Creative Writing, M.A.

David Hicks, Ph.D., Program Director

Bonnie Culver, Ph.D. and J. Michael Lennon, Ph.D., Program Co-Founders

Master of Arts in Creative Writing (low residency or weekend version)

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (low residency)

Accreditation

In October 2004, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Middle States Association of Schools and Universities approved the Wilkes proposal for the M.A. program. The University graduated its first class in June 2006. In September 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education approved the addition of the Master of Fine Arts to the graduate creative writing degree offerings at Wilkes University.

Admission

Students will be accepted into the Master of Arts in Creative Writing based almost entirely upon the application essay and creative writing sample. Students applying to this program should hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; however, students without a bachelor’s degree may apply. (Such applicants must provide a very strong writing sample and writing history.) No GREs are required. Applicants must submit the following for consideration:

• Completed Application.
• $35 non-refundable application fee.
• Official transcript of all college work, undergraduate and graduate.
• Two letters of recommendation
• Creative writing sample.(a 15-25 page writing sample from any genre or genres of published/unpublished work that best demonstrates your creative ability)
• Essay response…A 3-10 page response to the following questions:
  1. Where are you with regard to your writing and how did you get here?
  2. Why Wilkes? What do you hope to accomplish in our program?
  3. What will you do with your program accomplishments following graduation?

Students may enter the program in either the winter (early January) or summer (late June) residency, followed by a 15-week spring or fall semester. Students selecting the “Weekender” version of the MA (winter only) will receive online instruction over two or three weekends following each residency instead of attending the weeklong residencies in January. Weekender study is allowed in lieu of the winter residency, but for the summer residency, in-person attendance is required.

Students interested in the Master of Fine Arts must first complete the Master of Arts in Creative Writing. Students completing the M.A. may apply for admission into the M.F.A. no earlier than the last term of the M.A.

To be accepted into the M.F.A., students must have at least a 3.5 in every M.A. course, write a letter of interest to the Program Director, and be approved by the CW faculty to continue into the M.F.A. Once in the program, students must maintain at least a 3.5 GPA.

Transfer Credits

Students who have earned credits from another accredited graduate program in creative writing, or who have published extensively in a particular genre, may apply for 3-9 transfer credits into the Wilkes program. In addition, Wilkes M.A. alums can transfer up to 12 credits if they wish to earn a second MA in a different genre, leaving them with 18 credits to earn for that second Master of Arts degree. An applicant with a master’s degree in Creative Writing at an accredited university and/or book publications/produced work with reputable publishers/producers may petition for a direct admission into our MFA program (requiring 30 total credits).

Requirements for the MA in Creative Writing

(30 credit hour minimum)

The Master of Arts in Creative Writing is a 30-credit, low-residency program in seven tracks, one of which will appear on the graduate’s M.A. diploma: fiction / poetry / screenwriting / playwriting / creative nonfiction / publishing / spoken word.

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (49 credit hours minimum = 30 credits MA course + 19 credits MFA courses).

Thesis Requirements

To satisfy the Masters of Arts in Creative Writing thesis requirement:

Students graduating with a Master of Arts in Creative Writing will produce and present a full-length text with support materials that demonstrate the mastery of requisite standards, processes, and procedures for bringing that project into its appropriate public venue. The diploma will specify which area of study the student pursued and include the following options: poetry, spoken word, fiction, screenwriting, playwriting, creative nonfiction, and publishing.

Capstone Requirements

The Master of Arts in Creative Writing Capstone is where students have a chance to demonstrate their full mastery of their major area, meeting all of the student learning outcomes listed above. All Master of Arts creative projects, no matter which track, will be evaluated by an outside reader who is an industry expert–an experienced editor, literary agent, publisher, producer, or director. The student’s work comes together in the final residency by way of a capstone presentation of their work.. All capstones, no matter which area the graduate selects, must have both a written and spoken component and must also meet specified graduation criteria. (The Creative Writing Program Handbook contains details of the capstone requirements for individual genres.)

The following are the area-specific requirements for the Master of Arts in Creative Writing capstone:

Poetry

During the final residency (CW 525 ) poets will present a formal reading from their finished poetry chapbook or poetry collection. The formal reading will be limited to ten minutes followed by a Q & A from faculty, mentors, and other students. Some or all work must be recited.) THESIS/Support materials will include:

• THESIS (24-50 pages, chapbook; 50+ pages., collection)
• A query letter (1-2 pages)
• Writing Self-Analysis Essay, including Writing Life Plan
• Artist’s statement (1 page.)
• Final annotated bibliography of all readings leading to the thesis project, from CW 512-520.

Fiction

During the final residency (CW 525 ), fiction writers will present a formal reading from their manuscript, which will be either a novel or short story collection. The formal reading will be limited to ten minutes, followed by a Q & A from faculty, mentors, and other students.

THESIS/Support materials will include:

• THESIS- (Novella, novel, or short story collection- 120page minimum)
• A query letter (1-2 pages)
• Writing Self-Analysis Essay, including Writing Life Plan
• Jacket blurb (bio) (1 page.)
• Final annotated bibliography of all readings leading to the thesis project, from CW 512-520.

Plays

Playwrights will work before their capstone residency with an assigned director to cast and to prepare the play for a formal staged reading that will be held during the residency or off-campus at a designated theater. Experienced actors, appropriate to the work, will be utilized. Playwrights will be prepared to answer questions about their work and processes, following the staged reading.

THESIS/Support materials will include:

• THESIS-(Full-length play, collected one-acts, or performance piece 80+ pages) •A query letter (1-2 pages.)
• Playwright’s bio (1 page.)
• Writing Self-Analysis Essay, including Writing Life Plan
• Play synopsis (1-2 pages.)
• Final annotated bibliography of all readings leading to the thesis project, from CW 512-520.

Screenplays

Screenwriters will work with their writer mentors in the pre-residency to prepare their script for a table reading during their final residency (CW 525 ). Readers will include actors, cohort members, and other available readers. Screenwriters must be prepared to present a “pitch” to a film producer, agent, or director before the reading and to answer process questions, following the table reading.

THESIS/Support materials will include:

• THESIS-(Full-length screenplay, collected feature shorts,80+ pages.)
• The “pitch”
• A query letter (1-2 pages.)
• Writing Self-Analysis Essay, including Writing Life Plan
• Screenplay treatment (2-4 pages.)
• Final annotated bibliography of all readings leading to the thesis project, from CW 512-520.

Creative Nonfiction

During the final residency (CW 525 ), creative nonfiction writers will present a formal reading from their completed full-length manuscript, which will be either a memoir or essay collection. The formal reading will be limited to ten minutes, followed a Q & A from faculty, mentors, and other students.

THESIS/Support materials will include:

• THESIS-(Full-length manuscript or collection of short works)
• A query letter (1-2 pages.)
• Writing Self-Analysis Essay, including Writing Life Plan
• Back flap copy (bio) (1 page.)
• Final annotated bibliography of all readings leading to the thesis project, from CW 512-520.

Publishing

During the final residency (CW 525 ), students in the publishing track will present their new e-zine, small press, journal as if they are actually launching this new company. These students will make a formal presentation to a panel of publishers, editors, and agents. Additionally, they will create materials that will be included in a M.A. book fair.

THESIS/Support materials will include:

• The first creative work to be launched by the student’s new company
• The portfolio of work leading to the student’s decisions:
• Business plan, vision/mission statement, etc.
• Marketing materials for launch
• Self-analysis essay, including the Writing Life Plan
• Final annotated bibliography of all readings, interviews leading to the thesis project, from CW 512-520.

Spoken Word

During the final residency (CW 525 ), students in the Spoken Word track will present a ten-minute live performance of their work, followed by a Q&A.

THESIS/Support materials will include:

• THESIS (either 25-50 page transcript of their performance pieces or a one-hour Youtube video of their performances.
• A short (three minutes max) video to serve as a “query” for a Spoken Word organization or contest.
• Writing Self-Analysis Essay, including Writing Life Plan
• Artist’s statement (1 page.)
• Final annotated bibliography/videography of all readings leading to the thesis project, from CW 512-520

Learning Outcomes

Craft

Students will demonstrate the mastery of one’s major area of study through the practice of writing in various forms, including the demonstrable and proven ability to employ the generic elements (e.g. setting, point of view, rhythm and meter) of their genre, and to critique one’s own work and that of others honestly and vigorously.

At the completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Describe the breadth and depth of knowledge of the historical context and tradition of the range of forms, conventions, and styles within their selected genre.
2. Demonstrate competency in the technology of their major genre area.
3. Demonstrate mastery of the industry-specific formatting and presentation of creative work by genre.

Community

Through the week-long residencies and online writing classes (in which students use our online learning system to dialogue with one another), students will bond with the other students in their cohort, with their faculty, and with the program administrators, creating their own writing community. Together they will build a thorough understanding of the discipline, habits, and support mechanisms required for the writing life.

At the completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Articulate the strengths and weaknesses of, and discriminate between, the archetypal models of writerly lives as they build a writing life plan of their own design.
2. Articulate the strengths and address the weaknesses of the work of their peers, as well as their own work and their writing process.
3. Articulate the ways in which the student will be able to create and sustain a writing practice and support for that practice.

Career

Students will study the multiple and appropriate pathways in which one’s creative work becomes public, including research methods, business practices, and genre-specific conventions.

This program strand addresses the business, economic, and genre-specific opportunities for your work. Faculty panels from each genre will introduce this idea to students in the first residency. As students move through the program, the faculty and their mentors will work with students to understand both the business practices and the appropriate pathway for their work.

At the completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Understand the legal and ethical standards and the practical issues of their profession, and demonstrate that knowledge through the residencies and portfolio work of the program.
2.  Communicate knowledgeably with professionals in their field.

1. Articulate, both in writing and orally, their own creative work, using genre-specific methods of presenting their work.