Institute of American Indian Arts College / Academics

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Expanding the Circle

Degrees Offered

Associate of Arts (AA) and Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)

Creative writing has always held a prominent place at the Institute, but it has never been stronger than it is right now. This is because the program’s strength is in its students who come from reservations, cities and all places in between to study with nationally and internationally known working writers.

Who We Are

In addition to studying with award-winning faculty members like Native American novelist Evelina Zuni Lucero (author of Deer Dancer), and Lannan Literary Award winning writer Jon Davis (author of five books, including Scrimmage of Appetite), students meet and work with visiting writers from across North America. Past visitors have included Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott, N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa), Simon Ortiz (Acoma), Joy Harjo (Creek), Luci Tapahonso (Diné), Linda Hogan (Chickasaw), Lannan Literary Award-winning writer Arthur Sze (author of seven books, including The Redshifting Web), and many others.

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Philosophy

The diversity in the student population is mirrored in the diverse creative writing course offerings. A student can choose from courses in poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, playwriting, and screenwriting. Students receive a strong foundation in the craft of writing as well as a solid grounding in Native American and world literature. This frees students to explore; IAIA students are known for their adventurous writing, bold experimentation and unexpected subject matter.

Objectives

As writers themselves, the creative writing faculty at IAIA understands the need for scrupulous attention to the craft and to the excitement of taking that mastery of craft and placing it in the service of a larger vision. Creative writing students will explore the literature of the past as well as that of their contemporaries. Students will explore the various genres of writing and be encouraged to experiment and discover their own voice, as well as their own styles and subjects. Students gain professional exposure as writers and speakers by giving readings of their work and publishing in nationally distributed undergraduate anthologies. There are opportunities for national publication, scholarships (such as the Truman Capote Scholarship), and fellowships to national writers’ conferences (such as the Naropa Institute’s Summer Writing Program), as well. Whether a student chooses to earn an associate of arts degree or a bachelor of fine arts degree, they will graduate with a mastery of writing.

Multiple Career Paths
When finished with the program students will be prepared to pursue their writing interests by continuing on to graduate school or finding employment in numerous professional environments including teaching, newspaper or magazine journalism, public relations, editing, publishing, and grant writing.

Alumni from the IAIA Creative Writing Program have received numerous awards including two American Book Awards, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship to Stanford University, a Whiting Writer’s Award ($50,000), and state arts commission grants. They have published influential books of fiction, poetry, and memoir.