creative writing mfa sfsu

• Search SF State Search SF State Button SF State This Site

SF State is committed to helping you discover your unique path in life

Graduate education opens the door to career advancement and social mobility; to meaningful engagement in advanced research, scholarship and creativity; and to leadership roles in promoting the public good.

🎓 Graduate Program Deadlines

* These graduate programs conduct rolling admission and continue to accept applications on a space-available basis.  Prospective students should review the website of their intended graduate program of study for the priority admission deadline. The deadline posted here is the last date by which a program will receive applications on a space-available basis.

🎓 SF State Scholars (Accelerated Bachelor's + Master's Programs

🎓 credential program deadlines, 🎓 certificate program deadlines, 🎓 second baccalaureate program deadlines, why san francisco state.

Through our inclusive campus life, our thought-provoking faculty and academics, our supportive student services and location in the City of San Francisco, Biotech Bay and Silicon Valley, we ignite the power of education for all, so our students can go on to make a positive impact in their communities and the world.

How to Apply

Tips on how to navigate and submit an online Cal State Apply application.

Funding Your Education

San Francisco State University provides a high-quality graduate education at a cost far less than both the national public university average and other Bay Area universities.

International Students

Admission information for International educated/F-1 students.

Email: [email protected] Phone: 1 (415) 338-2234

The Division of Graduate Studies staff is available by phone  9:00 AM to 11:00 AM (PST) and 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM (PST) Monday through Friday . You can also reach us by email or book a Zoom appointment.

Let us assist you by booking a Zoom apointment with our advisors. 

• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: (415) 338-2234

Office Hours

Quick links.

• ▷ Contact Us
• ▷ Career & Leadership Development
• ▷ Fellowships Office Programs
• ▷ Graduate Advising

• Search SF State Search SF State Button SF State This Site

Master of Fine Arts in Art

The 60-unit, Master of Fine Arts in Art program at SF State is completed in two years and is designed to provide professional competency for the student pursuing a career as an artist including working in public roles. The master of fine arts in art program at SF State is interdisciplinary and allows students to work across media or focus their studio practice within traditionally defined areas of ceramics, digital media and emerging technology, painting and drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpture or textiles.

Disciplines

The master of fine arts in the art program at SF State is interdisciplinary and allows students to work across media or focus their studio practice within traditionally defined areas of ceramics, digital media and emerging technology, painting, and drawing, photography, printmaking, sculpture or textiles.

Studio Space 

All master of fine arts in art students have access to graduate studio space on the main SF State campus. A communal graduate space located on the second floor of the Fine Arts building provides studios for up to 10 graduate students. Other, medium-specific studio spaces located throughout the building are available to graduate students based upon need. 

Additional details about the master of fine arts in the art are available from the SF State bulletin (Catalog).

• Degree Requirements
• Course Descriptions

• Admissions Requirements
• Application Procedures
• Transfer of Credit
• Written English Proficiency Requirement
• Completion of the Degree
• Visiting Artist Lecture Series

M.F.A. students have access to all of the School of Art facilitates as well as individual and communal M.F.A. studio workspaces. Our faculty are distinguished and professionally active artists and art historians. Students work closely with a graduate advisor/mentor to chart their individual paths through the program, including studio seminars, critiques, and individually supervised tutorials. Coursework and seminars in art history and other academic fields complement studio courses, and students are encouraged to develop rigorous research and writing skills to enrich and complement their art practice. All students are provided with individual studio spaces, and there are opportunities for teaching, either as a teaching assistant or instructor of record. Our vibrant visiting artist program introduces students to artists in the Bay Area and beyond, connecting students to the local art community. The M.F.A. degree culminates with a written thesis report and a thesis exhibition in which students exhibit an original body of work. The program may be completed in 2 years.

For graduates, the normal load during spring and fall is from nine to 15 units per semester and seven units during the summer. For international students, immigration regulations require a minimum academic load of 12 units for undergraduates and eight units for graduates for spring, fall, and summer semesters.

Current Resume/Curriculum Vitae

• Categories should include Education, Exhibitions, Publications, Special Activities and Awards, Related Employment.
• List information with the most recent activity first.

Creative Work Portfolio

• The submitted portfolio is one of the most critical components of the application.
• The Graduate Selection Committee, composed of the entire full-time art faculty, screens documentation of work in search of candidates with strong artistic direction and with the promise of continuing in a sustained, independent, and exploratory manner.
• Portfolios not meeting the following requirements will not be reviewed. The organization of your materials is an element that will be considered in evaluating your application.
• The Selection Committee will review a maximum of 20 images from each candidate.
• Images should be labeled with the work’s title, date, media, size, and other significant information.
• Where appropriate, other documentary material is admissible in place of images. This may include films, audio and/or video, or web-based work. If applicable, please include a link in the PDF of the URL for the video and/or digital-based work.
• Due to time constraints, time-based digital media and films should be cued and cannot exceed three minutes. Short segments should be excerpted from longer pieces. Full-length versions of time-based media can be included as a supplement but should be labeled as such. These versions will not be considered during the first round of the review process.

Written Statement

• Please submit a 500 – 1,000 word artist statement that addresses the following: Describe the significance of your work and the concepts, research, and/or processes that drive your studio practice within the context of contemporary artistic practice. Why do you think you are prepared for a  master of fine arts program in studio art and what do you hope to get out of the graduate-level study?

Letters of Recommendation

• Three letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation should be from individuals qualified to testify to the applicant's capabilities and readiness to enter graduate study in art.

Transcripts

• Provide transcripts from all institutions of higher learning attended.

Application Procedures and Admission to the Program

Applications for the M.F.A. in Art program are accepted October 1 through February 1 for admission the following fall semester. Late applications will not be accepted.

The graduate admission application to SF State consists of a two-part review.

Part One: The Division of Graduate Studies reviews your application for general university admission requirements and requires you to upload copies of transcripts from every college or university attended, including study abroad coursework, community college coursework even if transfer credit appears on your degree transcript.  Upload all transcripts to the Program Materials “documents” section of this application. Make sure you resolve any financial obligations at previously attended institutions so they will release your transcripts.  You must submit clear legible copies of transcripts that document your complete academic history. 

Part Two: The School of Art will review your application for program and discipline-specific criteria. Applicants must complete the Cal State Apply application by the February 1 deadline to be considered for admission. 

Part 1: Apply to the Division of Graduate Studies (Cal State Apply)

• Apply online through  Cal State Apply  for a Graduate Program. You will be required to create a personal login to manage your application. Select "San Francisco" for campus, and "Art" for the degree program. 
• Pay the $70 USD application fee online by credit card at the moment you submit your application.
• upload copies of transcripts from every college or university attended, including study abroad coursework, community college coursework even if transfer credit appears on your degree transcript.  Upload all transcripts to the Program Materials “documents” section of this application.  If selected for admission, you will be required to submit official transcripts.  If an International Applicant, TOEFL Scores of 550 or better or Internet-Based Test TOEFL Scores of 80 or better are required, taken within two (2) years of the semester you wish to attend. The TOEFL is a requirement by the CSU and cannot be waived.

Part 2: Upload Supplemental Materials for the Program to Cal State Apply

Compile the following supplemental documents for your program file ahead of time to upload in the "Program Materials" portal of the Cal State Apply application:

Program application requirements include:

• An undergraduate art degree or equivalent preparatory degree, with three units of contemporary art history taken within the last five years. If the applicant does not complete this upon admission to the program, enrollment in a contemporary art history class during the first semester is required.
• A 3.0-grade point average in the last 60 units completed in the undergraduate degree.
• M.F.A. admissions application (details below).

WICHE-WRGP 

We are pleased to announce that the M.F.A program is now part of the  Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)  which enables students in  16 Western states and territories  to enroll in participating public graduate programs as nonresidents, yet pay the lower resident tuition rate.

All transfer of credit must be approved on a course-by-course basis by a graduate advisor, the graduate coordinator, and the Office of Graduate Studies. This transfer should be arranged before the first semester of graduate studies begins.

A maximum of 12 units total may be transferred towards credit for the master of fine arts in art degree.

• A student previously enrolled in an accredited master of fine arts in art program may transfer up to 12 units from that program.
• A student who has taken graduate courses in an unclassified post-baccalaureate status may transfer no more than six units in studio, and six units of other, creditable, coursework, for a total of 12 units.
• A student who has accrued credits both as an enrolled candidate in an accredited master of fine arts in the art program and taken courses in an unclassified post-baccalaureate status may transfer no more than 12 units total.

All students in graduate programs at SF State must demonstrate Level One (entry) and Level Two (exit) writing proficiency in accordance with university, departmental, and or programmatic guidelines.

Level One is satisfied by the successful completion of  ARTH 700 .

Level Two is satisfied by the successful completion of  ART 706 .

To complete the M.F.A., students must satisfy all University and Department requirements. Department requirements are described in detail in the M.F.A. General Information Brochure. In addition to the satisfactory completion of the course of study, other requirements include satisfactory performance on yearly departmental reviews, a creative work exhibition and review, and creative work documentation (generally in the form of a written thesis report). The department accepts transfer units on a course-by-course basis, only upon advisement, and in accordance with the limits established in the section entitled Transfer of Credit for Previous Graduate Work of the M.F.A. General Information Brochure. If the creative work project is not complete in the final semester of the program, students must enroll in  ART 899  in the semester they intend to graduate. Students are required to be enrolled during the semester in which they graduate.

The following artists and scholars have participated in the visiting artist lecture series and graduate course,  ART 780 , in the M.F.A. program.

• Esteban Samayoa
• Astria Suparak
• Liz Hernandez
• Ricki Dwyer
• Natani Notah
• Aaron Harbour
• Marcela Pardo
• Wendy Red Star
• Nadiah Rivera Fellah
• Genevieve Quick
• Miguel Arzabe
• Glen Helfand
• Delia Brown
• Jennifer Locke
• Leila Weefur
• Sarah Thornton
• Leah Rosenberg
• Jennifer Wofford
• Ala Ebtekar
• Jessamyn Lovell
• Alicia McCarthy
• Terry Berlier
• Christian L. Frock
• Taraneh Hemami
• Jacqueline Gordon
• Patricia Maloney
• Richard Walker
• Rodney Ewing
• Sanaz Mazinani
• Patricia Piccinini
• Lindsey White
• John Zurier
• Zarouhie Abdalian
• Matt Borruso
• Matthew Hale
• Karrie Hovey
• John Roloff
• Chris Sollara
• Jonn Herschend
• Desiree Holman
• Josie Iselin
• Jason Jagel
• Stephanie Syjuco
• Amir Fallah
• Hong Seon Jang
• Nora Ligorano
• Marshall Reese
• Tracy Snelling
• Travis Sommerville
• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: (415) 338-2176

Office Hours

Quick links.

• Undergraduate Advising Center
• SF Bulletin
• Academic Calendar

Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing

Master of fine arts in creative writing and poetics (low-residency).

Our low-residency MFA provides the structure, support, and professional development you need to take your writing to the next level .

Program Overview

Naropa’s Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing is designed for writers ready to hone their craft and earn their Master of Fine Arts degree through rigorous, cross-genre study. Students who can’t relocate to our Colorado Campus can acquire a quality asynchronous education with in-person residencies.

Whether you have a novel in progress, are preparing for a PhD program, or looking to strengthen your prose, poetry, and hybrid writing, our low-residency creative writing MFA program provides you with resources, accountability, and inspiration that fit your schedules.

Naropa takes traditional low-residency MFA programs a step further with our history of experimental and innovative writing, critical study, and cross-genre publishing. Our unique cross-genre online writing courses, generative residencies, and one-on-one mentorship provide students with a writing community, no matter where they live.

Cross-Genre Curriculum

Unlike other Creative Writing MFA programs, our low-residency MFA is open-genre. This means that writers can work in fiction, poetry, prose, non-fiction, playwriting, and hybrid forms throughout their degree program. Students experiment with narrative structures and forms that fit their unique voices. Writers develop their unique style, critical ear, and vast knowledge of contemporary trends across literary genres.

One-on-One Mentorship

One-on-one mentorship and small online writing classes help writers develop their style, refine their editing skills, and publish their work. Each writer dedicates their final semester to a thesis manuscript. Working one-on-one with their thesis mentor and workshopping with classmates through written exchange, students finish their MFA with a completed manuscript in the genre of their choice.

Generative Residencies

Every semester, our Low-Residency MFA students gather in Boulder, Colorado, for enriching and energizing residencies. MFA students meet one-on-one with mentors, enjoy master classes with guest writers, attend readings, and bond with writers. Residencies also overlap with our spring and fall symposiums, providing students with a rich 4-days of community and inspiration. Each academic year culminates in a week-long writing intensive at Naropa’s Summer Writing Program. This annual festival brings over 60 artists, writers, and thinkers to Boulder, for workshops, readings, panels, and professional development.

Quick Facts

• Fifteen annual days of residency in Boulder, CO
• Open-genre curriculum
• One-on-one mentorship with accomplished faculty
• Unique Experimental Approach
• Participation in the Summer Writing Program
• Cohort model developing a strong sense of community among MFA students
• Several Scholarship and Financial Aid Opportunities
• Applications open for August 2024

Program Format

Naropa’s Creative Writing MFA is a rigorous, generative, low-residency two-year program with 4 writing residencies in beautiful Boulder Colorado. The program combines asynchronous craft courses with on-campus residencies. 

Annual fall and spring residencies allow writers to connect with other writers and faculty , deepen their craft, and participate in symposium readings and panels with other MFA students in Boulder, CO. Spring and Fall Residencies run from Saturday through Tuesday during the Spring and Fall JKS Symposiums.

The summer residency immerses writers in a full week of the Jack Kerouac School’s world-renowned Summer Writing Program . Here, students attend workshops, lectures, panels, and readings by numerous visiting writers to hone their craft, make connections, speak on student panels, and prepare for the next step in their writing career.

Course Spotlight

Craft of writing: rooting in the archive.

This course delves into the Naropa University Archive and its rich offerings to explore traditions, movements, and/or schools of writing that inform or extend the aesthetic vision of the Jack Kerouac School toward mindful writing. Possible recent historical examples include New American Poetry, the Beats, San Francisco Renaissance, the New York School, Black Mountain Poetics, the Black Arts Movement, and Language poetry, among others.

Degree Requirements

Unlike many online creative writing MFA programs, our asynchronous classes build community through writer-to-writer feedback and a structured curriculum.

Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing Requirements

26 credits of online asynchronous craft courses.

Students work one-on-one with a mentor, exchanging packets —consisting of letters, bibliographies, contemplative reflections, creative manuscripts, and critical essays—throughout the semester.

• WRI-631E Craft of Writing: Rooting in the Archive(6)WRI-648E Craft of Writing: Contemplative Experiments(6)
• WRI-678E Craft of Writing: Cultures & Communities(4)
• WRI-735E Craft of Writing: Contemporary Trends(6)
• WRI-755E Craft of Writing: Professional Development(4)

6 credits of MFA Thesis

6 credits of MFA Thesis (faculty mentorship on a book-length creative manuscript)

4 credits of the Summer Writing Program

Two eight-day summer residencies are completed at Naropa’s Boulder campus. Choose two of the following:

• WRI-751 Summer Writing Program(2)
• WRI-752 Week Two Summer Writing Program(2)
• WRI-753 Summer Writing Program(2)

4 credits of fall and spring residencies in Boulder, CO.

• WRI-789WE Fall Residency(1)
• WRI-791WE Spring Residency(1)

Why Choose Naropa?

Strong writing tradition.

Founded in 1974 by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman, the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics encourages experimental forms across genres , pushing for innovation inside and outside the classroom.

Career Readiness

Whether a student plans to teach, write, edit, or work in publishing, our low-residency program provides the framework they need to develop their professional skills alongside a vibrant and supportive writing community.

In-house Publishing

The Kerouac School’s student-run Bombay Gin literary journal publishes work from promising students and distributes it nationally through Small Press Distribution. Students interested in fine-craft letterpress printing can learn at Naropa’s Harry Smith Print Shop and Kavyayantra Press.

How this Program Prepares You

Professional dossier.

Graduates from our low-residency Creative Writing MFA emerge from the program with a solid record of written work . The pieces that make up their dossier are workshopped with peers and perfectioned with guidance from their tutor.

Critical Analysis

You’ll emerge from the program with critical analysis skills that go beyond reading between the lines of a written work. The program will teach you to recognize the role of intersectionality in the literary arts, looking at the wider spectrum that surrounds a piece, and identifying bias, assumptions and stereotypes.

Unleashing creativity

Our workshops, classes and Summer Writing Program encourage students to harness their creativity by exploring experimental forms . Low-residency students receive on-on one mentoring to help them develop their creative writing skills to the fullest, as well as feedback from their writing community, be it online or during their residency.

What You'll Learn

Highly developed writing craft.

Hone your voice in every step of the writing process.

Skill in Critical Analysis

Learn to discuss literary works through a variety of critical lenses.

Contemplative Writing Practice:

Use your writing practice as a tool for self-inquiry and discovery.

Social and Cultural Awareness

Recognize the role of race, class, and gender in literary history and works.

Career Preparedness

Graduate with a publishable manuscript and/or professional dossier.

Career Opportunities with a Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing

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

Hear from a Graduate

Jackie henrion, faqs about the low-residency mfa in creative writing, what is a low residency mfa in creative writing, why choose a low residency mfa creative writing program, how long does it take to complete a low residency mfa in creative writing, how is naropa’s low residency mfa in creative writing different from other programs, what types of funding are available.

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

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

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

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

Learn More About the Program

Connect with your counselor

Olivia phipps.

Graduate Admissions Counselor

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

Ready to Apply?

Admission requirements.

Naropa University values both academic excellence and critical self-reflection . Our application process not only evaluates academic performance but also candidates’ openness and willingness to engage in contemplation.

Learn more about admission requirements and the application process for our Low-Residency Creative Writing MFA.

Graduate Students

Prospective students who have completed an undergraduate degree are welcome to apply to Naropa. When applying, candidates must submit a transcript of their undergraduate coursework, a statement of interest, a resume, two letters of interest and a creative writing sample. They may also apply for financial aid at this stage. Discover all admission requirements.

International Students

If you obtained your undergraduate diploma from a non-US university, we require additional documentation to review your application. Learn how to apply to Naropa as an international student.

Costs and Financial Aid

Naropa University students have access to several financial aid opportunities and scholarships – over 75% of our graduate students receive some sort of financial support to pursue their studies. Use our calculator to estimate your tuition, housing, materials and other costs.

Undergraduate Scholarship Opportunities

Interested in our Low-Residency Creative Writing MFA?

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

2130 Arapahoe Avenue Boulder, CO 80302

1-800-772-6951

[email protected]

Worried about a Student?

© 2024 naropa university. all rights reserved., you are ready..

This is where experiential learning meets academic rigor. Where you challenge your intellect and uncover your potential. Where you discover the work you’re moved to do—then use it to transform our world.

“*” indicates required fields

• Request Info
• Visit Campus
• COVID-19 Updates

Search Naropa University

Naropa campuses closed on friday, march 15, 2024.

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

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

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

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

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

MFA Info Session

Considering an MFA in Creative Writing? Wondering what the application process entails, which factors matter most, and what the experience is really like? Join Director of Creative Writing and Associate Professor Amy Butcher and Visiting Assistant Professor of English Dr. Aza Pace for an information session on writing beyond Ohio Wesleyan University on Monday, April 1 from 12:10-1pm in Sturges #109. Pizza will be provided.

OWU Sponsoring Organization/Office: Creative Writing ProgramContact: Amy Butcher at  [email protected]

School of the Arts

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share through Email
• Creative Writing
• Creative Writing MFA Program
• Department of Theatre, Film and Creative Writing

Poetry collection published by Boise State MFA press nominated for the Griffin Prize

“And And And” by Cole Swensen, a collection published by Free Poetry, was nominated for the prestigious Griffin Prize. Founded in 2005 by Professor Martin Corless-Smith, who will serve as the next Director of the Boise State Creative Writing MFA Program, Free Poetry publishes poetry, essays and translations by new and established poets from around the world. “Free Poetry is delighted that one of its books, which was subsequently taken up by Shearsman Books (UK), has been short-listed for the prestigious Griffin Poetry Prize,” Professor Corless-Smith said. “The Griffin Poetry prize is one of, if not the biggest international Poetry prizes there is. Cole is a terrific poet, critic, translator and teacher. This is one of my favourite books of hers, which is saying a lot for someone of her talent and productivity. Well done, Cole!”

To read more about Cole Swensen’s book, please visit the Free Poetry webpage here.

About the Griffin Poetry Prize

Founded in April 2000 by Margaret Atwood, Robert Hass, Michael Ondaatje, Robin Robertson, David Young, and Scott Griffin, the annual Griffin Poetry Prize awards C$130,000 to the winner, “making it the world’s largest international prize for a single book of poetry written in, or translated into English,” according to their website. “Poetry is the essence of language, and language covers the full range of experience and emotion that distinguishes us as human beings,” writes Scott Griffin on the Prize’s website. “The objective of the prize is to raise the profile of poets and poetry in Canada, and internationally, for works written in, or translated into, English.”

To learn more about the Griffin Poetry Prize, you can visit their website here.

About Free Poetry

Founded in 2005 by Professor Martin Corless-Smith, Free Poetry publishes poetry, essays and translations by new and established poets from around the world. Available free of charge and without copyright, all Free Poetry chapbooks may be photocopied or downloaded to distribute them ad infinitum. Funded by the College of Arts and Sciences, Free Poetry retains a staff of MFA poetry professors and current MFA poetry students.

To learn more about Free Poetry, you can visit their website here.

About Cole Swensen

The author of 17 collections of poetry, Cole Swensen also penned a collection of critical essays, “Noise That Stays Noise,” and, most recently, “Art in Time,” a collection of hybrid poetry/lyric-essay works on innovative landscape art. Her work won the Iowa Poetry Prize, the SF State Poetry Center Book Award, and the National Poetry Series. A finalist twice for the  LA Times  Book Award and once for the National Book Award, Swensen translated  contemporary French poetry, prose, and art criticism, and she won the PEN USA Award in Literary Translation. She divides her time between the US and France.

Rebecca Suzuki – SPD Best Seller List

• Post author By John Rice (he/Them)
• Post date March 28, 2024

MFA alum Rebecca Suzuki’s award-winning chapbook, When My Mother Is Most Beautiful , is listed as number four on Small Press Distribution’s Poetry Bestsellers!

When My Mother Is Most Beautiful is the most recent winner of the Loose Translations Award from Hanging Loose Press, which publishes a work of translation from a Queens College MFA student each year. Partnering on this award with this respected independent press celebrates what our program is all about: Language. Culture. Community. We have built not just our translation track, but our entire program on these pillars.

When My Mother Is Most Beautiful  is at once a powerful love letter to a mother and to language itself, delving into complex questions of family, communication, culture, and connection. These poems chronicle the difficult art of navigating multiple cultural identities, examining how languages twist and morph across cultures through the imperfect act of translation, how they bind people together and keep them apart, and even how they could be reimagined to make a better world.

Pick up your copy today directly from Hanging Loose!

https://www.hangingloosepress.com/book/when-my-mother-is-most-beautiful/

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

Need help with the Commons?

Email us at [email protected] so we can respond to your questions and requests. Please email from your CUNY email address if possible. Or visit our help site for more information:

• Terms of Service
• Accessibility
• Creative Commons (CC) license unless otherwise noted

• Accessibility Options:
• Skip to Content
• Skip to Search
• Skip to footer
• Office of Disability Services
• Request Assistance
• 305-284-2374
• High Contrast
• School of Architecture
• College of Arts and Sciences
• Miami Herbert Business School
• School of Communication
• School of Education and Human Development
• College of Engineering
• School of Law
• Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science
• Miller School of Medicine
• Frost School of Music
• School of Nursing and Health Studies
• The Graduate School
• Division of Continuing and International Education
• People Search
• Class Search
• IT Help and Support
• Privacy Statement
• Student Life

University of Miami

• Division of University Communications
• Office of Media Relations
• Miller School of Medicine Communications
• Hurricane Sports
• UM Media Experts
• Emergency Preparedness

Explore Topics

• Latest Headlines
• Arts and Humanities
• People and Community
• All Topics A to Z

Related Links

• Subscribe to Daily Newsletter
• Special Reports
• Social Networks
• Publications
• For the Media
• Find University Experts
• News and Info
• People and Culture
• Benefits and Discounts
• More Life@TheU Topics
• About Life@the U
• Connect and Share
• Contact Life@theU
• Faculty and Staff Events
• Student Events
• TheU Creates (Arts and Culture Events)
• Undergraduate Students: Important Dates and Deadlines
• Submit an Event
• Miami Magazine
• Faculty Affairs
• Student Affairs
• More News Sites

April guide to the arts at the U

By Brittney Bomnin Garcia [email protected] 03-29-2024

Explore a roundup of events this month, including concerts, exhibitions, and undergraduate student presentations during the annual Research, Creativity, and Innovation Forum. Learn more about The U Creates —the University’s digital hub for the arts, culture, and creative expression—and view the full calendar of events .

VIEW ALL: Bill Cosford Cinema | Center for the Humanities | Jerry Herman Ring Theatre | Frost School of Music | Lowe Art Museum | School of Architecture | University Libraries | UM Art Galleries

Saturday, April 6, 7:30 p.m. | in person and streaming, purchase tickets

Frost Music Live!: Schubertiade for Violin and Piano

Frost School of Music’s piano professors will join renowned violinist Charles Castleman to unveil the magic of Franz Schubert. A tradition that began in 1815 honoring the then 18-year-old Schubert, the Schubertiade originated as an unpublicized, informal concert of his music, but quickly spread throughout Europe, and eventually to the United States. Purchase tickets .

Newman Recital Hall, Knight Center for Music Innovation, 5513 San Amaro Dr, Coral Gables, FL 33146

Monday, April 8, 6:30 p.m. | in person, free event

Book Talk: ‘Roman Satire’

With particular attention to authorial and national identity, artistic self-definition, and literary reception, Jennifer Ferriss-Hill, professor of classics and senior associate dean for faculty affairs and college diversity at the College of Arts and Sciences, shows how four ancient Latin poets—Lucilius, Horace, Persius, and Juvenal—asked and answered these questions between the second century BCE and the second century CE as they invented and reinvented the genre of Roman verse Satire. Save your seat .

Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, FL 33134

Tuesday, April 9, noon | virtual, free event

Slow Looking with the Lowe: Highlights from the Campus Art Collection

During this virtual program, Tola Porter, Lowe Art Museum educator for academic and public programs, will lead participants through a 30-minute mindful and interactive session exploring selected artworks from the Lowe’s collection. Sign up now .

Lowe Art Museum, 1301 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146

Wednesday, Apr. 10, noon to 4 p.m. | in person, free event

Research, Creativity, and Innovation Forum (RCIF)

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Community Outreach offers students from all disciplines the opportunity to present their research to a wide audience consisting of their peers, faculty and staff members, and the larger University community. In collaboration with the Center for the Humanities, RCIF has added a panel presentation component this year for students and peers to develop their presentation skills and further engage with their research in the humanities. Learn more .

Donna E. Shalala Student Center, 1330 Miller Drive, Miami, FL 33146

Thursday, April 11, 4 p.m. | in person, free event

Edith Bleich Lecture Series: Jennifer V. Evans, professor of history at Carleton University in Canada

In her lecture, “Why We Need Queer Kinship Now More Than Ever,” Evans asks how the queer and trans past has often been drawn upon to make a series of claims about liberal democracy itself, including the place of identity in rights-based discourses of experience, policy, and governance. Register now .

Otto G. Richter Library, Third Floor Conference Room, 1300 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146

Thursday and Friday, April 11–12 | in person, purchase tickets

Smart Cities MIAMI 2024

The School of Architecture, in collaboration with the Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing, will host the 8th Annual Smart Cities Conference . This event will explore the theme of artificial intelligence in design, offering a platform to delve into the cutting-edge advancements shaping the future of architecture. Registration is $50 per person.

Lakeside Village Expo Center, 1280 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146

Saturday, April 13, 6 p.m. | in person, free event

M.F.A. in Creative Writing thesis reading

Graduate students Guillermo Leon, Dorie Spangler, and Swetha Siva, who are pursuing Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, will share their thesis. This event is open to the public.

Thursday April 17, 6 p.m. | in person, free event

Lowe Connects: Exploring Art, Marine Biology, and Engineering to Address Climate Challenges

U-Link partners from the departments of art and art history, marine biology, and engineering will speak about the connection between scientific research, engineering, and art. Guests will learn about the ways that the University of Miami is catalyzing interdisciplinary collaboration to advance knowledge on the impacts of climate change and other stressors, and the development of practical solutions to meet society’s changing needs. Register now .

Mindfulness programs are offered virtually at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and in person at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays at the Otto G. Richter Library.

Friday and Saturday, April 19-20 and Friday and Saturday, April 26-27 | in person, purchase tickets

‘Urinetown, the Musical’

Join the revolt in a dystopian future where water is worth its weight in gold, and one of the most basic human needs is under the control of an evil bureaucracy. Wickedly witty, this Tony Award- winning musical satire pokes fun at politics, social irresponsibility, capitalism, and musical theater itself. University students and staff and faculty members can use code THSUTOWN before selecting their seats to receive a discount. University students can obtain free entry to an 8 p.m. show Thursday, April 25, by presenting a valid ’Cane ID. Purchase tickets .

Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, 1312 Miller Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146

Saturday, April 20, 6 p.m. | in person, free event

Catherine Kramer: ‘Known/Unknown’

On view from April 5 through April 26, the University community is invited to the opening reception of “Known/Unknown,” an exhibition by Master of Fine Arts candidate Catherine Kramer. Drawing inspiration from Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung and his process of active imagination, Kramer intentionally works with subconsciously produced imagery while creating her artwork. Learn more .

University of Miami Wynwood Gallery, 2750 NW Third Ave., Suite 4, Miami, FL 33127

On view now through Saturday, April 20 | in person

The Annual Juried Exhibition

Organized by the Department of Art and Art History and hosted by the Lowe Art Museum, the exhibition features works of art across various media created by undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Miami. Learn more .

Monday, April 22, 4 p.m. | in person and streaming, free event

Adobe Scholars Reception

Meet and engage with the 2023-2024 Adobe Scholars as they share the results of their projects. This event is free to attend and open to the public. The online component of this hybrid event will be hosted using Zoom software. Sign up to participate .

Monday, April 22, 7:30 p.m. | in person, free event

‘Sing Sing’

Attend a sneak preview of “Sing Sing,” the story of an inmate at the infamous Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, NY, who forms a theater troupe with his fellow prisoners. Admission is free. Registration is required .

Bill Cosford Cinema, Dooly Memorial 225, 5030 Brunson Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146

Thursday April 25, 6 p.m. | in person, free event

ArtLab | Miya Ando: Sky Writing lecture and reception

Join the Lowe for a talk and reception featuring artist Miya Ando to celebrate the ArtLab 2024 exhibition, Miya Ando: Sky Writing, on view through Saturday, June 1. This student-curated exhibition features multimedia works by Miya Ando, whose oeuvre explores nature’s ever-changing moods and the fragility of human existence. Register to attend .

Thursday, April 25, 7:30 p.m. | in person and streaming, purchase tickets

Frost Music Live!: Michel Camilo and the Frost Latin Jazz Orchestra

Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York, Michel Camilo bridges the genres of jazz, classical, popular and world music with his artistry and virtuosity. The Grammy, Latin Grammy, and Emmy Award-winner joins forces for one night only with the Frost Latin Jazz Orchestra and Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto. Purchase tickets .

Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, Frost School of Music, 1314 Miller Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146

Saturday, April 27, 7:30 p.m. | in person and streaming, purchase tickets

Frost Music Live!: Beethoven’s 9th

The Frost Symphony Orchestra season finale presents a symphonic masterwork alongside four American orchestral miniatures by Augusta Reed Thomas, Bernard Rands, Daren Hagan, and Chen Yi. Purchase tickets .

Featured: RCIF Humanities Hub

As part of the Research, Creativity, and Innovation Forum, the Humanities Hub will feature representatives from the University's humanities departments to provide attendees with information about the humanities as well as answers to specific questions about fields of study, research pursuits, and career opportunities. The Humanities Hub aims to create a stronger connection between research and the humanities within the undergraduate student body and also promotes the different ways in which students can get involved in the humanities.

• Coral Gables , FL 33124
• 305-284-2211 305-284-2211
• UM News and Events
• Alumni & Friends
• University Hotline

Tools and Resources

• Academic Calendar
• Parking & Transportation
• social-facebook
• social-twitter
• social-youtube
• social-instagram

Copyright: 2024 University of Miami. All Rights Reserved. Emergency Information Privacy Statement & Legal Notices Title IX & Gender Equity Website Feedback

Individuals with disabilities who experience any technology-based barriers accessing the University’s websites or services can visit the Office of Workplace Equity and Inclusion .

• Search SF State Search SF State Button SF State This Site

Class Schedule and Course Descriptions

Creative Writing Spring 2024 Class Schedule and Descriptions

This course is an introduction to the creative writing process, in which you’ll do exercises in writing poetry, fiction, and dramatic scripts. There will also be selected readings of exemplary stories, poems, and plays. Open to all students. CROSS GENRE COURSE.

Prerequisite:  English 114, or equivalent. Priority enrollment given to Eng: Creative Writing, Eng: Ed w/ Creative Writing concentration and Cinema majors. Instruction and extensive practice in writing poetry, fiction, and plays, with selected readings of exemplary stories, poems, and plays. This course is the prerequisite to Short Story Writing, Poetry Writing, and Playwriting.  Instructors’ names will be published in June. CROSS GENRE COURSE.

Prerequisite:  Prerequisite:  English 114, or equivalent. Enrollment limited to creative writing majors; non-majors admitted with consent of instructor. Every creative writer needs to be a creative reader. Knowing how to write means knowing how to read. As beginning writers, we learn our craft by reading the works of established writers, drawing inspiration from their examples. In this class, we will read stories, poems, and plays by a diversity of writers such as Samuel Beckett, Octavia Butler, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Sally Wen Mao and others. We will also explore a diversity of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, horror and contemporary realism. Students will discover that creative reading is often the first and most important step to creative writing. 

Prerequisites for C W 506: C W 101 or C W 301 with a grade of C or better. Enrollment limited to C W majors; non-majors admitted with consent of instructor. Covers agents, corporate and small publishing houses, E-publishing, markets, publicity, etc. Students write letters to agents/editors, press releases for book tours, and several short papers. (This is a paired course offering. Students who complete the course at one level may not repeat the course at the other level.)  

Prerequisites: Upper-division standing; C W 101 or 301. How do we write about/from/in the body? How can we use language to embody gender, identity, materiality? This semester we'll look at how a variety of poets and writers do just that and explore strategies for translating material states and bodily identity into writing. Students will respond to readings with both analytical and creative writing. 

Prerequisites: Creative writing major; ENG 214 or equivalent with a grade of C- or better; CW 301 or equivalent. The aim of this class is to foster your growth as a poet. Toward that end, we’ll engage in lots of reading and writing designed both to get you thinking about how poems do what they do (craft!) and to expand the range of possibilities for the ways your own poems might be made, what they might say, and how they might mean. The class will include whole-class discussions of published poems as well as small, break-out workshop/discussion groups during which you'll discuss poems written by your fellow student writers. At the midpoint in the semester, you'll write a draft of the analytical essay that will fulfill your GWAR requirement; at the end of the semester, you'll submit the final, revised version of that essay. This course also satisfies the university’s GWAR requirement. Creative and critical writing. (ABC/NC only.)  

Prerequisites: C W 301; ENG 114; ENG 214; B.A. majors in ENG, Creative Writing and ENG, Edu. (Creative Writing). Explore craft elements of fiction: plot, dialogue, character, point of view, place, etc. Focus is on published writing and exercises. Some student work is discussed. Satisfies the General Education GWAR/C WEP requirement. An exploration of how writers translate their vision onto the page. (Emphasis on HOW). Emphasis is on assigned reading material, but some student work will also be discussed in small groups.

  Journal writing is a personal space for writers to recapture the exquisite richness of personal experience in order to understand themselves and inspire imaginative ideas that lead to stories, poetry, plays and film. As such, we will explore journal writing as a literary form and as a tool to gather ideas for our own creative work. We will read excerpts from a range of writers’ journals and see how their entries found their way into their creative work. Students are expected to keep a journal as a response to stimuli the world presents to them, to record memories, to gather ideas in raw form, and to refine ideas and creative work.  The reading of assigned journals coupled with ongoing writing exercises will generate poems, stories, personal essays, or scenes or monologues through the semester.

 Prerequisite: Senior standing in Creative Writing.  Enrollment is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing, Creative Writing, and English: Education (Creative Writing). Work In Progress  is an advanced process course that offers senior creative writing majors the opportunity to delve into an extended writing project of their own design. Our work in this class will focus on the creative process as it extends past the first burst of inspiration into the longer haul. We’ll study and try out a variety of creative practices that writers can use to keep their projects alive, open and dynamic over the long haul. 

CROSS GENRE COURSE.

Prerequisites:  C W 301 ; C W 511GW or C W 512GW or C W 513GW. Enrollment limited to creative writing majors; non-majors admitted with consent of instructor. This course will explore different aspects of fiction writing craft by critically analyzing published short stories, as well as fellow students’ creative writing.  Students will then apply and hone these craft concepts through in-class writing exercises and written assignments, transforming conceptual knowledge of craft into “how to” applicable knowledge.  Each student will then explore their creative process and consider how it can include critical thinking, consciously applying craft in three written assignments and a complete short story.

Prerequisite: TH A 130 (for CW majors: C W 301 and C W 511 or C W 512 or C W 513) Priority given to creative writing, English education, and drama majors. We will be studying a variety of definitions and models of monologues, such as childhood as the treasure chest of memory, dramatic stories that are ripped from the headlines, history, celebrations of one’s culture and identity, stand-up routines with blistering social commentaries and more. We will various performance techniques, which include the influence of dance, music and poetry on the art form.  We will explore the connection between the page and the stage.  We will practice a variety of vocal, physical and writing exercises designed to help students relax so that characters and their stories can emerge.  Students will develop their own pieces and apply these techniques and methods to their own projects.

Prerequisites:  C W 101  or  C W 301 ;  C W 302 ;  C W 512GW  or  C W 603 .Examine and experiment with the artistic processes of published writers (and a variety of other artists) who've taken a project from idea to completion. Study interviews, process notes, and "middle drafts" of these artists. Include analyses of the draft process, genre across artistic and literary forms, and creation and revision of student work.

Prerequisite:  C W 301; C W 302; C W 511GW or C W 512GW or C W 513GW; or consent of instructor. Join the staff of Transfer, the literary magazine of the Creative Writing Department, established in 1950, and one of the longest running student literary magazines in the US. The course is designed to give you a working taste of what it takes to put out a literary magazine (including critical analysis and discussion of short-listed submissions, proofreading, solicitation and distribution) and to make you think about the world of literary magazines and your own beliefs in literature. Come prepared to analyze and discuss text and investigate your own literary aesthetics. In order to bring Transfer into the 21st Century, in addition to assisting the editors publish the print magazine, class members will create, design, and edit their own literary magazine. If you’re interested in being an editor of Transfer, at the end of the semester you will be given the opportunity to apply for an editor position for the next issue. This is a process course (not a lab) and can be used to fulfill 3 units of the Creative Process requirement. CROSS GENRE COURSE.

Prerequisite: C W 101 or 301 with a grade of C or better. Enrollment is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing and English: Education (Creative Writing). Non-majors admitted with consent of instructor. Paid and unpaid internship positions designed to give CW students practical knowledge and experience are available through local literary and arts organizations, civic and community organizations, Bay Area school districts and within the Creative Writing Community at SFSU. Check out our Community Projects in Literature Internship Leads at  https://creativewriting.sfsu.edu/content/communityprojects-0 . Incredible academic internships are also available for C W 675/875 credit through SFSU's Institute for Civic and Community Engagement (ICCE). Check out their list of paid and unpaid internships at  http://icce.sfsu.edu . These working by remote and/or in person internships are robust opportunities to 'learn by doing'. If you have any questions please contact Junse Kim at  [email protected]  . C W 675/875 may be taken twice for 6 units of credit.

Prerequisite:  Consent of instructor and a 3.0 GPA.  Upper division students may enroll in a course of Independent Study under the supervision of a member of the Creative Writing department, with whom the course is planned, developed, and completed. This course may be taken for one, two, or three units. No priority enrollment; enrollment is by petition, and a copy of your unofficial SF State transcript. Independent Study forms are available online  http://registrar.sfsu.edu/forms  under Independent Study (699, 899). This form must be signed by the instructor you will be working with, and the department chair, and must be turned in with a copy of your unofficial transcript. Please request a permit number from your instructor when they approve the 699 form.

GRADUATE CLASSES:

Note:  Preference in all Creative Writing graduate courses will be given to students admitted to either the M.A. or the M.F.A. programs in Creative Writing.  Preference in M.F.A. level courses will be given to students admitted to the M.F.A. program.  Priority in M.A. and M.F.A. writing workshops and creative process courses will be given to students admitted in the genre of the course.  Other Creative Writing M.A./M.F.A. students may enroll in these courses only with the permission of the instructor.

Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. In this class we will explore some aspects of the “business” of creative writing—how writers find and create audiences for their work, find editors and publishers, and pay the rent—as well as how they create lives in which art and the creative process are central. This is a survey class, not a seminar, so while this class will not teach you how to become a best-selling writer in ten easy steps, it will provide you with a larger sense of the business side of creative writing, while encouraging you to develop your ability to distinguish between the business of creative writing and the art. Each class period will involve lecture & discussion by guest speakers (poets, writers, literary agents, book editors, literary journal publishers, reading series curators, book distribution managers, free-lance writers and editors, literary nonprofit managers, and the like). You will be given a writing and/or research assignment the week before each presentation to lead you into the speaker’s field.

809   Directed Writing for Graduate Students                       ARR

Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing.  Permission of the instructor is required  to take this course; you will be dropped without prior consent of the instructor. The semester before you plan to enroll in Directed Writing, submit a sample of your writing in the instructor’s mailbox along with a note explaining that you want to take their Directed Writing class. Be sure you include your name, address, phone number and e-mail. If the instructor is on leave, please email your writing sample to her or him.

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Creative Writing students or permission of the instructor. In this graduate-level seminar, we will examine the various ways that time operates, conceptually and practically, in fictional narratives. On one hand, time and place coalesce to form a reader’s understanding of a narrative’s milieu. Yet time can also be manipulated as a structural craft element that controls how fast or slow a reader travels through the story. We can ask ourselves questions like: How much time does this novel cover? How does the author handle time in this one particular scene? How does this time period come alive off the page? What is happening to time in the negative spaces between scenes, chapters and acts? Each week, we will discuss how the writers on our syllabus approach time on both a micro and macro level. Assigned authors include: Alice Munro, Jane Smiley, Tom Drury, Ann Patchett, Yoko Ogawa, Toni Morrison, Sigrid Nunez, Susan Choi, Alan Hollinghurst, Lan Samantha Chang and Oscar Hokeah. 

May be repeated for credit when topics vary.

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Creative Writing students or permission of the instructor. This graduate process course will trace the development and history of lyric poetry, beginning with Sappho and Archilochus.  It will also include ancient Chinese and Japanese traditions as seen in Li Po, Du Fu, and Bashō, Romanticism’s revival of lyric forms like the sonnet, ode, and hymn, the confessional and personal poetry of Ginsberg, Plath, Sexton, and O’Hara, the postmodern turn toward conflicted song, as seen in the serial poems of Duncan and Spicer, as well as the Objectivists and language poetry, and the lyrics of songwriting itself.

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Creative Writing students or consent of the instructor.  MA and M.F.A. students from all genres are welcome (should the course be over-enrolled, priority will be given to Playwriting students). Calling all playwrights, directors, actors, stage managers, production managers and graphic artists!  Greenhouse 2024 is looking for full length and short plays to be presented in a guerilla style theatre format in various indoor and outdoor spaces on the SF State campus for our annual festival of new work. Playwrights must be highly self-motivated in the creative process. They must be willing to help cast their own plays and do whatever it takes to get their work up. The festival will be held in April. Master classes with local professionals will guide students with helpful tools in dramaturgy, publicity and marketing, fundraising and grant writing. For more information please contact Anne Galjour at [email protected] . May be repeated for a total of 9 units.

Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Fourteen Hills is a working small press as well as a graduate course in editing and literary publishing. Each year, in the spring, we publish one issue of  Fourteen Hills: the SFSU Review , a nationally recognized literary print magazine, as well as in fall the Michael Rubin Book Award (MRBA) by an SFSU student or recent graduate. Fourteen Hills is run entirely by students with support from our Faculty Advisor and the Department of Creative Writing. The course is designed to give students an opportunity to observe and participate in many aspects of running a literary magazine, from editorial decisions to distribution logistics, from public relations and event planning to conducting author interviews. Students in the class serve as staff for the journal, working closely with the editors to consider and evaluate work for publication in the upcoming issue as well as learning about the copy-editing process, visual art selection, cover design, distribution, sales, and promotion. The course is taught primarily by the Editor-in-Chief, with guidance from the Faculty Advisor. Small group work will be led by the Fiction and Poetry genre editors. CROSS GENRE COURSE.

Prerequisites: Classified graduate standing in M.F.A. Creative Writing; priority enrollment given to M.F.A. creative nonfiction students; open to other M.F.A. genre and MA creative nonfiction students only on a space-available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. May be repeated for a maximum of 18 units.

Prerequisite: Classified graduate status in the M.F.A. in Creative Writing or consent of instructor. Together, in this course, we’ll delve into the infinitely rich world of fiction—what it is, why it matters, how to shape and forge it. You are encouraged to experiment, push your own edges, and take daring leaps toward your most vaulting goals as a writer. We will read selected works of fiction as springboards for discussion, to fill our wells, and to deepen our common language around literary craft. In workshop, we’ll use an “unsilenced” method to turn close attention to each student’s manuscript in an atmosphere of aesthetic rigor, personal agency, and mutual support. We will pay attention to a range of factors at play, including characterization, plot, point of view, developing and sustaining narrative tension, evocation of setting, treatment of time, and the range of possibilities for dialogue, theme, structure, imagery, voice, and style. This class is equally welcoming of those writing short stories, those focused on a novel, and those exploring both genres and/or the exciting space between them. You are encouraged to explore, to cross-pollinate, and to let inspiration propel you to new realms. 

May be repeated for a total of 18 units.

Prerequisite: Classified graduate status in the M.F.A. in Creative Writing or consent of instructor. “As if your life depended on it. You must write and read as if your life depended on it…To read as if your life depended on it would mean to let into your reading your beliefs, the swirl of your dreamlife…” This excerpted quote from Adrienne Rich’s “What is Found There” speaks to the sense of urgency and complexity guiding this writing workshop. What is it to make art when the world is on fire? Students will concentrate on the creation, revision, and radical revision of their poetry. The class format will include discussion of reading assignments, writing in response to readings, viewings, and music; group discussion of student work, and in-class and at-home writing and reading assignments. Prerequisite: Classified graduate status in the M.F.A. in Creative Writing or consent of instructor. May be repeated for a total of 18 units.

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Creative Writing students or permission of the instructor. Maria Irene Fornes wrote: "My goal in workshops is always what will be advantageous for the growth of the individual writer, rather than for the writer to show the other people in the class what they have accomplished." In that spirit, we'll focus on fearlessly generating new work and using craft and process triggers to explore work already under construction. We'll read and watch newly written and newly produced plays and discuss intention and theatrical strategies. We'll also spotlight craft and process challenges of interest to the group. Our methods, while diverse, will be adapted to target the needs of the group's particular members.

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Creative Writing students or permission of the instructor. CW 859, Practicum in Teaching, MFA and MA students in Creative Writing are given the opportunity to participate in undergraduate courses for teacher training activities under the supervision of Creative Writing instructors.   Each student must make arrangements with an instructor of an undergraduate course to participate in that course as a Teaching Practicum student.  Over the course of the semester, students will engage in a process of discovery of the values, beliefs, ideals, and aesthetics that will inform each of their own Creative Writing pedagogies.  Students in CW 859 meet as a group once every three weeks in tandem with asynchronous work on Canvas, posting teaching journals and case studies on a weekly basis.   This course provides pedagogical grounding for pragmatic classroom teaching work and offers students a structured forum in which to discuss their teaching activities under the supervision of an experienced teacher and in collaboration with other Practicum students.  Open to both M.A. and M.F.A. Creative Writing students. 

Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. This course engages Creative Writing graduate students in pragmatic and theoretical exploration of the teaching of creative writing. Our methods and activities will be diverse. We'll begin the semester in active imaginative engagement in the student experience, here and now, the Spring of 2024. We'll create and present craft exegeses and craft and process lectures of varying length. We'll explore strategies for engaging in useful, generative analysis of student works-in-progress. We'll hold practice sessions in leading class discussions, setting out to use text models with creativity, adaptability and imagination. We'll also discuss aspects of Creative Writing pedagogy as stimulated by essays and interviews. By the end of the semester, each student will have prepared a detailed syllabus for a fifteen-week creative writing course. These activities will be not only pragmatic but also diagnostic: as the semester progresses, each student will aim to unearth their particular passions and priorities as writers, educators and human beings--the prime movers in the discovery of each of our own unique teaching voices and styles.  CROSS GENRE COURSE.

Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing or consent of instructor. Paid and unpaid internship positions designed to give CW students practical knowledge and experience are available through local literary and arts organizations, civic and community organizations, Bay Area school districts and within the Creative Writing Community at SFSU. Check out our Community Projects in Literature Internship Leads at  https://creativewriting.sfsu.edu/content/communityprojects-0 . Incredible academic internships are also available for C W 675/875 credit through SFSU's Institute for Civic and Community Engagement (ICCE). Check out their list of paid and unpaid internships at  http://icce.sfsu.edu . These working by remote and/or in person internships are robust opportunities to 'learn by doing'. If you have any questions please contact Junse Kim at  [email protected]  . C W 675/875 may be taken twice for 6 units of credit.

In this multi-genre class we'll be exploring ways to generate new work and to develop an idea into a publishable work. We'll read award-winning published works in various genres, including hybrid forms that combine documents, images, poetry/prose and other storytelling forms. We will have Zoom visits with acclaimed authors to discuss their craft and see how they discovered the form that they felt was the right one for developing their inspiration. Although this won't be a full workshop, students will have many opportunities to generate new creative work and receive feedback and to experiment with developing an idea in different genres and forms. We will read and discuss creative works by established and emerging authors­ including Paul Hlava Ceballos, K-Ming Chang, Benjamín Labatut, Kiese Laymon, Elissa Washuta and Jane Wong.  

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate students in the M.F.A. in Creative Writing or consent of instructor. This course will examine “those elements that propel readers beyond the plot of a novel or short story into the realm of what haunts the imagination: the implied, the half-visible and the unspoken.”  Charles Baxter, Art of Subtext. Using Baxter’s book Art of Subtext for our springboard, we will analyze selected short fiction, novels and excerpts to identify and absorb how the text builds a world both solid and haunted, how the language, staging (dramatic placement), silences and speech, tonal shifts, fictional personalities and their forbidden thoughts serve as lures. We will respond to writing exercises intended to startle us into generating material that matters to us, veering toward surprise, risk, delight, depth.  We will discuss this generated material (experiments) in class in terms of the subtext in motion—the tensions, dynamics, voice, place, characters, unanswerable questions that may be burgeoning on the page and could be further developed.  Weekly texts may include a wide-range of authors such as Shruti Swamy, Bernardo Atxaga, Charles Mungoshi, Julian Lopera Delgado, Luke Dani Blue, Louise Erdrich, Toni Morrison, Brandon Taylor, May-lee Chai, Lydia Davis, James Allan McPherson, Jean Thompson, Alice Munro, Magda Szabo etc.  To get into the course students must attend the first two classes.  

Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing M.F.A. CW or consent of instructor. If—as Audre Lorde once said—poetry is the “skeleton architecture” of our lives, what does this mean for our sentences, the prose we spin, the pulse we forge on the page? What is the relationship between aesthetic daring and transgressive or revolutionary thought? How does a queer lens innovate, shake up, or ignite the potentialities of language, and what might this catalyze for any and all among us who want to write with verve and power? What gifts might we find if we come together and joyfully explore what queers a sentence, makes it sing? In this class, we’ll read prose works by a range of trailblazing queer and trans authors, with a focus on what the poetics of their sentences catalyzes for us as writers. We’ll start with canonical works—by Herman Melville, James Baldwin, Virginia Woolf, Qiu Miaojin and Reinaldo Arenas—and then draw on a broad range of contemporary voices for inspiration and creative sparks. We’ll use these readings as a springboard into our own creative work, in whatever direction calls us. We’ll gather phenomenal sentences, and practice writing our own. We’ll also keep our eyes on other elements that contribute to narrative poetics: theme, voice, pacing, narrative structure, characterization, point of view, setting, interiority and uses of time. Writers of all backgrounds and identities, of course, are welcome. Let’s launch the adventure, and make some art.

Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing MFA CW or consent of instructor. This multi-genre course will study and themes and structures of assigned books of poetry, fiction, and one-act plays, with the end result of students writing and designing their own chapbooks of 16-24 pages.  Assigned books will include Model City by Donna Stonecipher, Garden Physic by Sylvia Legris, Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz, and the procedural novel, Mr. Palomar , by Italo Calvino.

C W 893 Written M.A. Creative Project (3 units) Prerequisite:  advancement to M.A. candidacy in English: Creative Writing.  Advancement To Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience Proposal forms must be on file in the Division of Graduate Studies the semester before registration. These 3 units M.A. students sign up for while working on the culminating experience/thesis/written creative project, which may be a collection of short stories, a group of poems, a novel or a play.  Enrollment is by permission number during priority registration/enrollment: you will be emailed the correct class and permission numbers to enroll in your section. You must enroll in this course or your will not receive credit for your thesis.

C W 893 Written M.F.A. Creative Work (6 units) Prerequisite:  advancement to M.F.A. candidacy in Creative Writing; Advancement To Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience Proposal forms must be on file in the Division of Graduate Studies the semester before registration. These 6 units M.F.A. students sign up for while working on the culminating experience/thesis/written creative project, which is expected to be a book length collection of short stories, or poems, or a novel or a play of publishable quality.  Enrollment is by permission number during priority registration/enrollment: you will be emailed the correct class and permission numbers to enroll in your section. You must enroll in this course or your will not receive credit for your thesis.

C W 899           Independent Study                             ARR Prerequisite:  consent of instructor and a minimum GPA of 3.25.  A special study is planned, developed, and completed under the direction of a faculty member. This course may be taken for one, two, or three units. No priority enrollment; enrollment is by petition, and a copy of your unofficial SF State transcript. Independent Study forms are available online  http://registrar.sfsu.edu/forms  under Independent Study (699, 899). This form must be signed by the instructor you will be working with, and the department chair, and must be turned in with a copy of your unofficial transcript. Your instructor will give you a permit number once they have approved the 899 petition.  

Archived Class Schedules

• Fall 2023 Class Schedule
• Spring 2023 Class Schedule
• Fall 2022 Class Schedule
• Summer 2022 Class Schedule
• Spring 2022 Class Schedule
• Fall 2021 Class Schedule
• Spring 2021 Class Schedule
• Fall 2020 Class Schedule 
• Spring 2020 Class Schedule
• Fall 2019 Class Schedule
• Summer 2019 Class Schedule
• Spring 2019 Class Schedule
• Winter 2019 Class Schedule
• Fall 2018 Class Schedule
• Summer 2018 Class Schedule
• Spring 2018 Class Schedule
• Winter 2018 Class Schedule
• Fall 2017 Class Schedule
• Email: [email protected]
• Telephone: (415) 338-1891

Office Hours

Quick links.

• Undergraduate Advising Center
• SF Bulletin
• Academic Calendar