The College of Charleston features an exclusive Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. The two year program only admits 12 students annually, making these limited number of vacancies highly coveted. Students in the program not only received advanced degree training in the writing of poetry and fiction, but also get the privilege of assisting in the production of Swamp Pink. the College of Charleston’s literary journal.
Founded in 1960 by the poet Tom McGrath, Swamp Pink has a long established reputation as being one of the country’s premiere literary journals. Swamp Pink is regularly included in the Top 50 Literary Magazine rankings by EveryWritersResource.com and was also deemed by Writer’s Digest as one of the 12 Literary Journals Your Future Agent is Reading.
What began in Los Angeles in 1960 has slowly made its way eastbound, with stops in Arkansas and Kentucky, before finding its current home in Charleston. Past contributors included renowned authors like John Updike, Billy Collins, James Tate, Franz Wright, Carolyn Forche and more. And, it is not uncommon to see submissions from Pulitzer Prize winners and National Book Award winners.
On numerous occasions, work from Swamp Pink has been reprinted in Best American Poetry, Best American Short Stories, Best American Nonrequired Reading and The Pushcart Prize. Every January, Swamp Pink accepts entries for the Prizes in Fiction, Poetry & Nonfiction, in which winners receive a cash prize as well as publication, and July is home to the annual short-short fiction contest.
Needless to say, the experience and knowledge gained by assisting with the production of such a sophisticated and revered literary journal is invaluable. This is one of the factors that sets our MFA apart from others in the country.
For more information about our MFA in Creative Writing or Swamp Pink, please do not hesitate to contact us.
