Letter from the Director

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in Roosevelt’s MFA Program in Creative Writing. Ours is a relatively young program, full of energetic and committed students and faculty who see a strong writing community as a bridge to a professional writing life. We’ve grown substantially over the past several years, attracting students from all over the country as well as the cultural hotbed of Chicago. Our faculty is a strong, student-centered group of accomplished writers, each with a distinguished teaching record in addition to their impressive professional experiences and stellar creative publications. Together, we’ve developed a studio/ academic curriculum geared toward publication and the acquisition of skills and strategies necessary for professional survival.

In the end, however, seminars aren’t enough by themselves — it takes strong support to make it as a creative writer. If you join us at Roosevelt, you’ll find that it’s the whole community of writers, faculty and students alike, who make the program work; and you will feel their influence long after you graduate.

One of the ways you can actively participate in our MFA Program’s community is through its internship opportunities, which offer wide exposure to all the cultural riches Chicago has to offer. Another way to stay connected is through the Roosevelt Reading Series, which has recently featured writers such as Michael Martone, Dagoberto Gilb, Sharon Olds, and Paul Marshall. The series also offers graduate students the chance to showcase their latest work in readings both on and off campus. One of our professional development opportunities is through the community of writers and editors producing the Oyez Review, Roosevelt’s literary magazine, which has been in continuous publication for over thirty-six years. It is entirely student run and allows MFA candidates to build their editorial and marketing skills while they learn from the process of submission, revision, acceptance, publication, and distribution. There are also several paid, competitive graduate assistantships available each year. Graduate assistants help organize campus readings, work on graphic design for program advertising, and perform other program-related work.

Enclosed, you’ll find the MFA Creative Writing Application form and the Roosevelt Graduate Admission packet, as well as information on how to access the Graduate Catalog online. Please remember: this is not an MA Program but a terminal fine arts degree in the creative writing field—to this end, completion of the degree requires in-depth study of literature and extensive participation in writing studios. The goal is for you to produce a thesis of publishable creative work, taking into account all you’ve read, talked about, and written. If you feel you would be a good fit in our active MFA writing community, please do the following:

complete the Supplemental Creative Writing Application and the Roosevelt Graduate Application, to be accompanied by a $25 application fee; you can also find the Graduate School Application online at http://www.roosevelt.edu/admission/apps.htm
assemble three copies of your statement of purpose (which includes your goals) and three copies of your writing portfolio (for guidance see the requirements for candidacy in each specialty);
contact three references who can speak to your talent and work ethic as a writer and previous success as a student. (Make sure you give them three to four weeks notice.) Have your references send these letters of recommendation directly to the graduate school admissions office.

We are happy to accept your applications for the next term (but please try to complete it as early as you can). Also, in order to help us be as flexible as possible in scheduling workshops in the future, please fill out the questionnaire portion of the Creative Writing application. Below you will find the MFA Program in Creative Writing application deadlines:

Deadline for prospective students applying to begin spring semester: November 1
Deadline for prospective students applying to begin fall semester:

Cycle 1: February 1
Cycle 2: March 15

We will consider applications after the deadline as space in the program allows

The cost of the Creative Writing MFA conforms with that of other RU graduate programs. All semester-long workshops and courses in the MFA Program earn 3 semester credit hours. Financial aid information and applications can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office and their website at http://www.roosevelt.edu/financialaid

Please refer to the MFA website for more details about our program: http://www.roosevelt.edu/cas/lit/writing/

Remember, I’m always happy to answer your questions. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,
Scott Blackwood

Director, Creative Writing and MFA Program
Assistant Professor of English
Roosevelt University
430 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois
sblackwood@roosevelt.edu

312-341-2142