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To Doctorate or Not? Creative Writers on Earning a PhD
Saturday, February 10, 2024
9:00 am to 10:15 am
Doctoral programs that incorporate creative writing elements to their program (such as PhDs in creative writing or PhDs in literature with a creative writing dissertation) have become increasingly popular. Yet, as ever, the merits and challenges of earning a doctoral degree are fiercely debated. Is it worth the time and investment? Does the academic environment support creative writers? Panelists will share their experiences earning a PhD and discuss the pros and cons of completing a doctorate.
Participants
Courtney Kersten is the author of Daughter in Retrograde (University of Wisconsin Press 2018). She is an assistant professor of creative writing and English at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.
Nicholas Goodly is the author of the poetry collection Black Swim (Copper Canyon, 2022). They are a Cave Canem Fellow and team member of the performing arts platform Fly on a Wall. Nicholas is a finalist for the 2020 Jake Adam York Prize and runner-up for the 2019 Cave Canem Poetry Prize.
Nathan Xavier Osorio is the recipient of the Poetry Society of America’s 2021 Chapbook Fellowship for his collection, The Last Town Before the Mojave. He is currently a PhD candidate in literature and creative/critical writing at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Erika Luckert is a poet and educator. She holds an MFA from Columbia, and won the 92Y Discovery Poetry Prize. Erika taught writing at public schools and colleges in NYC, and is now a PhD candidate at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where her research focuses on workshops and writing pedagogy.
Adriana Socoski is a poet, teacher, and musician. She is a PhD candidate at the University of Denver and teaches writing at Penn State University.
