Beyond the Classroom
Two essential aspects of any graduate writing program are the skills you acquire and the relationships you build. Coastal exceeded all my expectations, and continues to support my work long after the completion of the program.
Lane Osborne
MAW alum
The M.A. in Writing graduate program offers multiple opportunities for student writers to gain professional experience in writing, editing, researching, publishing, teaching, and presenting their work.
Waccamaw is CCU’s award-winning online literary journal that has published work by a wide range of contemporary authors since its debut in 2008. MAW students have an opportunity to earn academic credit for their work in editing and producing the journal.
CCU’s “Words to Say It” Visiting Writers Series brings celebrated contemporary authors to campus. MAW students have the opportunity to attend the readings as well as individualized workshops with noted writers. Past visiting authors include Hanif Abdurraqib, Jessica Anthony, John Jeremiah Sullivan, Ron Rash, Natasha Trethewey, and Edward Hirsh.
Our graduate faculty work intensively with students on their writing and scholarship, successfully preparing students to publish and present their work. Our graduate students have placed work in such prominent literary journals as The Threepenny Review, The Normal School, Harpur Palate, and Brevity, as well as academic journals like College Composition and Communication. The MAW program also offers opportunities for students to travel with faculty to present their research and creative work at regional and national academic conferences.
Student Publication Opportunities and Competitions
The English department values student writing, research, and critical thought both in and out of the classroom; it offers many opportunities for you to take your work to a professional and competitive level. From publications to prizes, the department provides you with an array of rewards for high-quality writing and research, all of which will give you a head start in the professional world.
The Paul Rice Poetry Broadside Series features poems by CCU students selected in a contest held each fall and spring semester. The winning poem in each contest is published on a beautifully designed broadside in an edition of 100 numbered copies.
The First-Year Writing Awards is an annual competition for the best student writing produced in English 101, 102, and 211 courses. Winners of these awards have their essays published as exemplary work in the following year’s First-Year Composition Guide published by the department.
Archarios, CCU’s annual student-run arts & literature journal, has won more than 80 national awards including Best of Show in 2015 from the Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Advisors.
The Chanticleer is CCU’s weekly student newspaper, which offers students experience in writing, reporting, and editing.
Tempo is CCU’s award-winning bi-annual student features magazine, offering opportunities for publication and editing as well as travel to an annual conference.