Kenyon has a long history of nurturing talented poets and fiction writers, and many students attend Kenyon for its creative writing courses. Each year, ten members of the Department of English faculty teach a variety of workshops in fiction, poetry or creative nonfiction, and many students choose to complete the English major with an emphasis in creative writing.
In addition, many special opportunities are available to students interested in creative writing at Kenyon, including numerous readings by writers of national reputation, internships with the Kenyon Review Student Associates Program and opportunities to publish creative work in a wide assortment of student literary journals. Students interested in pursuing creative writing courses during the summer may also apply to the Kenyon Review Writer's Workshop for an intensive eight-day program in fiction, poetry or creative nonfiction. The Kenyon Review also offers a summer workshop for high-school students (ages 16-18) interested in developing their creative and critical abilities during the years before applying to college.
The Kenyon Review Fellows Program
The Kenyon Review Fellows Program honors a long-standing tradition of supporting gifted young writers emerging onto the literary scene. In previous iterations of the program, renowned literati such as Flannery O'Connor and W.S. Merwin were fellows of the review. The program offers a unique opportunity for students, faculty, and the visiting writers themselves. Fellows reside in Gambier for two years while working on significant writing projects, teaching creative writing courses in the English department and receiving editorial as well as teaching experience.
Kenyon Review Fellows for 2021-2023
Elinam Agbo (prose) is the winner of the 2018 PEN/Dau Short Story Prize, two Hopwood Awards for Short Fiction and Nonfiction, and the Les River Fellowship for Young Novelists. Her work has received recognition and support from Aspen Words, the Clarion Foundation, and the Hurston/Wright Foundation, among others. A graduate of the 2019 Clarion Writers' Science Fiction & Fantasy Workshop, she also co-founded MQR Mixtape, an online imprint of Michigan Quarterly Review. Her writing has appeared in The Bare Life Review, American Short Fiction, Nimrod, PEN America Best Debut Short Stories 2018, and elsewhere.
Cristina Correa (poetry) is a widely published poet originally from Chicago. She holds degrees in creative writing and Latinx studies and most recently earned an MFA at Cornell University. She served at-risk youth and their families and supported Latinx art and research as an administrator, grant writer and teaching artist for more than a decade. She was recently published by Diálogo, The Missouri Review, and TriQuarterly, and awarded recognition by CantoMundo, Hedgebrook, and the Whiting Foundation. Her poem "Reflection from a Bridge" was selected by Tracy K. Smith for the 2015 "Best New Poets" anthology. She is currently at work on her first collection of poems.
The Richard L. Thomas Chair in Creative Writing
The Richard L. Thomas Chair in Creative Writing brings internationally-recognized poets and fiction writers to Kenyon to teach creative writing workshops and literature courses.