Check out the English, B.A. Major, English Minor: Literature Emphasis and/or English Minor: Writing Emphasis course catalogs for more information.
Available Courses:
ENGL2133- Introduction to Creative Writing
ENGL3103- Special Topics in Creative Writing (May be repeated for credit.)
ENGL3133- Intermediate Creative Writing- Prose
ENGL4133- Advanced Creative Writing- Prose
ENGL5133- Advanced Creative Writing- Prose (Graduate Level)
"You'll develop technical skills and an appreciation for the artistry of writing in a creative and exciting environment."
Kalil
Readings
The James Hoggard Reading Series brings award-winning writers and poets from across the nation to campus. Visiting writers give a public reading of their creative work and interact with students in the classroom, providing valuable insight and guidance into the world of publishing, contemporary literature, and the writing life. See more about James Hoggard at the bottom of this page.
The Red River Reading Series lets MSU students and faculty share their creative work with the campus community. At 4:00 PM on the first Friday of each month during the fall and spring semesters, two students and a faculty member present their poetry and prose. Readings are held in Legacy Hall and are open to the public.
"I was always afraid of writing, that I didn't have a story to tell. But this class taught me that emotions are universal and even if you might not relate to a situation, after reading my writing you might feel the same things I do."
Yolanda
Editing and Publishing Opportunities
Voices is Midwestern State University's Arts and Literature Journal. Students can submit their creative work for publication or they can work as editors on the student-run regional journal. More information can be found on the Voices website.
Creative Writing Awards
The Vinson Award is given annually to a current, full-time undergraduate MSU student who is in good academic standing. Students may submit work in poetry, short fiction, or creative nonfiction. The award is presented at the Honors Banquet during the spring term. In addition to publication in Voices, the prize includes a cash award of $1,000.
The Bryan L. Lawrence Creative Writing Award is given annually to the best submission to Voices. Poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction pieces are all eligible. In addition to a certification and publication in Voices, the prize includes a cash award of $200.
"You'll learn who you are and who you want to be as you learn to write."
Ashlee
James "Jim" Hoggard graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1963. While there, his interest in writing grew, as did his interest in foreign languages, including French and German. Spanish would figure in his later studies and work. He earned his MA in English from the University of Kansas in 1965. He returned to Wichita Falls in the summer of 1965 and began writing for the Wichita Falls Record News.
With Satin's encouragement, Jim decided to make a career of writing and teaching, putting equal emphasis on each. Although he began the academic tradition of earning a Ph.D., usually necessary for college teaching, Jim made a daring decision to "fire" his PhD advisers. Not that he didn't admire his mentors; his drive to write his own work was simply too strong to allow a major diversion.
This choice sent his career down the "road less traveled" and created an important legacy in Southwestern literature in our country. Although Jim's specialty was teaching creative poetry and prose, he also taught basic rhetoric and composition, American literature, and graduate seminars. He had a special reverence and understanding for the Greek tragedies.
The seminar room in which he taught these works was named after him in 2015. He also developed three signature courses for the university. In 1977, he was named Hardin Professor, the highest award given to an MSU faculty member for sustained excellence in teaching, professional activity, and service. He was named McMurtry Distinguished Professor of Excellence in 1997, and in 2001 was named the Perkins-Prothro Distinguished Professor of English.
His awards and honors were numerous. Texas began the new millennium with James Hoggard as Texas Poet Laureate in 2000. Other honors and award highlights were a National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Grant; the Hart Crane and Alice Crane Williams Memorial Fund Award for Poetry; publication in Best American Short Stories; the PEN Texas Poetry Award; Souerette Diehl Fraser Translation Award from the Texas Institute of Arts and Letters; and the Lon Tinkle Award for Excellence Sustained Throughout a Career from the Texas Institute of Letters. Jim was elected to become a member of the Texas Institute of Letters in 1979. He later served as its president, secretary and treasurer in various years and was designated a Fellow of the organization.
Jim headed the Midwestern State University Press for 29 years. He served as project manager and editor in the publication of 22 books related to American literature, performing arts, regional history, and natural science. Under his leadership, the press published a wide range of topics, from author John Updike to oil wildcatter Bob Gunn, and Charley Farris, the first African-American female judge in Texas. Other subjects included: ballet greats Irina and Frank Pal; Leland Snow, founder of Air Tractor; important studies on ice age mammals of North and Northwest Texas; and the history of Midwestern State University.
Former President of MSU Jesse Rogers wrote: "Quickly upon his arrival, Jim established a reputation as a popular and respected teacher."
Students who took Jim Hoggard's classes weren't likely to forget the experience. Artist and teacher Willetta Crowe remembers: "When Professor Hoggard compared a mesquite tree to a rose, he opened my eyes to seeing beauty in the ordinary. He taught me to appreciate the skill involved in crafting poetry, combining the exact words to invoke sound, imagery and meaning. He shared his own poetry: the process, frustration, and joy. He ignited a spark that I've shared with my junior high and high school students as a librarian and teacher. That spark continues to burn in my heart and mind."
Outside the classroom, Jim produced a prodigious body of work that included poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, feature writing, columns, and reviews. He published more than 300 poems in various anthologies and journals, more than 30 short stories, three novels, one non-fiction book, two collections of short stories, and approximately 60 essays and nonfiction works. His nonfiction pieces appeared in literary journals, as well as high-circulation, consumer publications, such as Texas Highways, The Texas Observer, the Dallas Morning News, The Times Herald, and Texas Monthly. He published 23 books, including 11 collections of poetry during his lifetime, the last being Where Three Winds Meet, which included art and photography from fellow creators in North Texas and Southern Oklahoma. Prior to that, Texas Christian University published New and Selected Poems by James Hoggard as part of their series on Texas poets laureate. Jim contributed numerous reviews on books by other authors to many publications.
He also translated approximately 200 poems and completed six book translations from the Spanish, the most recent being Ashes in Love by Oscar Hahn. Jim was invited to read, teach, and lecture at numerous events and several institutions, including universities abroad in Mexico, France, Spain, England, and Iraq. He had seven plays produced during his career.