Concentration in Creative Writing
as part of the Master of Arts in English at Southeastern
CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM MISSION
The Creative Writing concentration at Southeastern is dedicated to supporting the intensely personal act of creating literature. Incoming students encounter an open, respectful community of writers/faculty and a curriculum that embraces the full range of writing experiences through intensive workshops, independent studies, and literature classes; internship experiences; and close contact with Southeastern's visiting Writers-in-Residence. The Creative Writing program at Southeastern simultaneously challenges students to extend the possibilities of their craft and offers them a safe place to take risks as they develop a body of finished work.
CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Students who plan to concentrate in Creative Writing will need to meet with, and gain
the permission of, the Coordinator of Creative Writing.
Students must complete the following coursework:
| ENGL 575 | Introduction to Contemporary Criticism |
| ENGL 582 | Intermediate Poetry Workshop |
| ENGL 583 | Intermediate Fiction Workshop |
| ENGL 645 | Creative Writing |
| ENGL 770 [6 hrs] | Thesis in Creative Writing |
Students must also complete at least 15 hours of coursework in English at the 600
level. With the approval of the Advisory Committee, students may take a maximum of
six graduate hours in a related field.
FACULTY
David Armand
Assistant Professor, Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction
Education:
M.F.A., University of Arkansas, Monticello, AR
M.A., Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA
B.A., Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA
Notable Achievements: In 2010, David Armand won the George Garrett Fiction prize for his first novel, The Pugilist's Wife, which was published by Texas Review Press. He has since published three more novels, two collections of poetry, and a memoir. His latest book, Mirrors, is forthcoming from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, and a full-length poetry collection, The Evangelist, is forthcoming from Mercer University Press.
Dr. Jack B. Bedell, Poetry
Professor, Concentration Coordinator, and Editor of Louisiana Literature
Education:
Ph.D., University of Louisiana at Lafayette
M.F.A., University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
M.A., Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA
B.A., Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, LA
Areas of Expertise: Modern and Contemporary Literature and Creative Writing.
Notable Achievements: Dr. Bedell has published poems in the Connecticut Review and The Hudson Review. His books include Sleeping with the Net-Maker, At the Bonehouse, What Passes for Love, and Greatest Hits.
Affiliations: Dr. Bedell is a member of the Gulf Coast Association of Creative Writing Teachers.
Other Information: Books which Dr. Bedell highly recommends for everyone are James Dickey's Poems 1957-1967 and J. D. Salinger's Nine Stories. His favorite quotation is, "Pain come from the darkness and we call it knowledge. It is Pain."--Randall Jarrell.
Dr. Reine Bouton, Creative Non-Fiction
Assistant Professor
Education:
Ph.D., University of Southern Mississippi
M.A., University of New Orleans
B.A., University of New Orleans
Areas of Expertise: Modern American and British Literature, Travel Writing, Southern Literature, Composition and Rhetoric, Eudora Welty.
Notable Achievements: Dr. Bouton's recent journal publications have appeared in Arkansas Review, The Teaching Professor, Literature in Wissenschaft und Unterricht, and Teaching in the Two-Year College.
Affiliations: MLA, The Eudora Welty Society, The Two-Year College Association, National Association for Developmental Education.
Dr. Tim Gautreaux, Fiction
Professor Emeritus. Southeastern's first Writer-in-Residence
Education:
Ph.D., University of South Carolina
B.A., Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, LA
Areas of Expertise: Dr. Gautreaux has published two novels, The Next Step in the Dance and The Clearing, and two collections of short stories--Same Place, Same Things and Welding with Children. His fiction has appeared regularly in Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, GQ and other places. He was once awarded the National Book of the Year prize.
Dr. Richard Louth, Creative Non-Fiction and Fiction
Professor
Education:
Ph.D., University of Virginia
M.A., University of Virginia
B.A., Brown University
Areas of Expertise: Louisiana Literature, Living Writers, Modern American Literature, Southern Literature, Composition and Rhetoric, William Faulkner, Technical Writing.
Notable Achievements: Dr. Louth is the founder of the New Orleans Writing Marathon, has led over 100 Writing Marathons across the country, and recently led a Virtual Writing Marathon for the National Writing Project’s “WriteAcrossAmerica” program. His most recent publications have appeared in Louisiana Literature, Assay, and Country Roads.
Affiliations: National Writing Project and National Council of Teachers of English.
Alison Pelegrin
Distinguished Writer-in-Residence
Education:
M.F.A., University of Arkansas
M.A., Southeastern Louisiana University
B.A., Southeastern Louisiana University
Areas of Expertise: Creative Writing, Poetry, Hybrid Forms in Poetry and Prose, Creative Non-Fiction, Publishing Studies, Creative Writing Pedagogy, Generative Writing.
Notable Achievements: Alison Pelegrin's publications have appeared in journals such as Poetry, Ploughshares, The Southern Review, Crazyhorse, The Gettysburg Review, and dozens of others. Her books include Waterlines, Hurricane Party, Big Muddy River of Stars, and The Zydeco Tablets. She has also published four chapbooks and won multiple awards for her poetry.
Affiliations: National Poetry Society, Poets and Writers, Associated Writing Programs.
