Director's Welcome
The MFA Program is part of the English Department at ODU; it began in 1994 with twelve students and three creative writers, and continues to grow with vigor. Today, a range of 25-35 students each semester work with the program’s talented 7-member creative writing faculty in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
The MFA faculty -- Michael Blumenthal, Luisa Igloria, John McManus, Michael Pearson, Janet Peery, Sheri Reynolds, and Tim Seibles -- have published many highly acclaimed books. But as important as their writing talents is their dedication as teachers. Each of our writers is a skilled and caring instructor; and all of them work closely with MFA students—whether it be on the larger issues of craft, or the particulars of a creative thesis project.
In addition to taking workshops and craft courses with the MFA faculty, our students take courses with dynamic faculty who have expertise in American, British, and world literature, as well as literary theory, film studies, and rhetoric. In our 54-hour program, students graduate not only as writers but also as individuals competent in literary studies.
Our students accomplish a great deal, even while they are in the program: fiction and nonfiction books with major publishers, stories and poems in national literary magazines and journals, articles and reviews in major newspapers, prestigious citations, awards, and grants.
MFA students also have opportunities to participate in the MFA Reading Series held at Chandler Hall in the Diehn Fine and Performing Arts Building on the ODU campus, or at Prince Books in downtown Norfolk. Likewise, they have the opportunity to assist in the internationally recognized, annual ODU Literary Festival; and present papers or give readings at the spring conference sponsored by the English Graduate Student Organization. ODU's Writer-in-Residence Program (offered in both the fall and spring semesters) allows MFA students to work one-on-one with respected poets and writers from around the country.
As do other programs within the university, the MFA Program provides interested students with internship experiences. In particular, our Writers-in-Community Program gives creative writing graduate students the chance to facilitate writing workshops in various local venues: schools, art galleries, libraries, hospitals, homeless shelters, housing projects, and retirement homes, to name a few.
The MFA Creative Writing Program at Old Dominion University has much to offer; and the greater Hampton Roads area provides access to ocean and bay, country and cityscapes, bookstores and bistros.
If ODU's MFA Program sounds good (and it is), we invite you to be a part of it. Please feel free to call Luisa A. Igloria (Graduate Program Director) at 1-757-683-3929 or contact by email (cwgpd@odu.edu).
