Our faculty and students share their love and expertise in writing and literature with the community in a variety of programs.
Field Studies
Supported by the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, the Southwest Field Studies in Writing program sends three Creative Writing MFA students to research and write on issues unique to Southern Arizona during a two-week residency in Patagonia, AZ. In addition, our students offer storytelling workshops for marginalized youth from the region in conjunction with the Borderlands Restoration Network.
Prison Education Project
The Prison Education Project was originally established to teach English reading and writing classes at the local state prison facility, with English faculty and graduate students volunteering to teach. It also sponsors a lecture series, with faculty representing a variety of disciplines discussing their research at the Tucson State Prison Complex. Some of these lectures have led to courses being offered in subjects outside of English, as well. This project is distinct from the workshops offered at the UA Poetry Center, which also offers workshops at the facility, building on the tradition established by Richard Shelton, an emeritus professor in the English department and author of Crossing the Yard.
If you would like to support the project, please contribute to the Prison Education Project fund at the UA Foundation.
To get involved, contact uaprisonpartnership@gmail.com
Prose Series
Founded in 2001, the UA Prose Series, curated by faculty of the UA Creative Writing Program, brings prose writers of distinction to the UA. The series is sponsored by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of English, and presented in cooperation with the UA Poetry Center.
Southern Arizona Writing Project
Led by Professor Stephanie Troutman, the Southern Arizona Writing Project is a professional development program that helps local teachers improve their teaching of writing.
Wildcat Writers
Wildcat Writers is a program that pairs southern Arizona high school students and their teachers with UA composition instructors and students. Wildcat Writers high school students not only hone their writing skills, but also are encouraged to see the UA as a viable option for their continued education.
Young Writers’ Workshop
Young Arizona Writers’ Workshop is an intensive weeklong creative writing camp and writer’s workshop for grades 9-12 held at the University of Arizona each summer.
