Creative Writing Programs :: NewPages Guide

Old Dominion University

MFA in Creative Writing

Batten Arts and Letters 5000

Norfolk, VA 23529

Website: http://al.odu.edu/english/mfacw/

Program director: Luisa Igloria

Program contact: Luisa Igloria

Phone: 757-683-3991 x3929

Email: ligloria@odu.edu

Degrees offered: MFA

Genres: Fiction, nonfiction, poetry

Type of program: Residency

Length of program: 3 years

Enrollment: 10-12 students/genre; 30-36 total

Total credits required: 54 hours

Application deadlines: February 15th for students seeking assistantships; March 1 for student who do not

Scholarships available: Yes, some scholarships available; please inquire

Core faculty: Fiction: Sheri Reynolds, Janet Peery, John McManus. Poetry: Luisa Igloria, Tim Seibles. Nonfiction: Michael Pearson. Plus – the Mina Hohenberg Darden Endowed Professor in Creative Writing

Assistantships: Yes (Teaching and Writers in Community)

Publishing/editing courses: Occasionally, a Publishing Fair or Festival

Literary magazine: Yes, Barely South Review

Reading series: Yes. Annual Literary Festival bringing in around 15 writers over 4 days

Recent visiting writers: Marilyn Chin, Denise Duhamel, Claudia Emerson, Richard Bausch, Mary Karr, Greg Bottoms, Douglas Kearney, Shara McCallum, Brian Turner, Blake Bailey, Bonnie Jo Campbell 

Program description: Old Dominion University’s MFA program in Creative Writing registers 25-35 students each semester in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. We have a 7-member creative-writing faculty. In our 3-year, 54-hour program, students graduate not only as writers but also as individuals competent in literary studies.
Already, our students have accomplished a great deal—nonfiction and fiction books with major publishers (St. Martin’s, Crown, Penguin), stories and poems appearing in national magazines, prestigious grants and awards. The core MFA faculty—Luisa Igloria, John McManus, Michael Pearson, Janet Peery, Sheri Reynolds, and Tim Seibles—have published many highly acclaimed books. Each of our writers is also a skilled and caring instructor. Several have won Outstanding Faculty Awards from the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia.

Old Dominion University is located in Hampton Roads, a vibrant community offering the best of several worlds—the ocean and bay, country and cityscapes, bookstores and bistros. Our Writers-in-Community Program gives MFA students the opportunity to facilitate writing workshops in schools, museums, libraries, hospitals, homeless shelters, housing projects, and retirement homes in the area. Students can also participate in the first- and second-year reading series at Borjo Coffeeshop in the University Village, and assist with ODU's internationally recognized annual literary festival. ODU's Writer-in-Residence Program (offered in both the fall and spring semesters) allows students to work one-on-one with respected poets and writers from around the country.

If ODU's MFA Program sounds good (and it is), we invite you to check out our website, or email Luisa Igloria, Graduate Program Director (links above).