Books and reality and art are the same kind of thing for me.
-Vincent Van Gogh
©2010 Kelcey Parker, Exhibit B. Book of Narrative Poems, Dead Bee.
At Indiana University South Bend I teach graduate and undergraduate students, intro and advanced levels, fiction and nonfiction, creative writing and literature, U.S. and international writing. My students make me rethink everything I thought I knew, and everything I assume they know. (Which sounds way more sentimental than I feel about the situation.)
Many posts here will be inspired by them: by what they ask me about reading, writing, publishing, graduate school, the writing life, and about why I do what I do and, occasionally, why they wear what they wear.
My goal is to be more articulate here than I am in the classroom and to post twice a week or so.
Phrequently Asked Questions
What is a Ph.D. in Creative Writing?
It’s a misnomer.
The degree is technically a Ph.D. in English (my exam areas were American Literature and Theories of the Novel) with a creative dissertation (mine was a novel).
For a bit more on US vs. UK programs, check out my blog post.
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Should I get a Ph.D. in Creative–er–English with a creative dissertation?
It’s not a bad way to go.
Click here to read a bit more of a rant on the question: To Ph.D. or Not to Ph.D.?
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How long does it take to get a Ph.D.?
It depends, but the usual schedule looks something like this: 2 years of course work + 1 year reading/taking exams + 1 year dissertating = 4 years.
I did it in four years; some friends took longer.
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Can I get an M.A., an M.F.A., and a Ph.D.?
Yep. I got an M.A. and Ph.D. at the same school, but many new doctoral students came from M.F.A. programs.
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Where can I find a decent list of MA, MFA, and PhD programs in creative writing?
New Pages has a nice linked list. Here‘s a list compiled of PhDs only. And here’s a handy search program by AWP so you can find exactly what you want.
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Will you answer other questions?
Sure, just post a question in the the contact box. (It will be sent directly to me.)
So far all of the phrequently asked questions are just things I made up.
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