The University of Tulsa now offers a creative writing major housed in the Department of English. The conception of the program came in response to high demand for creative writing courses. Department chairman of English Randall Fuller, Professor Keija Parssinen, Professor Grant Jenkins and Professor Michael Wright collaborated on a program to study fiction writing, poetry, screenwriting and playwriting.
To kick off this exciting addition there will be a Creative Writing Celebration September 23-24. The launch will include panel discussions, workshops, readings from TU alumni and other guest writers and a keynote address by Phil Klay. Phil Klay was the winner of the National Book Award in 2014 for his collection of short stories, “Redeployment.” Klay, an Iraq Marine Corps veteran, has received positive reviews on his realistic and harrowing stories.
Other notable authors to be in attendance include: Rilla Askew, author of award-winning novel Fire in Beluah, Vu Tran, author of New York Times notable book Dragonfish, Benjamin Lytal, Tulsa native and author of A Map of Tulsa, Trudy Lewis, author of The Empire Rolls and Private Correspondences, Lindsay Smith, author of the young adult novels Sekret and Skandal, Katie Rain Hill, a transgender advocate who wrote the autobiographical novel Rethinking Normal, and Ellis O’Neal, Nimrod International Journal Editor in Chief.
Many of these critically acclaimed authors are TU alumni and demonstrate the rich writing talents that TU has launched. The event is free and open to all TU students. If you are interested in attending one of the workshops please register at the literary arts page on Tulsa’s website.
