University

Poetry: Abigail Cloud, Amorak Huey, Sharona Muir, F. Dan Rzicznek, Larissa Szporluk, Jessica Zinz-Cheresnick Fiction: Joe Celizic, Lawrence Coates, Reema Rajbanshi, Michael Schulz

Brigham Young University

Poetry: Kimberly Johnson, Lance Larsen, Michael Lavers, John Talbot Fiction: Chris Crowe, Ann Dee Ellis, Spencer Hyde, Stephen Tuttle Nonfiction: Joey Franklin, Patrick Madden

Brooklyn College

Poetry: Julie Agoos, Ben Lerner Fiction: Joshua Henkin, Madeleine Thien Playwriting: Dennis A. Allen II, Elana Greenfield

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Department of English

The study of literature and language, resources for students, undergraduate studies.

Our program offers a BA in English with paths in Literature, Creative Writing, Professional Writing & Rhetoric, Screen Studies, and Pre-Law.

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MA, MFA, and PhD are available in Creative Writing, Literature, Rhetoric and Writing Studies, Screen Studies, and Teaching English as a Second Language & Linguistics

Areas of Specialization

Our Creative Writing program gives talented students of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction the opportunity to learn the art together in a supportive community with highly accomplished faculty. (BA, MFA, PhD)

The Literature program embraces the centuries-long history and diversity of literatures in English, offering unique courses and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students who want to deepen their literary knowledge and develop their critical reading and writing skills. (BA, MA, PhD)

The Rhetoric and Writing Studies (RWS) program offers courses and hands-on experiences that ensure students gain depth and breadth of knowledge in areas such as professional writing, composition and rhetoric, and digital studies.  (BA with an option in Professional Writing, MA, PhD)

The Screen Studies program provides instruction in the creative media industries: film, television, and digital media. Our courses emphasize historical, theoretical, and industrial approaches to the study of media. (BA, MA, PhD)

The TESOL & Linguistics program provides professional training in descriptive and applied linguistics, methods of teaching English as a second language, materials development, and second language testing. Students also participate in a supervised internship program in ESL and may focus on either Applied Linguistics or Sociolinguistics. (TESOL Certificate, MA with an option in TESOL, PhD)

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The Department of English is formed by nationally and internationally recognized faculty. In all of our degree programs, students collaborate with their advisors to create individualized programs of study reflecting their own intellectual and creative interests while working towards their unique professional goals.

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scissortail creative writing festival

The 19th Annual Scissortail Creative Writing Festival will be held April 4-6, 2024 in Ada, Oklahoma. Submission guidelines are posted below.

Monday, May 6, 2024

• 2024 Undergraduate Writing Contest Finalists

F irst Place: Glory Curda, Oklahoma City University "7:00 am Outside Gallup NM": Second Place: Kaiya Jones, Oklahoma City University "Their Voice" Third Place: Cathlena Spencer, East Central University "A Safe Space to Land" Honorable Mentions: Ben Payne, East Central University "Boys Being Boys" Ryn Swinson, Cameron University "Birth Mother" Kaley Muse, Cameron University "Lavender Fields in Heaven"

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

From the director - welcome 2024, 19th annual scissortail: the poster.

2024: Schedule of Readings

19 th Annual : Scissortail  Creative Writing Festival April 4 - 6, 2024 East Central University Ada, Oklahoma  

Thursday, April 4

I. 9:30 – 10: 45 Estep Auditorium 

Ky George: Gallup, New Mexico Fire in the Pulpit Walter Bargen: Ashland, Missouri Down the Rabbit Hole of War Mark Walling: East Central University One Dalmatian  

II. 11:00 – 12: 10 Estep Auditorium

Nikki Herrin: Wayne, Oklahoma Progression Wendy Dunmeyer: Lawton, Oklahoma Importance of Words Alan Berecka: Sinton, Texas Selected Poems  

III. 11:00 - 12:10 Regents Room

Clarence Wolfshohl: Fulton, Missouri Lo, the Gods Sally Rhoades: Albany, New York When the Roses are in Bloom Josh Grasso: East Central University The Domovoi

IV. 11:00 – 12:10 Boswell Chapel

Lyman Grant: Harrisonburg, Virginia November Constellation Keely Record: Tulsa, Oklahoma From Here Brady Peterson: Belton, Texas Letters from the Edge of the Round Earth  

*** Lunch ***

19th Annual Scissortail: Featured Authors

The son of Mississippi Delta cotton farmers, Steve is currently a professor in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College. He has two daughters – Lena Yarbrough and Antonina Parris – and is married to the Polish writer Ewa Hryniewicz-Yarbrough.   They divide their time between Boston and Krakow.

Steve is an aficionado of jazz and bluegrass music, which he plays on guitar, mandolin and banjo, often after midnight.

2024: Scissortail Biographies

Aly Allen is a trans, neurodivergent poet, parent, and veteran. She is the author of  Paying for Gas with Quarters  (Middle West Press, 2023) and the chapbook  Approaching Valhalla  (Bottlecap Press, 2022). She has been an editor, reviewer, and reader for publications including: The Cimarron Review, Consequence, Glass Mountain, & Inkling . She founded the Military Memoirs Workshop (for veterans, servicemembers, and their families) and Edited the Military Memoirs Journal, featuring the work of a Vietnam veteran and their daughter. Her recent publications appear in: One Art Poetry, Panoply , new words (press), Press Pause, Consequence, New Note Poetry , and @ThreadsLitMag. She won the 2019 Lillie Robertson Prize for Poetry. She holds an MFA creative writing from Oklahoma State University, where she now teaches. Follow her on Threads and Instagram @notasquirrel

Dr. Rubeena Anjum is an educator and a psychologist. Now retired, she is one of the members of the Richardson Poets Group and Dallas Poets Community. Her work has appeared in The Ekphrastic Review, The Bosphorus Review of Books , Artistic Antidote UMN Clinical Affairs, Corona Virus Anthology by Austin International Poetry Festival-2020 , Art on the Trails: Mending 2021 Chapbook, Word City Literary Journal, Southwestern American Literature , and The Writer’s Garret-Common Language Project : Networks Anthology 2023 , among others. Her full-length collection of poems by Finishing Line Press-2023 is titled My Photo Album.

Rilla Askew  is the author of five novels, a book of stories, and a collection of creative nonfiction. She’s received the American Book Award, Western Heritage Award, Oklahoma Book Award, and Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her essays, poems, and short fiction have appeared in  Nimrod, Tin House, World Literature Today, AGNI,  and elsewhere. Askew’s novel  Prize for the Fire , about Early Modern English writer Anne Askew, was a finalist for the 2023 Oklahoma Book Award. A new collection of stories,  The Hungry & The Haunted , will be published by Belle Point Press in Fall 2024.

Winners of the 20th Annual Daryl Fisher Creative Writing Contest

About the festival.

• 2024 Welcome!
• Documentary Feature
• Information and History
• Tribute to Dr. Tribbey

Darryl Fisher High School Creative Writing Contest

• 2024 Winners
• 2023-2024 Submission Guidelines
• Previous winners

Hotel Arrangements

Undergraduate creative writing contest, festival schedule of readings.

• Previous years

Author Biographies

• 2024 Authors
• 2024 Featured Authors

Contact Information

• Welcome (2017)
• Welcome from the Director (2013)
• Welcome (2009)
• Festival Philosophy

Blog Archive

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• ►  February (4)

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Writers Workshop

Young writers seeking a focused, engaged creative writing experience will find a home in the Smokewood Writers Workshop. Faculty include college professors, themselves published authors, who will guide young writers in how to expand their ideas and hone their style.

The Writers Workshop offers programming for students entering grades 9 through 12, including intensive writing workshops, craft sessions, creative readings and publication of student work.

This writing-immersive experience is provided by college professors who teach creative writing. We also coordinate with the Red Earth MFA program, the Center for Interpersonal Studies in Film and Literature and campus or community arts events.

In this hands-on academy, writers will compose in variety of genres, developing their creative writing technique as well as a personal writing process for completing larger projects. The week culminates in a presentation and public reading of student work. This event is open to family and friends.

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Oklahoma City University

United States

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MFA in Creative Writing

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$ 15,000 / year

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