When I was hired at Anoka-Ramsey Community College many years ago, we had one 1000 level Introduction to Creative Writing with no prerequisite and a staff-produced student literary magazine. We now have one of the most established creative writing programs in the country with AFA and Certificate degrees, thirteen self-identified creative writing faculty, nine creative writing classes each semester, three vibrant visiting author programs, an active creative writing club and student-edited literary magazine, and strong articulation agreements with many transfer partners. How did we grow our creative writing program in the working-class suburbs of Minneapolis? Whether you are looking to build an AFA or just add a few classes, here is advice for developing your creative writing program.
Hire Collaborative Colleagues
In the past, I’ve heard members of the Two-Year College Caucus say they did not want to hire additional creative writing colleagues as there are few creative writing classes to teach and they do not want the competition. It’s been our experience that hiring more creative writing faculty creates a stronger program. By hiring more creative writing faculty, you’ll have more folks to develop a visiting author series, advise the creative writing club, organize faculty and student readings, edit the student literary magazine, develop internship connections, explore articulation agreements, design new creative writing classes, support your initiatives in faculty and administrative meetings, and recruit creative writing students. By sharing leadership, all creative writing faculty develop their professional skills and deepen their resumes. A faculty diverse in literary styles, genders, ethnicities, and aesthetics will organically grow your course offerings and support student learning.
Build Slowly
Your penny-pinching administrators and creative-writing-leery colleagues may not look kindly on your program if you try to develop it all at once. It can also be a risky move in terms of enrollment, as the courses and program might be endangered if they do not “make” in a particular semester. Instead, add one class at a time to prove that you have the students. Controlled growth over a sustained period of time creates stability, wins over naysayers, and wards off budgetary-driven course and program cuts.
Recruit Students
Every composition class has a few would-be creative writers. Use your composition classes and those of your colleagues to reach out to potential creative writing students. Face-to-face interactions with our current generation of students seems to work best, so, if possible, personally recommend creative writing classes to your better composition students as well as visit the classes of your colleagues to talk about your course offerings. Literature students are often excited to continue their literary explorations through writing. If your college has a high school concurrent enrollment program, use those connections as a platform to get your message out as well.
Literature Enrollment
AWP has been tracking the growth of creative writing and the decline of literature enrollment and degrees for many years. If you include literature requirements in your creative writing degree, you can maintain enrollment in key literature classes, especially in the highly transferable but not always popular British, American, and Global Literature sequences. Promote the view that creative writing supports all English enrollment.
Create Companion Components
As we know from the AWP Hallmarks, a strong literary student literary magazine, a creative writing club, and a visiting author reading series boost student interest and encourage creative writing course enrollment. Obviously, you should not do this all yourself, but by sharing work with interested faculty and students, you can start a small student magazine, host a student open mic, or invite a visiting writer to create momentum.
Plan Ahead
Build your program one step at a time. Set annual and long-term goals, and note your progress at the end of every school year. Keep your expectations realistic each semester, and always know your next step on the pathway to your program goals.
Connect with Creative Colleagues
Whether it is colleagues in visual arts, theatre, or music, making connections within your college will help support your program. Especially in times when “core curriculum” is being emphasized, such creative allies can be important to protecting arts funding, courses, and degrees.
Do Your Own Work
You must, at times, put your own writing first, so you can model for your students how to live a balanced life as a writer. Join a writing group, go on retreats, or schedule in writing time into your weekly schedule, and submit your writing for publication. Protect your summers if financially possible. Encourage your creative writing colleagues to do the same.
Amplify Success
Work with your PR department, dean, and chair to announce all faculty and student successes, including readings, publications, and graduations. Stay in touch with your alumni and share their stories. Use local papers and community publications to get the word out about your program, and partner with local high schools, libraries, and community centers for events and service-learning opportunities.
Find Support
Reach out to other creative writing faculty in your area or institution to build support and strengthen programming through shared activities, publications, visiting authors, field trips, and events. Come to AWP’s conference when you can and use our Two-Year College Caucus Facebook page and other online creative writing groups to communicate with colleagues around the country who can offer advice and solace in your journey to build your program.
I hope these steps re-enforce your inclinations and open up some pathways to success at your institution. Each college is different, but managing our teaching and writing lives in sustainable ways while growing our programs is something we can help each other do in our caucus community!
Kathryn Kysar, Member
Kathryn Kysar is the author of two books of poetry, Dark Lake and Pretend the World, and she edited the creative nonfiction anthology Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers. A previous president of the Two-Year College Caucus and board member of AWP, Kysar is the founder of the creative writing program at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and a teaching artist at the Loft Literary Center.
Kathryn's Instagram: @pretendtheworld
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