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The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a celebrated graduate-level
creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...
program in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The writer
Lan Samantha Chang Lan Samantha Chang (張嵐; pinyin: Zhāng Lán) is an American writer of novels and short stories. Life Lan Samantha Chang was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, and attended Yale University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in East Asian S ...
is its director. Graduates earn a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative Writing. It has been cited as the best graduate writing program in the nation, counting among its alumni 17 Pulitzer Prize winners.


History

*The program began in 1936 with the gathering of poets and fiction writers under the direction of
Wilbur Schramm Wilbur Lang Schramm (August 5, 1907 – December 27, 1987) was a scholar and "authority on mass communications". He founded the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1935 and served as its first director until 1941. Schramm was hugely influential in establish ...
. *The workshop's second director, from 1941 to 1965, was
Paul Engle Paul Engle (October 12, 1908 – March 22, 1991), was an American poet, editor, teacher, literary critic, novelist, and playwright. He is remembered as the long-time director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and as co-founder of the International W ...
, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native. Under his tenure, the Writers' Workshop became a national landmark. He successfully secured donations for the workshop from the business community for about 20 years, including locals such as
Maytag The Maytag Corporation is an American home and commercial appliance company owned by Whirlpool Corporation since April 2006. Company history The Maytag Washing Machine Company was founded in 1893 by businessman Frederick Maytag. In 1925, ...
and Quaker Oats, as well as U.S. Steel and ''
Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...
''. Between 1953 and 1956, the Rockefeller Foundation donated $40,000. Henry Luce, the publisher of ''
TIME Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' and ''
Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
'' magazines, and Gardner Cowles Jr. (1903–1985), who published '' Look'' magazine, provided publicity for the workshop's events. *From 1965 to 1969, George Starbuck directed the Workshop. * John Leggett was the director from 1969 to 1986 and attracted writers such as T.C. Boyle,
Ethan Canin Ethan Andrew Canin (born July 19, 1960) is an American author, educator, and physician. He is a member of the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. Canin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while his parents were vacatio ...
, Michael Cunningham, Gail Godwin, Denis Johnson, and Jane Smiley. *From 1987 until his death in 2005, Frank Conroy directed the workshop and was Engle's longest-lasting successor. *
Lan Samantha Chang Lan Samantha Chang (張嵐; pinyin: Zhāng Lán) is an American writer of novels and short stories. Life Lan Samantha Chang was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, and attended Yale University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in East Asian S ...
became the director in 2006.


Organization

The Program in Creative Writing, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate-level
creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...
program in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Graduates earn a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in English. Iowa has the oldest creative writing program in the country offering an MFA credential.


Faculty and alumni

''See category: '' As of September 2020, the workshop's faculty are Jamel Brinkley, Charles D'Ambrosio, Margot Livesey in fiction;
Ethan Canin Ethan Andrew Canin (born July 19, 1960) is an American author, educator, and physician. He is a member of the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. Canin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while his parents were vacatio ...
in English and creative writing; James Galvin,
Mark Levine Mark Andrew LeVine is an American historian, musician, writer, and professor. He is a professor of history at the University of California, Irvine. Education LeVine received his B.A. in comparative religion and biblical studies from Hunter ...
, Tracie Morris, Elizabeth Willis in poetry;
Marilynne Robinson Marilynne Summers Robinson (born November 26, 1943) is an American novelist and essayist. Across her writing career, Robinson has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and t ...
; and Program Director
Lan Samantha Chang Lan Samantha Chang (張嵐; pinyin: Zhāng Lán) is an American writer of novels and short stories. Life Lan Samantha Chang was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, and attended Yale University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in East Asian S ...
. Visiting faculty are Alexia Arthurs, Tom Drury and Amy Parker.


Curriculum and courses

The program's curriculum requires students to take a small number of classes each semester, including the Graduate Fiction Workshop or Graduate Poetry Workshop itself, and one or two additional literature seminars. The modest requirements are intended to prepare the student for the realities of professional writing, where self-discipline is paramount. The graduate workshop courses meet weekly. Before each three-hour class, a small number of students submit material for critical reading by their peers. The class itself consists of a round-table discussion during which the students and the instructor discuss each piece. The specifics of how the class is conducted vary from teacher to teacher and between poetry and fiction workshops. The ideal result is not only that authors come away with insights into the strengths and weaknesses of their own work, but that the class as a whole derives insight, whether general or specific, about the process of writing.


Pulitzer Prizes won by graduates and faculty

, faculty and graduates affiliated with the Iowa Writers' Workshop have won 29 Pulitzer Prizes, including 18 won by alumni since 1947, as well as numerous
National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...
s and other literary honors. Eight U.S. Poets Laureate have been graduates of the workshop. Graduates and faculty of the University of Iowa have won over 40 Pulitzer Prizes.


Fiction

* Robert Penn Warren, 1947 Pulitzer for ''
All the King's Men ''All the King's Men'' is a 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. The novel tells the story of charismatic populist governor Willie Stark and his political machinations in the Depression-era Deep South. It was inspired by the real-life story of U ...
'', former faculty member. * Wallace Stegner, 1972 Pulitzer for '' Angle of Repose'', MA, 1932; PhD, English, 1935. * James Alan McPherson, 1977 Pulitzer for '' Elbow Room'', MFA, 1969; former faculty member. * John Cheever, 1979 Pulitzer for ''
The Stories of John Cheever ''The Stories of John Cheever'' is a 1978 short story collection by American author John Cheever. It contains some of his most famous stories, including "The Enormous Radio", "Goodbye, My Brother", "The Country Husband", " The Five-Forty-Eight" ...
'', former faculty member. * Jane Smiley, 1992 Pulitzer for ''
A Thousand Acres ''A Thousand Acres'' is a 1991 novel by American author Jane Smiley. It won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 1991 and was adapted to a 1997 film of the same name. It was premiered as an ...
'', MA, 1975; MFA, English, 1976; PhD, English, 1978. * Philip Roth, 1998 Pulitzer for '' American Pastoral'', former faculty member. * Michael Cunningham, 1999 Pulitzer for '' The Hours'', MFA, English, 1980. *
Marilynne Robinson Marilynne Summers Robinson (born November 26, 1943) is an American novelist and essayist. Across her writing career, Robinson has received numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, National Humanities Medal in 2012, and t ...
, 2005 Pulitzer for '' Gilead'', emeritus faculty member. * Paul Harding, 2010 Pulitzer for '' Tinkers'', MFA, English, 2000. * Andrew Sean Greer, 2018 Pulitzer for '' Less'', former visiting faculty member.


Journalism

*
Tracy Kidder John Tracy Kidder (born November 12, 1945) is an American writer of nonfiction books. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his '' The Soul of a New Machine'' (1981), about the creation of a new computer at Data General Corporation. He has recei ...
, 1982 Pulitzer in general nonfiction for ''
The Soul of a New Machine ''The Soul of a New Machine'' is a non-fiction book written by Tracy Kidder and published in 1981. It chronicles the experiences of a computer engineering team racing to design a next-generation computer at a blistering pace under tremendous ...
'', MFA, 1974.


Poetry

* Karl Shapiro, 1945 Pulitzer for ''V-Letter and Other Poems'', former faculty member. * Robert Lowell, 1947 Pulitzer for ''Lord Weary's Castle'', 1974 Pulitzer for ''The Dolphin'', former faculty member. * Robert Penn Warren, 1958 Pulitzer for ''Poems 1954–56, Now and Then'', 1980 Pulitzer for ''Poems 1976–78'', former faculty member. * W. D. Snodgrass, 1960 Pulitzer for ''Heart's Needle'', BA, 1949; MA, 1951; MFA, 1953. * John Berryman, 1965 Pulitzer for '' 77 Dream Songs'', former faculty member. * Anthony Hecht, 1968 Pulitzer for ''The Hard Hours'', attended Workshop but did not graduate. *
Donald Justice Donald Rodney Justice (August 12, 1925 – August 6, 2004) was an American teacher of writing and poet who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1980. In summing up Justice's career, David Orr wrote, "In most ways, Justice was no different from a ...
, 1980 Pulitzer for ''Selected Poems'', alumnus and former faculty member. *
Carolyn Kizer Carolyn Ashley Kizer (December 10, 1925 – October 9, 2014) was an American poet of the Pacific Northwest whose works reflect her feminism. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1985. According to an article at the Center for the Study of the Pacific ...
, 1985 Pulitzer for ''Yin'', former faculty member. *
Rita Dove Rita Frances Dove (born August 28, 1952) is an American poet and essayist. From 1993 to 1995, she served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. She is the first African American to have been appointed since the positi ...
, 1987 Pulitzer for ''Thomas and Beulah'', MFA, 1977. *
Mona Van Duyn Mona Jane Van Duyn (May 9, 1921 – December 2, 2004) was an American poet. She was appointed United States Poet Laureate in 1992. Biography Early years Van Duyn was born May 9, 1921 in Waterloo, Iowa."Van Duyn, Mona (1921–2004)." '' Dictio ...
, 1991 Pulitzer for ''
Near Changes ''Near Changes'' is a 1990 collection of poems by Mona Van Duyn (1921–2004). It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1991. The poems express appreciation for a range of subjects (such as Fibonacci, a giraffe, and zinnias), with a range ...
'', MA, English, 1943. * James Tate, 1992 Pulitzer for ''Selected Poems'', MFA, 1967. * Louise Glück, 1993 Pulitzer for ''The Wild Iris'', former faculty member. * Philip Levine, 1995 Pulitzer for ''The Simple Truth'', MFA, 1957; former faculty member. * Jorie Graham, 1996 Pulitzer for ''The Dream of the Unified Field'', MFA, English, 1978; former faculty member. * Charles Wright, 1998 Pulitzer for ''Black Zodiac'', MFA, 1963. *
Mark Strand Mark Strand (April 11, 1934 – November 29, 2014) was a Canadian-born American poet, essayist and translator. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990 and received the Wallace Stevens Award in 2004 ...
, 1999 Pulitzer for ''Blizzard of One'', MA, 1962; former faculty member. *
Robert Hass Robert L. Hass (born March 1, 1941) is an American poet. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997. He won the 2007 National Book Award and shared the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for the collection ''Time and Materials: Poems 1997 ...
, 2008 Pulitzer for ''Time and Materials'', frequent visiting faculty member. * Philip Schultz, 2008 Pulitzer for ''Failure'', MFA, English, 1971.


References


External links


Iowa Writers Workshop website
accessed 5 October, 2021 * *
Historic photos of the Iowa Writers' Workshop from the UI Archives 1950–1969
accessed 4 April 2014 {{Coord, 41.667, -91.535, display=title American writers' organizations Creative writing programs University of Iowa National Humanities Medal recipients 1936 establishments in Iowa