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The Purpose of this Guide

This is a guide to resources available to the OU community and beyond for those who write fiction, poetry, personal narrative, and other forms categorized as Creative Writing. It points to interviews with writers, blogs and books on the creative process, organizations for writers, and helps you browse the shelves of OU's collection.

The guide was created and is maintained by Liorah Golomb , Humanities Librarian at the University of Oklahoma. I welcome your suggestions and comments! Happy writing!

  Pieter Claesz - Still Life with a Skull and a Writing Quill (1628).  Image from  ARTstor  database.

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School of Visual Arts

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Welcome to the OU School of Visual Arts

The OU School of Visual Arts at the University of Oklahoma cultivates a vibrant intellectual community that fosters the greatest possible excellence in the study of the visual arts, design, and art history.  The School was established in 1915, and is the oldest and most comprehensive school of art in the state of Oklahoma.  Through civic engagement, we endeavor to meet the artistic needs of Oklahoma’s citizens and promote the growth of culture.  We offer the BFA and MFA in Art and the BA, MA, and Ph.D. in Art History.  We strive for excellence in teaching, publishing, and creating art and design at the highest level.  The School prepares our students for success nationally and internationally as artists, designers, scholars, teachers, and influential patrons of all the arts.  

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We appreciate your continued support to the OU School of Visual Arts. Your gift will assist our talented students, regardless of circumstance, to have the opportunity to develop their intellectual and cultural horizons. Online giving is secure and easy. Select the Make a Gift link below.

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Fall 2023 Exhibition and Event Schedule:

Exhibitions

• Flight Lines: The Art of Natural History at OU, Sam Noble Museum | July 16 - November 27 | Sam Noble Museum | Reception September 22, at 4pm
• Of the Land Exhibition in the Lightwell Gallery, Juried by Anna Tsouhlarakis | Septebmer 5 - October 7 | Fred Jones Art Center, OU School of Visual Arts | Reception October 6 from 5pm - 7pm
• Ceramic MFA Pop-Up Show in the Spotlight Gallery  | September 11 - 14 | Fred Jones Art Center, OU School of Visual Arts 
• MSA 2023 Scholarship Exhibition, in the Spotlight Gallery | September 18 - October 7 | Fred Jones Art Center, OU School of Visual Arts | Reception October 6, at 5pm
• Tiny Monuments, 2023 Confab Outdoor Pop-Up Exhibition | October 6 - 7 |  Old Faculty Club, Charles Russell Center | Reception October 5, at 6:00pm
• MSA Open, 2023 Confab Indoor Pop-Up Exhibition | October 6 -7 | The Jaynee & Joe Buskuhl Galery, OU College of Architecture 
• Lightwell Gallery: Allana Clarke and Corine Spencer Exhibition in the Lightwell Gallery | October 15 - November 19 | Fred Jones Art Center, OU School of Visual Arts | Reception Novebmer 16 from 5pm - 7pm
• Ceramic BFA Pop Up Show in the Spotlight Gallery | October 30 - November 2 | Fred Jones Art Center, OU School of Visual Arts
• Amelia Key, MFA Thesis Exhibition in the Spectrum Lobby Gallery | November 1 - March 1 | Fred Jones Art Center, OU School of Visual Arts | Reception Novebmer 16 from 5pm - 7pm
• Amelia Key, MFA Thesis Exhibition in the Spotlight Gallery | November 10 - December 1 | Fred Jones Art Center, OU School of Visual Arts | Reception Novebmer 16 from 5pm - 7pm
• Xin Xin Exhbiition in the Ligthwell Gallery | December 1 - January 19 | Fred Jones Art Center, OU School of Visual Arts | Reception December 1 from 5pm - 7pm
• Art in the Service of Science: One Illustrator's Story, Nancy Halliday Virtual via Zoom Lecture | September 4th | Lecture Time 2:00pm
• Sand Mandala and It's Creation Lecture |  September 11th | Fred Jones Art Center, OU School of Visual Arts, Room 205 | Lecture Time 11:30am - 12:45pm.
• Maria Cristina Mercado and Quetzal, Artist Talk | September 12th | Fred Jones Junior Museum of Art, Mary Eddy and Fred Jones Auditorium | Lecture Time 3:00pm - 4:15pm
• Remembering the 'Indian Wars' East of the Mississippi: A Commemortive Paradox | September 28th | Old Faculty Club, Charles Russell Center | Lecture Time 5:00pm
• Dylan Collins Visiting Artist Lecture | October 4th | Fred Jones Art Center, OU School of Visual Arts, Room 205 | Lecture Time 1:30pm
• Dr. Kathleen Crowther, History of Science, "Scientific Illustration in the Renaissance" | October 18th | Sam Noble Museum | Lecture Time 2:00pm - 3:30pm
• Bruce Goff: Beyond Architecture | November 7th | Nielsen Hall 170 | Lecture Time 4:30pm - 5:45pm
• The Art of Chris Pappan and Acts of Visual Resistance | November 16th | Old Faculty Club, Charles Russell Center | Lecture Time 5:00pm
• Mid-South Sculpture Alliance Confab | October 6 - 7 | Multiple Locations
• OU SoVA Ceramics: Pyromania on the Prairie! | October 20 | Ceramics Building | Event Time 5:00pm - 9:00pm

MFA Inclusive Exhibition 2021

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Best Creative Writing colleges in Oklahoma 2023

Best creative writing colleges in oklahoma for 2023.

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a midsize suburb. In 2020, 1 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 1 Master's degree.

Oklahoma State University-Main Campus offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a faraway town. In 2020, 7 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 7 Master's degrees.

University of Tulsa offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2020, 6 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 6 Bachelor's degrees.

Northeastern State University offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a medium sized, public, four-year university in a remote town. In 2020, 6 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 6 Bachelor's degrees.

University of Central Oklahoma offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, public, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2020, 19 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 15 Bachelor's degrees, and 4 Master's degrees.

Oklahoma City University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2020, 7 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 7 Master's degrees.

Oklahoma Christian University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2020, 4 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 4 Bachelor's degrees.

Oklahoma Baptist University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a faraway town. In 2020, 2 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 2 Bachelor's degrees.

Find local colleges with Creative Writing majors in Oklahoma

List of all creative writing colleges in oklahoma.

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Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Creative Writing and Film Arts

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Department of English

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Creative Writing

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O'Dowd Hall, Room 544 586 Pioneer Drive Rochester, MI 48309-4482 (location map) (248) 370-3700 fax: (248) 370-4429

We all have stories to tell and unique ways of viewing the world. Oakland University's Creative Writing program will provide you with the opportunity to develop your craft and share your vision.

Our focus on literary history will introduce you to current writers who are producing exciting work in your genre, while also introducing you to the history of your genre, a foundation all writers need. You will work closely with faculty members who specialize in poetry, short stories, novels, screenwriting, literary nonfiction, comics, and multi-media texts.

No matter what you do in life, strengthening your writing skills will provide you with language and editing skills, as well as research and critical thinking abilities, that are easily transferable to any other profession or area of interest.

Program Requirements:

• Creative Writing - Fiction Specialization
• Creative Writing - Memoir and Essay Specialization
• Creative Writing - Poetry Specialization
• Creative Writing - Screenwriting Specialization
• Creative Writing - Minor Requirements

Advising Contacts

• Program Director: Jeff Chapman
• Program Adviser: Annie Gilson

Program Overview Apply Now Course Description Oakland Arts Review

The OU Creative Writing Program allows students to major or minor in four different genres: fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, and screenwriting. OU Faculty include novelists, short story writers, poets, creative nonfiction writers, graphic novelists, and film-makers.

Our program’s first priority is to provide students with excellent introductory, intermediate, and advanced-level workshop courses in the genre of their choice. These workshops are small and create opportunities for students to work closely with professors and peers building a vibrant community of writers and artists. Majors are also required to take courses in other genres (this can include courses in play-writing,offered through the Department of Music, Theater, and Dance, and in creative nonfiction courses offered through the Department of Writing and Rhetoric). We aim to demonstrate the overlap between various forms of creative writing while also helping students to develop their own voices through the honing of specific literary techniques. And because faculty members work in a variety of genres and styles, students are encouraged to experiment and explore, even as they also learn the traditional tools of craft and revision. Creative writing students also take cognate classes in contemporary literature and cinema in order to be immersed in the important voices of writers today.

Mentorship is another key to the success of our program. The relationships that our students build with faculty in formal and informal ways help to guide them into the professional realm, while also introducing them to the diversity of employment options. When students enter their junior and senior years, they are encouraged to do internships. They can also request alumni mentors. CW majors who work closely with faculty, internship site directors, and OU graduates are better able to make the transition from school to the working world; they also learn how to capitalize on their skills as talented writers.

Finally, we encourage and facilitate the engagement of our creative writing majors with the writing and publishing community at large, as they move toward becoming professionals in that community. Numerous innovative and multi-format events and activities support students’ engagement with the larger writing community, both on the OU campus and elsewhere (see Student Engagement section on this website). As a culmination of their writing work, all senior creative writing majors have the option of participating in a capstone reading that is open to the university and larger community. This event takes place in April. Alumni can continue to be involved in our OU English Alumni Association.

Jeff Chapman, Fiction and Comics Jeff is Associate Professor of  English and Creative Writing and the director of the Creative Writing Program. His interests include comics, mythology,  classical Greek & Latin, and contemporary fiction. Thirty of his short  stories, graphic stories, and essays have been published in anthologies and  magazines, including South Dakota Review , Black Warrior Review , The  Florida Review , and Cutbank . He received his M.F.A. in creative writing  from Sarah Lawrence College, and his Ph.D. in creative writing and  literature from the University of Utah. In 2015, he received a Kresge  Artist Fellowship. Kitty Dubin, Playwriting Kitty is Special Lecturer in Theater  and has been  teaching beginning and advanced classes at Oakland University for the past  eighteen years. In that time, over one hundred of her students' plays have  been produced, received staged readings or won awards. Her own plays have  been produced at theaters throughout Michigan, including the Purple Rose,  BoarsHead, Performance Network, and the Fourth Street Playhouse. She is  Playwright-In-Residence at the Jewish Ensemble Theatre where she has had  six plays produced. She has also had her work performed in New York City,  Austin, Los Angeles, and Chicago and she is a frequent speaker at writers  conferences. This August, her play, CUTTING IT CLOSE , will be performed  at Boxfest, a one act festival in Detroit where all the plays are directed  by women. Kitty got her B.A. from Case Western Reserve University, a M.A.  in English from Wayne State University and a M.A. in Guidance and  Counseling from Oakland University. Annie Gilson, Fiction (literary and fantasy) ( www.annettegilson.com ) Annie is Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing and the advisor of the Creative Writing Program. Her first novel, New Light ,  came out from Black Heron Press (second printing, 2010). Annie also writes  Young Adult fantasy novels and is represented by Kelly Sonnack of the  Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She reviews contemporary fiction for a number  of periodicals, including Publishers Weekly , Rain Taxi , and American  Book Review . She received a B.A. in creative writing from Bard College and  a Ph.D. in Twentieth-Century Literature from Washington University in St.  Louis. Katie Hartsock, Poetry ( katiehartsock.com ) Katie is an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing. Hartsock’s second poetry collection,  Wolf Trees  (2023), weaves changing ecologies with personal worlds of motherhood and living with Type 1 diabetes. first full-length poetry collection,  Bed of Impatiens ,  was a finalist for the Able Muse Book Award, and was published in 2016. Hartsock teaches poetry and creative writing workshops, and literature courses including Classical Mythology, What Is Lyric Poetry?, and Disability Studies and Literature. Her poetry appears widely, in journals such as  Beloit Poetry Journal, Birmingham Poetry Review, Dappled Things, Image, Iron Horse Literary Review, Kenyon Review, Massachusetts Review, The New Criterion, Pleiades, Poetry, RHINO, The Threepenny Review,  and  THRUSH.  Her current manuscripts-in-progress include  The Last Crusade , a poetry collection (containing, yes, a few Indiana Jones poems), and  Songs of the Iliad , a hybrid text combining translation with vignettes of the epic’s ancient audiences and creative commentary.  Selections of her translations of Homer appeared in University of Iowa’s  Exchanges: Journal of Literary Translation.  She holds a PhD in Comparative Literary Studies from Northwestern University and a MFA from the University of Michigan, where she received the major Hopwood graduate award in poetry. Peter Markus, Fiction Peter is Special Lecturer in Creative Writing; he  has also taught for 20 years as a writer-in-residence with the InsideOut  Literary Arts Project. He is the author of a novel, Bob, or Man on Boat ,  as well as five other books of fiction, the most recent of which is The  Fish and the Not Fish , a Michigan Notable Book of 2015. His fiction has  appeared widely in anthologies and journals including Chicago Review , Iowa  Review , Alaska Quarterly Review , Black Warrior Review , Quarterly West ,  Massachusetts Review , and Northwest Review , among many others. He received his  B.A. from University of Michigan and his M.F.A. from Western Michigan  University. In 2012, he was awarded a Kresge Arts in Detroit fellowship. Links to Peter’s work: Novel excerpt: We Make Mud S hort story: Bird with One Wing I nterview: Fiction as Magic Language Spell R eview: Detroit Free Press - "Book of one-syllable words makes Peter Markus notable" Susan McCarty, Memoir and Essay Susan is Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing. Her first book, Anatomies , was published by Aforementioned Productions in 2015. She was the recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artists’ Award in 2015 and a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts residency in 2012. Her essays and stories have appeared in South Dakota Review , the Iowa Review , the Utne Reader , Conjunctions , Hotel Amerika, and other journals. She has an M.F.A. from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and a Ph.D. from the University of Utah. Before coming to Oakland, she was an assistant professor of English at Salisbury University on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and before that, she was an award-winning junior editor at Penguin and Avalon Books, a freelance copyeditor for Boston’s Weekly Dig and the Beer Advocate , and an obituary writer at the Eastern Iowa Gazette.

Keep up with current events such as readings and contests by liking the program on our Creative Writing Department Facebook page. Please also consider applying for one or all of the scholarships that Creative Writing offers: Creative Writing Scholarships

• Carpenter  Scholarship in Poetry
• Iodice Scholarship for Creative Writing majors
• McCloskey Scholarship in Creative Nonfiction

You can find out more by visiting Oakland University Scholarships . Opportunities for Engagement OU Creative Writing Club The vibrant OU Creative Writing Club, advised by  Prof. Kathy Pfeiffer ,  gives our students a weekly meeting place to discuss their work, the work of writers who inspire them, and to share ideas that can help strengthen the program.  Check out our website  or  join us on the Creative Writing Club Facebook page . OU Screenwriters’ Guild The OU Screenwriters’ Guild, advised by Prof. David Shaerf , brings together aspiring screenwriters and  film-makers. It also offers opportunities for those interested in writing  film scripts to get together and workshop, attend lectures, and pitch  scripts to filmmakers to get made! No experience necessary. Contact faculty  advisor David Shaerf for additional information. The Oakland Arts Review (The OAR) The Oakland Arts Review, also known as The OAR, is a journal put out by  the Creative Writing Program devoted to undergraduate writing . Genres we publish include fiction, scripts, nonfiction,  poetry, and comics (can include excerpts of graphic novels). Students may  also submit images for cover art. The journal is overseen by Professor Susan McCarty. S tudents interested in working on the journal should complete the Intern and Volunteer Form and submit to   [email protected] . Contact Susan McCarty to request the Intern and Volunteer Form. Submit materials for publication to the Oakland Arts Reviews . Annual Reading Series "Every semester the Creative Writing Program sponsors readings and craft  talks by fiction writers, poets, screenwriters, and creative nonfiction  authors. Readings range from the avant-garde to traditional. We regularly  host round-tables on publishing and editing as well as workshops on  publication and on teaching creative writing in the public schools. These  events take place on the OU campus and information is  available on The Creative Writing Facebook page. Our endowed poetry event, The Maurice Brown Reading Series, is the first event of the year. The event is funded by a generous donation from OU Professor Judith Brown in memory of her husband, OU Professor Maurice Brown, a great lover of poetry. T he reading series began in 1988; over the years, we have brought many leading American poets to campus, including those named for Poet Laureate and the Pulitzer Prize. Department Awards and Contests Four contests run yearly:

• OU Flash Fiction Contest: Two separate  contests, one open to current undergrads, and one to everyone who is not an  undergrad
• OU Literary Non-fiction Contest:  Open to undergrads, faculty, staff, and alumni
• OU Ekphrasis Poetry Contest: Two separate contests, one open  to current undergrads, one to everyone who is not an undergrad
• OU  Screenplay Award: Open to undergrads

Mentoring Program Our Mentoring program pairs employed alums with English major juniors and  seniors, to help students make the transition into the working world. But  our students also maintain a thriving OU English Alumni Association. This  network is for you: we could host reading groups on campus, talk shop and  job searches, and even set up readings and writing groups for alumni!  Alumni are also welcome to attend meetings of the Creative Writing club. Internships The Creative Writing Program prioritizes student involvement in volunteer  and internship activities and in writing groups around the area. Students  intern in a wide cross-section of literary venues, including Dzanc Books  (small press), Wayne State University Press, 826Michigan (literacy and  creative writing outreach program), Midwestern Gothic (literary journal),  InsideOut Detroit (creative writing workshops in Detroit public schools),  Baldwin Center and Common Ground (community help centers), and Write A  House (Detroit literary nonprofit). Students are also free to design their  own internships. Study Abroad Opportunities Currently, students can take Fiction and Poetry Workshops at The University  of London, London, UK and at the University of East Anglia, UK.

College of Education Students Welcome Baby Bearcats to Campus

More than 100 first graders from District 50 took a field trip to the Lander University campus to enjoy a fun day of learning.

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Arts and Humanities short courses

Our arts and humanities short courses are designed to fit around your life. They’re entirely online and, over 16 weeks, you could learn about topics ranging from computer audio to travel writing. All in only a few hours each week.

Choose from our range of flexible short courses in Creative writing, Film, media and photography, and Music.

Creative writing

Whether you want to develop your writing skills professionally or just for fun, our creative writing short courses will support and inspire you on your creative journey.

Introduction to creative writing

Develop your creative writing skills as you explore poetry, fiction and scriptwriting.

Travel writing

Learn how travel writers bring their journeys to life and begin writing about a journey of your own.

Film, media and photography

Delve into the fascinating world of film, media and photography with a short course, including some exciting new courses written in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI).

A story of documentary film

Trace the history of documentary film in Britain using the collection held by the BFI National Archive.

Film and the environment

Explore film’s fascinating relationship with the environment, from its fossil-fuel reliant past to potentially, eco-friendlier future.

Media, politics and society

Discover how the relationship between media, politics and society impacts your everyday life.

Reading the screen: an introduction to the art of film

Learn how a filmmakers’ choices help create their characters, narratives and ‘story-worlds’.

Creating sound for video

Gain an introduction to the basics of video sound editing through practical exercises using a Digital Audio Workstation.

Storytelling with video editing

Learn the basics of video editing through a series of practical activities using Adobe Premiere Pro.

Digital photography

Broaden your photography skills with a course produced with The Royal Photographic Society (RPS).

Cinema in the Spanish-speaking world

Discover the cultural impact of the cinematic landscapes of Spain, Argentina, and Chile.

Broaden your understanding and appreciation of music, from how it is created, the equipment used, to the impact in our everyday lives and on society as a whole.

Computer audio: sound and music in the digital world

Discover the history of computer audio and music from the earliest computers to modern technology.

Dolly Parton: music, identity and culture

Explore the relationship between music, identity, and culture through the work of the country musician and songwriter Dolly Parton.

Sound systems in popular music: from Jamaican dub to stadium rock

Learn about the cultural context and diversity of a variety of different sound systems.

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