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The Literary Arts Program at Brown is structured to allow graduate student writers maximum possible time for creative and intellectual exploration. Students attend two courses per semester: a writing workshop and an elective. Elective courses may be selected from among the full offerings of the Brown University curriculum. In years past, students have taken courses in literature, history, philosophy, theater arts, modern culture and media, religious studies, and foreign languages. Studio fine arts courses and translation workshops are often appropriate choices – as are workshops offered on special topics or in other genres.

In their final semester, instead of taking a workshop, graduate students work independently with a faculty advisor on thesis preparation. The thesis is a substantial work of electronic arts, drama, fiction, or poetry – or may cross genre boundaries. It is intended to represent the student’s achievement during the two years in residency at Brown.

Genres

Fiction

Fiction students at Brown complete a program of workshops, independent studies and electives designed to provide feedback for an eclectic mix of talented writers who are in the process of refining or defining their artistic visions. Through readings, assignments, and discussion of works in progress, instructors encourage the inherent diversity of approaches to the art of writing that are found within the graduate writing community.

Fiction Faculty:

Robert Coover

Brian Evenson (Director)

Thalia Field

Carole Maso

Meredith Steinbach

Poetry

Like Fiction students, Poetry students at Brown complete a program of workshops, independent studies and electives that emphasize feedback and exposure to many literary traditions and anti-traditions. Poets are encouraged to develop their independent voices and unique artistic visions through readings, assignments, and discussion of works in progress, as well as through participation in a vibrant and diverse literary community.

Poetry Faculty:

Forrest Gander

Michael S. Harper

Gale Nelson (Assistant Director)

Keith Waldrop

C.D. Wright

Playwriting

At the heart of Brown’s playwriting workshop is a collaboration with the Brown University/Trinity Repertory Consortium MFA program in acting and directing. During their first semester at Brown, graduate student playwrights work with a team of actors and directors on a series of short projects that explore a variety of theatrical forms and styles. Each graduate playwright will also write at least one longer original play and will work with the talented directors and actors of the Consortium, starting with a cold reading of the first draft and continuing with rehearsed staged readings of their works in progress. The Literary Arts Program and the Consortium collaborate each spring to present the New Plays Festival, a showcase performance of new work by Brown graduate and undergraduate playwrights.

Playwriting Faculty:

Aishah Rahman

Paula Vogel

Erin Cressida Wilson

Literary Hypermedia

Since the early 90s, Brown’s Graduate Program in Literary Arts has earned recognition as an international leader in the field of electronic writing. Today, electronic writing is part of the trans-departmental digital arts development at Brown involving Literary Arts, Music, Visual Art, Modern Culture and Media, Computer Science, and other departments. Links are now being forged with the New Media Center at the Rhode Island School of Design, with an eye to expanding the curriculum, facilitating more collaborative projects and developing joint degree programs. Though the focus is still on writing and thus on the text, students in literary hypermedia take courses offering the additional possibility of working in mixed hypermedia, including computer graphics, animation, electronic music, video, and virtual 3-D environments. Most electronic writing workshops and labs take place in the specially designed Multimedia Labs located in the Graduate Center and List Art Center. A new experimental workshop, “Cave Writing,” has been launched in Brown’s immersive virtual reality environment in the Center for Advanced Scientific Computation and Visualization (the “CAVE”).

Crossing the Boundaries

Many Literary Arts Program graduate and undergraduate students are interested in working in a second (or third) genre, in addition to their genre of primary interest. For some students, cross-disciplinary work may incorporate music, visual art, or performance art. Program faculty members encourage students to take workshops in other genres and classes in other art forms; in addition, they have established a graduate elective, Special Topics in Creative Writing, designed to give students the opportunity to explore interdisciplinary methods and issues. The topic of exploration changes from year to year.

Literary Hypermedia and Cross-Disciplinary Faculty:

Robert Coover

Thalia Field

Admission

Admission to Brown’s Graduate Program in Literary Arts is highly selective, and is based primarily on the quality of the applicant’s writing. Your writing sample, therefore, is the most important part of your application. In putting your sample together, you should emphasize quality rather than length. Your writing sample should be in a single genre; to make sure that it is reviewed by the proper committee, you should clearly label the cover sheet of the writing sample either “Fiction,” “Poetry,” “Playwriting” or “Electronic.” Make sure your name appears on every page (or disk) that you submit. The suggested length of a writing sample is 30 – 40 pages of fiction; 15 – 20 pages of poetry; either one full-length play or several one-act plays; or one or two electronic projects.

If you want to be considered in more than one genre, you must complete two separate applications, including two separate application fees and two separate writing samples. You may send one set of transcripts.

Applicants’ writing samples are reviewed for admission by at least two members of the faculty. Because the Literary Arts Program receives a large number of applications, faculty members cannot provide critiques of individual samples. The Program does not grant interviews to prospective students.

A completed application should include:

Graduate School application fee
Application form
Personal statement
Writing sample

These items must be postmarked by December 15 in order to be considered. No late additions or revisions will be accepted.

Additionally, the Brown Graduate School requires the following: original, official transcripts from each college and university you have attended; three letters of recommendation, sent directly to the Graduate School by the referee or a dossier service; and, for international students, official TOEFL results. GRE general and subject test scores are not required.

Applicants who have previously completed all or part of an advanced degree in creative writing at another university should include a separate letter explaining what special circumstances lead them to pursue another MFA at Brown. Without this explanatory letter, the faculty will not review the application. (The primary accepted basis for completing a second MFA is the stated desire to pursue work in a different genre).

Applications are available from the Graduate School, Box 1867, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912. Applications are also available electronically at the Graduate School web site.

Financial Information

It is the goal of the Graduate Program in Literary Arts to provide financial aid to all accepted students each year. While aid is not guaranteed, we are proud of our track record in this area: during the last decade, all incoming students who applied for financial support received it. Aid packages for Literary Arts students generally take the following forms:

In the first year, graduate students typically receive a fellowship or proctorship that pays a small monthly stipend and covers tuition, the health fee, and health insurance. Proctorships involve non-academic employment for a limited number of hours per week. Fellowships are awarded in recognition of merit and personal need, and do not require employment.

In the second year, all graduate students in good standing who are considered appropriately qualified will be awarded teaching assistantships. Teaching assistants teach one undergraduate writing workshop per semester, and receive in payment a full stipend, tuition, health fee, and health insurance.

Students who need additional funds can also apply for a Guaranteed Student Loan. To research loan borrowing options and other financing alternatives, including an Installment Payment plan, go to the “Graduate Students” link at financialaid.brown.edu.

Questions and Answers

If I submit my application online, how do I get the writing sample to you?
Applicants may submit a writing sample in plain-text format (for example, as an MS Word document) that is less than 1 megabyte in size as part of their online application. If your work cannot easily be sent in this format, send it by regular mail to: Graduate School, Brown University, Box 1867, Providence RI 02912.

If I am applying online, where do I get the recommendation forms to give to my referees?
When completing the application, you may register your referees' names and electronic mail addresses. The referees will receive a note telling them that they've been registered to submit a recommendation, and by whom, and will be provided login information, so that they can visit the site and upload their letter on your behalf. One or more of your referees may feel more comfortable using other means to get your letter to Brown. In such cases, Literary Arts is more concerned about simply getting the letters than making sure that your referees use the proper forms. As such, you may ask your referees to send their letters on their own letterhead (and skip Brown's form altogether). If you do not use the Brown form, each referee should seal and sign the seal of the envelope before sending. We also accept letters sent by dossier services. All physical letters of reference should be sent to the Graduate School, Box 1867, Brown University, Providence RI 02912.

What are my chances of getting in?
In the past few years, the Program has received between 650 and 700 applications. This year, the Program anticipates offering admission to: five fiction writers, five poets, three playwrights and one electronic writer.

Can I get advice from a faculty member regarding my application?
We’re sorry to say that the Program is not in a position to critique an applicant’s manuscript—before or after the process takes place.

Is there a foreign language requirement/exam?
No.

What if I miss the 15 December application deadline?
We don’t have rolling admissions, nor do we have spring admissions. We’re sorry to say that you’ll have to wait for the next 15 December deadline.

If I am accepted, can I defer?
No; if you do not wish to start in September, you’ll have to reapply.

Can I transfer credits from another graduate school?
Up to one course may be transferred from another graduate program. Final determination as to whether or not the transfer will be accepted will be made by the Director of the Program and the Dean of the Graduate School.

What if I want to just take one class a semester?
The Program expects all students to take two classes for four consecutive semesters. If you can only commit to taking one course a semester, chances are that this is not the best program for you. Nonmatriculated students cannot enroll in Literary Arts workshops.

What should I say in my Personal Statement -- and how long should it be?
The Program has no particular guidelines regarding the Personal Statement. We suggest that you think of it as an introduction to your writing sample. You can talk about yourself, your aesthetics, your past experiences, your hopes, dreams and fears. In most cases, the Personal Statement will range from 1-4 pages in length.

Do my letters of recommendation have to be from my college professors? While the Graduate School suggests that at least two letters come from instructors who teach at the school you most recently attended, we encourage you to arrange for letters from any three people who can speak cogently about you as a writer, whether or not they have ever been your teacher.

What if a recommendation or transcript is sent after the 15 December deadline?
If your application form, personal statement and writing samples arrive on time, then your application will be reviewed. Of course, if they arrive on time, letters and transcripts may affect your candidacy. If accepted, you will need to have all materials on file with the Graduate School before you matriculate.

If I am applying online, where do I get the recommendation forms to give to my referees?
While other departments at Brown may feel that it is important that your referees use Brown’s forms, Literary Arts is more concerned about simply getting the letters. As such, you may also ask your referees to send their letters on their own letterhead (and skip Brown’s form altogether). If you do not use the Brown form, each referee should seal and sign the seal of the envelope before sending. We also accept letters sent by dossier services. All letters of reference should be sent to the Graduate School, Box 1867, Brown University, Providence RI 02912.

I just have to send my package by courier. Where do I send it?
We do not encourage your doing this, as it may in fact, slow down the processing of your materials; however, if absolutely necessary, use the following address: Brown University, Graduate School, 47 George Street, Providence RI 02912.

You may reach the Graduate School at 401 863 2600. You may reach the writing program at 401 863 3260, by sending messages to Writing@brown.edu or by writing to us at Box 1923, Brown University, Providence RI 02912.

I applied for entry to Brown's Literary Arts program last year and was not accepted. Do I have to start over?
Applications are held by the Graduate School for one year. As such, you may write a letter to the Graduate School, Box 1867, Brown University, Providence RI 02912, asking that your previous year's application be reactivated. You'll need to provide a new application fee (check the Graduate School's web site to verify the amount) to
reactivate your application. Along with the fee, we recommend that you provide a new writing sample and an updated personal statement. Unless pertinent new information would be provided through such additions, most applicants do not update letters of reference and transcripts. To be considered, your reactivation request letter must be postmarked by 15 December. This process can not be undertaken
electronically.

An Application Checklist

Here is what you need to submit to apply to the Graduate Program in Literary Arts:

The following items must be submitted by the 15 December deadline; otherwise your application will not be considered:

Application Form ____

Application Fee ____

Writing Sample ____

Personal Statement ____

The following items should be submitted by the 15 December deadline; late receipt of these materials may mean that your application will be reviewed before it is complete:

Three Letters of Reference ____

Transcripts ____

TOEFL Results ____ (for international students only)

The following item should be submitted shortly after 1 January:

Federal Financial Aid Form, listing Brown as a school to which results will be sent ____

Genres | Admission | Financial | FAQ's | Contact us