Our Creative Writing program emphasizes creativity by attending to its source: consciousness
More than any other ingredient in the writer’s repertoire, consciousness itself is what fuels creative writing. It connects authors to their writing, to themselves, and to their audience.
- Hone your skills in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction in a professional workshop atmosphere
- Receive individual attention from your teachers and support from the local creative community
- Expand your awareness and your creativity holistically through the practice of the Transcendental MeditationⓇ technique
- Graduate with a robust portfolio of work and a comprehensive understanding of how to pursue a career in writing
Write more with less stress
Our program is founded on the idea that creativity is not meant to be a struggle, but instead a fun and rewarding process.
At MIU, you’ll take only one full-time class a month, giving you the opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the knowledge without the stress of balancing multiple courses and exams.
In every class, we offer our students tools and techniques to awaken creativity in authentic ways that deeply engage mind, heart, and soul.
Let elevated consciousness fuel your creativity
As an MIU student, you’ll practice the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique daily. TM practice has been scientifically proven to enhance brain functioning, increase creativity, and lower stress.
Connecting to your innermost self through the TM technique puts you in touch with your authentic voice and allows for a deeper and richer writing experience.
Receive individual attention
Our faculty will help you to build upon your natural writing strengths and create a sustainable writing routine.
Our low student-to-faculty ratio means that your teachers have the time to fully support your creative endeavors and help you to become the best writer that you can be.
Become a part of a writing community
Every MIU student has the opportunity to connect with the thriving writing community of Fairfield, Iowa—home to slam poetry shows, literary journals, and local writing collectives and classes, as well as individuals from all over the world who will support you on your creative journey.
Featured courses
Narrative Throughout Time
In order to work in any creative medium, understanding the various ways in which narrative is used is a great advantage. This course will examine the range of narrative forms and narrative devices that have been used since the dawn of time right up until the modern day. We will discover that although the forms and types of media used might have changed as technology has advanced, in fact, most of the essential forms of narrative used in creative works have been with us for ages. Understanding why will reveal how narrative reflects both the universal and unique aspects of the experience of human life.
Discovering Your Creative Process
The purpose of this class is to break boundaries and rediscover an easy relationship with the inner Muse. You’ll study your own creative process as well as what other artists, writers, and filmmakers have shared about creative inspiration. You’ll also hear from a variety of guest lecturers working in different media and discuss their work, career paths, and creative process.
The Hero in Literature
This course will explore the idea of the hero from antiquity to the present. The hero is a larger than life character whose actions affect the fate of a large community for good, or if a tragic hero, for ill. The hero’s behavior is a model for the ordinary individual. One of the great debates is whether the hero can even exist in the modern world. Among the texts and themes we will follow are: The Odyssey (the Classical Hero), Beowulf (the Germanic Hero), Gawain and the Green Knight (the Medieval Hero), Siddhartha (the Spiritual Hero), and The Bean Trees (the Feminine Hero).
