Belmont University is thrilled to announce the launch of its Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Designed by Dr. Gary McDowell to prepare students for the life of a writer, this program is led by graduate faculty committed to fostering the skills of creative writing and increasing student expertise in genres ranging from fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.

Dr. McDowell, what prompted your department/school to create an MFA program?

We’ve noticed a trend over the past decade or more of roughly 50 percent of our MA students choosing to do a creative thesis when they are presented with the option; we’ve also recognized the need and want of more creative writing course offerings. Being that Belmont is located in the heart of Music City, a town of many creatives, writers, musicians, and artists, it made sense to create an MFA that could cater both to our hometown and to the surrounding areas. Nashville is a vibrant, artistic city in need of more creative writing opportunities, hence the Belmont University MFA.

How did you decide what the best cohort size would be?

Our creative writing faculty spoke at length about our individual experiences during our own MFAs and quickly came to the agreement that having a relatively small cohort coupled with small class sizes greatly affected both our progress as readers/writers and as potential educators. The one-on-one attention an MFA student can receive in a smaller cohort is crucial to that student’s development. Being that our program is multi-genre—students will take Craft courses and Workshops across all three main genres of Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction—we also want to limit the amount of students in any one of those classes so that students can get the attention they need to excel even in genres that aren’t the one in which they’ll be writing their thesis.

Tell us about your pedagogical approach to teaching creative writing.

While my colleagues will surely agree with portions of this, I want to be clear that this is my personal philosophy for the teaching of creative writing, though it is by no means the only way to approach it. That said, I believe in combining methods of critical pedagogy and community building in my classes to emphasize my belief that the students’ everyday existence should not be separate from their education. I stress writing as a means to make connections between what we know and what we hope to learn and to enable further intellectual and creative growth.

Operating under the assumption that creative writing is cultural and societal commentary, I emphasize interdisciplinary learning as a means to encourage students to contribute impetus to their education. In addition, I create a “learner-centered” environment, a community of working writers, in my classroom, and it is my hope, because of the relaxed, workman-like structure, that the learning happens on a pyramid scale wherein the students accumulate knowledge and experience simultaneously. I rather like Ken Bain’s idea of building “scaffolds of knowledge.” The students build their skills as writers one toe-hold at a time. In order to achieve this, I structure assignments that revolve around discovery so as to build intrinsic group and individual motivation. Learning to write is, in some ways, learning, as Samuel Beckett said, “to fail better.” Every student has a story, and it is my goal to weave them into the fabric of the course because I’m not teaching students how to write; rather, I’m teaching them how to be writers, folks “upon whom nothing is lost.”

What makes your program unique?

Our uniqueness stems directly from our university’s mission. Our students will ideally reflect the diversity of our faculty, staff, and leadership and will read, study, and write work that will transform the world via compassion, intelligence, and faith. MFA students will study poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction while developing a breadth of knowledge regarding the theory and craft across those genres. They will join a community of working writers, guided by faculty members who are accomplished writers themselves and who will guide the students toward being writers who engage with their core beliefs–intellectually, spiritually, and personally–in order to serve, “to engage and transform the world” (Belmont University’s mission), with humility, as a reflection both of who they are and the stories they must learn to tell.

We would love for you to join our community of working writers, guided by faculty members who are accomplished writers themselves and who will guide you toward being writers who engage with their core beliefs- intellectually, spiritually, and personally- in order to serve, "to engage and transform the world," with humility, as a reflection both of who they are and the stories they must learn to tell. To learn more, visit https://www.belmont.edu/liberal-arts/grad/mfa-creative-writing/index.html.