Department of Writing, Literature & Publishing
Meet Daniel Tobin
As the award-winning author of numerous essays and three critically acclaimed books of poetry, including the The Narrows (Four Way Books, 2005), Dean of the School of Arts Daniel Tobin offers his students immeasurable insight into creative writing as both a professional and deeply personal endeavor.
A career as a poet was a calling that he simply could not ignore. "The poet is a practitioner who seeks to cultivate the most intense relationships to language and to the world that no other preoccupation will satisfy — though anything, potentially, can feed the work."
Creating a Community of Writers
|
“Our students are exceptional in their artistic and professional aspirations, and that passion shows in the classroom.” |
According to Tobin, Emerson's Creative Writing program is unique because it encourages students not only to cultivate their relationships with language, but also with other artists. "In every class I've taught and in the classes of my colleagues, I've seen students bond into an intellectual and artistic community."
While the Creative Writing and Publishing and Writing programs are distinct, students in either program may choose to take electives in creative writing, publishing, and literature. Tobin credits this "cross-fertilization," and Emerson's Boston location, with adding artistic dimension to the program. "Boston is a city filled with literary and cultural vitality, and our students add to that vitality while they make artistic and professional relationships with each other that stay with them long after they've left the city and the program."
CREATIVE WRITING (MFA) AT A GLANCE
52-credit program
Full-time or part-time enrollment. Full-time enrollment is typically 8 or 12 credits per semester.
Fall admission
Full-time students usually complete the degree in two and a half years; part-time students usually complete the degree in three and a half years.
Meet the Graduate Program Director
Professor and MFA Graduate Program Director Steve Yarbrough is the author of nine books. His recently completed novel The Realm of Last Chances will be published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2013. His previous novel, Safe from the Neighbors (Knopf), appeared in 2010. His 2006 novel The End of California (Knopf) was a finalist for the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award for fiction.
Graduate Studies
FOR CURRENT STUDENTS
To read the Graduate Handbook and learn about research and fellowship opportunities, visit the Graduate Studies website.
