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CREATIVE WRITING
Degrees Offered: Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts
Creative Writing has had a prominent place at the Institute since its
beginning, but it has never been stronger than right now. The program’s
strength is in its students, who come from reservations and cities and
places in between to study with nationally and internationally-known
working writers. In addition to studying with award winning Native American
novelist Evelina Zuni Lucero (author of Deer Dancer), Lannan Literary
Award winning writers Arthur Sze (author of seven books, including The
Redshifting Web) and Jon Davis (author of five books, including Scrimmage
of Appetite), you will meet and work with visiting writers. Past visitors
have included Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott, N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa),
Simon Ortiz (Acoma), Joy Harjo (Creek), Luci Tapahonso (Dine), Linda
Hogan (Chickasaw), and many others.
What We Do For You
The diversity in the student population is mirrored in the diverse course
offerings. You can choose from writing courses in poetry, fiction, creative
non-fiction, playwriting, and screenwriting. You will receive a strong
foundation in the craft of writing as well as a solid grounding in Native
American and world literature. This frees you to explore; IAIA students
are known for their adventurous writing, and for bold experimentation
and unexpected subject matter.
Students gain exposure by giving readings of their work and publishing
in one of the few nationally-distributed undergraduate anthologies.
There are opportunities for national publication, scholarships, and
fellowships to national writers’ conferences. Each year since
1996, two Creative Writing majors have received $10,000 Truman Capote
Scholarships. Every summer, one student poet is given a full scholarship
to the Naropa Institute’s Summer Writing Program.
Objectives
The Creative Writing faculty at IAIA are dedicated writers themselves,
who understand the need for scrupulous attention to craft and the excitement
of taking that mastery of craft and placing it in the service of a larger
vision. You will explore the literature of the past and of your contemporaries.
You will explore the various genres of writing, and you will be encouraged
to experiment and discover your own voice, your own styles and subjects.
Multiple Career Paths
Many of our students choose IAIA’s Creative Writing Program
simply because they have a passion for writing and the creative life.
The BFA in Creative Writing prepares these students for graduate school.
In addition solid writing skills are sought in numerous professional
environments; a brief list would include teaching, newspaper or magazine
journalism, public relations, editing, publishing, and grant writing.
Awards
Creative Writing Program alumni have received numerous awards including:
two American Book Awards, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship to Stanford University,
A whiting Writers Award ($50,000), and state arts commission grants.
They have published influential books of fiction, poetry, and memoir.
Where you choose to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts or an Associate of
Arts degree, you can look forward to graduating with a mastery of writing.
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