- Sarah Kraine Marquigny, MFA 1987
|
|
|
"I chose Bowling Green because its program was the most flexible and customizable. The focus is on workshopping and actually creating poetry, not just thinking about poetry. The workshops were invaluable. The faculty was excellent at facilitating the group dynamic, validating each individual's point of view while keeping the discussion on track, helpful, and open ... There's no spoon-feeding going on here, no apprenticing, no molding. There is instead nurturing, fertilizing, seeding, and appreciating the results."
- Sarah Kraine Marquigny, MFA 1987 |
|
"You'll think I'm exaggerating (or crazy), but my time in the MFA program at BGSU was the best of my life. I put a two-year hold on everything in order to focus on my writing completely; I will always consider those two years a gift."
- Paula Lambert Neidigh, MFA 1996
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing gives a comprehensive and rigorous education in the professional writing, editing, and marketing of poetry and fiction. Artistic development, craft knowledge, and professional presentation are guiding principles. (Current BGSU MFAs: Check out career opportunities by following the link below).
Publishing, Internships, Jobs, Writers' Colonies, and Further Graduate Studies
The program is a composite of a total of 40 hours, consisting primarily of writing workshops, including a minimum of one course in techniques, one in literary editing, and the remainder in recommended courses or electives. Writers complete a thesis and comprehensive examination. See the link below for detailed guidelines.
Guidelines for MFA Thesis and Comprehensive Examination (you can save as a WORD file)
In recognition of the value that interdisciplinary studies has for artistic development and intellectual enrichment, graduates may choose electives from a wide range of fields, such as physics, philosophy, cultural studies, history, and art. Students must choose a body of electives early in the program, and show a clear relationship between their electives and their specific goals as writers.
A typical student's program consists of:
Required
Eng 632 Writers' Workshop 16 semester hours Eng 630/631 Techniques Course 3 semester hours Eng 782 Advanced Writer's Workshop 3 semester hours Eng 633 Editing the Mid-American Review 3 semester hours Eng 699 Thesis Research Hours 6 semester hours TOTAL: 31 semester hours Electives 9 semester hours GRAND TOTAL: 40 semester hours
Total hour requirements may be reduced for outstanding students who are able to apply credit from previous graduate work. However, approval for the transference of hours must happen prior to matriculation. In all cases, a student is required to take a minimum of thirty hours in residence with a minimum of one workshop in their major area per semester after being accepted into the Program.
For detailed Graduate College requirements for preparing the thesis, click here.
MFA Reading Series
Women Writers Group
Click here for further information and to submit an on-line application.
Please contact Michele Nagel with any additional questions.
| BFA |
Faculty |
Apply |
News |
Readings |
Workshops |
Books |
English Dept | Search | Suggest | Home |
Mid-American Review is the literary publication of the Department of English and the Creative Writing Program at Bowling Green State University. Started by Robert Early in 1980, MAR has served the literary community by publishing the best contemporary fiction, non-fiction and poetry being written today. MAR is proud of its tradition of publishing both new and established writers. Poets and writers including Madison Smartt Bell, Fred Chappell, Bernard Cooper, Stephen Dunn, Stuart Dybek, Albert Goldbarth, William Goyen, T.R. Hummer, Susan Ludvigson, Naomi Shihab Nye, A. Poulin, Jr., Alberto Ríos, Richard Russo, William Stafford, Jean Thompson, Chase Twichell, Lee Upton, David Foster Wallace, C.K. Williams, and Eleanor Wilner have published in MAR.
Work from MAR has been reprinted in Best American Short Stories, Best American Poetry, Pushcart: Best of the Small Presses, Prize Stories: The O'Henry Awards, New Stories from the South, and Harper's. MFA students serve as assistant editors for MAR, providing them with valuable editorial and production experience.
Mid-American Review. Alumnus and poet Scott Cairns at the 2004
Associated Writing Programs Conference in Chicago.
Poets and writers from all over the world have visited, read from their work, and interacted with writers in our programs. Follow the link to find the schedule.
Created by MFA students and the Women's Center to provide an outlet for artistic expression in a friendly, supportive environment, writers of all levels of experience in the Bowling Green community are encouraged to pursue individual creative writing goals and interests during the Women Writers Group's bi-monthly meetings. Various creative writing activities, designed to further awareness of language, are shared and each writer also receives feedback about her own writing projects.
Admission
Students should concentrate in either poetry or fiction, and are expected to have all requested materials postmarked and mailed to our office by February 15 prior to the fall semester when they plan to enter the program. Admission into the program will be determined primarily on the basis of a manuscript, which must be submitted first. This should consist of 20 pages minimum, 30 pages maximum of fiction or poetry (do not mix genres) on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper (double-spaced for fiction). If the manuscript is to be returned to you, it must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
BFA & MFA STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND ALUMNI AT AWP
CONFERENCE, AUSTON, TX, MARCH, 2006.
