cuny creative writing mfa

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Creative Writing, Master of Fine Arts

The Master in Creative Writing, (MFA)  is a 42 credit program, which prepares students to be professionals in dissecting contemporary, modern, and classic literature as well construct literature pieces of their own.

Our students are published in literary journals and by publishers. Students often explore jobs in teaching from middle school to graduate level.

The MFA in Creative Writing offers students a chance to improve their stories, poems, scripts and non-fiction writing.  The ideal students are those passionate about improving their creative writing skills and would like to explore becoming a writer.

Additional Requirements:

Program Director:  Professor Michelle Valladares [email protected]  

Last Updated: 03/05/2024 16:08

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Creative Writing and Literary Translation, MFA

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Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Literary Translation

The MFA program has four tracks: poetry writing, fiction, nonfiction, and literary translation.​ The course of study centers on writing workshop classes in which faculty lead students in critiques of one another’s writing. Students take three workshops in their own genre, and a crossover workshop in another genre, and they take two craft classes, one in their own genre and one in another genre. They also take a course in critical theory and literature electives that help them to develop a critical vocabulary and a knowledge of various literary and cultural periods and traditions. The faculty will provide intensive discussion and supervision of student work. The program is committed to the integration of creative writing and literary studies.

Academic Advisor

Jason Tougaw

[email protected]

Requirements for Matriculation

These requirements are in addition to the general requirements for matriculation.

• A minimum average grade of B in all undergraduate work and in all English courses
• Three satisfactory letters of recommendation, preferably from writers and teachers of writing, addressing the candidate’s academic proficiency and writing skills
• A 500-word statement of interest
• Candidates should submit a writing sample: either 10 pages of poetry or 20 pages of prose to this Dropbox link
• For the translation track, candidates should demonstrate an appropriate level of fluency in a language besides English and submit previously translated work (5-10 pages) as their writing sample

Fulfillment of these requirements does not guarantee admission; it simply makes a student eligible for consideration.

Degree Requirements & Opportunities

The MFA in Creative Writing and Literary Translation is a 36 credit hour program that emphasizes literary craft and the integration of creative writing with literary studies. Course requirements include a class in literary theory and criticism, two craft/form classes, three literature electives and four writing workshops.  Everyone must take one of the four workshops outside of their genre of focus.

Under the guidance of a faculty adviser, each student develops a thesis in the program’s final year: a collection of poetry or fiction, a novel, or a translation of a text. In addition, everyone will take an MFA exam in their final semester, based on an extensive reading list. We believe that the study of literature enriches and invigorates your own writing.

Most students take three years to complete our program, taking two courses each semester for the first two years, with the final year as a thesis year (one course each semester). Some students complete the program in two years, taking three courses a semester.

Our courses are offered in the late afternoons and evenings (primarily at 6:30pm with occasional electives at 4:30) and it is possible to work in the daytime and take classes at night.

The chart below explains the basic requirements for each track:

Creative Writing Track

• 4 Creative Writing Workshops:  English 751, 753, 755, or 757 (i.e., three in your genre of focus, one in another genre.)
• 1 Literary Theory class:  English 636.
• 2 Craft/Form Classes:  English 760, 761, 762 and 763.  NOTE:  both craft classes can be in your genre or one in your genre and one in another genre.
• Thesis Sequence:  English 758 – Thesis Workshop, and English 759 – Advanced Writing Project.
• 3 Electives:   600 or 700 level courses, either from the English Literature MA program, or from participating departments with departmental approval.

Translation Track

• 4 Creative Writing Workshops: – 2 Translation Workshops, English 757; and – 2 CW Workshops: English 751, 753 or 755.
• 1 Literary Theory class:  English 636.
• 2 Craft/Form Classes:  English 760, 761, 762 and 763.  NOTE : both craft classes can be in your genre or one in your genre and one in another genre.
• Thesis Sequence:  English 758 – Thesis Workshop, and English 759 – Advanced Writing Project.
• 3 Electives:   600 or 700 level courses, either from the English Literature M.A. program, or from participating departments with departmental approval.
• A minimum average grade of B in all undergraduate  work and in all English courses.
• Three satisfactory letters of recommendation, preferably from writers and teachers of writing, addressing the candidate’s academic proficiency and writing skills.
• A 500-word statement of interest.
• Candidates should submit a writing sample: either 10 pages of poetry, 20 pages of prose, or two one-acts or a full-length play.
• For the translation track, candidates should demonstrate an appropriate level of fluency in a language besides English and submit previously translated work (5-10 pages) as their writing sample. Fulfillment of these requirements does not guarantee admission; it simply makes a student eligible for consideration. All students must meet the above requirements. The MFA program does not accept non-matriculated students.

Requirements for the Master of Fine Arts Degree The student must:

• For CW Track, take four creative writing workshops (chosen from English 751, Fiction Workshop; English 753, Poetry Workshop; English 757, Creative Nonfiction Workshop; English 757, Translation Workshop). Three of these are in the student’s genre of focus while one must be in a genre outside of their genre of study. For Translation Track, take two translation workshops and two in other genres.
• Take two craft/form courses: English 760, 761, or 762 (as applicable to genre of study)
• Take English 636, a Literary Theory Course.
• Take three elective courses in the English Department from the list of available graduate literature courses. Courses in literary studies outside the English Department (for example, in Comparative Literature) may also be counted towards the MFA, with permission from the MFA Director.   NOTE:  Students may transfer up to 12 credits of graduate work from an accredited institution that correlates to courses in the English Department at Queens College, subject to the approval of the MFA Director. However, workshop and craft courses may not be transferred.
• Take a thesis sequence: English 758 (Independent Study) and English 759 (Advanced Writing Project). The thesis, written in the second year of the program, will be written under the guidance of an advisor and a second reader and will consist of either: 25-30 pages of poetry; 60 pages of fiction (novel or short stories); a full-length play (or collection of one-act plays; or a quality translation of a foreign language text.

In an increasingly competitive job market, where an MFA alone is often not sufficient to teach on the college-level, this Advanced Certificate in English Language Teaching will enhance the degree and give graduates other options.

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CRWRTG-MFA - Creative Writing

Official name of program, department(s) sponsoring program, degree designation, nysed program code.

Hunter’s Creative Writing MFA is a highly selective program in which students work closely with distinguished writers to perfect their writing skills. The course comprises workshops, craft seminars, one-on-one supervisions with faculty, and literature classes. There are three concentrations: fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Most years there are twelve students per concentration. Each year, several students are named Hertog Fellows (fiction and creative nonfiction) and Thomas Hunter Fellows (poetry). These students are paired with established writers, for whom they conduct research for one semester.

Requirements

Welcome to the CCNY Department of English

Located in the heart of Harlem, The City College of New York’s Department of English has been a cornerstone of American scholarship and writing since 1848. We are committed to providing our students with a rigorous education that reflects the diversity of our community and the ever-evolving global literary landscape.

The Department of English is home to three undergraduate major concentrations (Literature, Creative Writing and Secondary English Education) and three graduate programs (English Literature, Creative Writing and Language and Literacy). Our courses are taught by a diverse faculty, many of whom have authored award-winning novels, memoirs, volumes of poetry, and influential works in fields of literary theory, cultural criticism, rhetoric, pedagogy, biography and historical scholarship. In addition to our course offerings, the English Department maintains an active calendar of readings, guest lectures, craft talks and professional development seminars designed to further enhance the education of our students. 

Graduates: MFA in Creative Writing MA in English Literature MA in Language and Literacy

Undergraduates:

Creative Writing Literature Secondary English Education English Honors Program Publishing Certificate Program English Minor

We are committed to providing our students with a rigorous education that reflects the diversity of our community and the ever-evolving global literary landscape.

Our Undergraduate English concentrations include Literature, Creative Writing, and Secondary English Education.

Our Graduate programs include the MFA in Creative Writing, Masters of English Literature, and Masters of Language and Literacy.

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Read more “Essay by Emily Raboteau in Orion Magazine”

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For current advising hours, click here

Undergraduate Advising

Olivia Wood, Lecturer in English Location: NA 6/219 Phone: 212-650-6360 [email protected]

Graduate Advising, Creative Writing

Asst. Prof. Michelle Valladares Director, MFA in Creative Writing Location: NA 6/219 Phone: 212-650-5407 [email protected]

Graduate Advising, English Literature

Associate Prof. Václav Lucien Paris Director of Master of Arts in Literature Location: NAC 6/356 Phone: 212-650-6336 [email protected]

Graduate Advising, Language and Literacy

Prof. Barbara Gleason Director, MA Program in Language and Literacy Location: NA 6/333A Phone: 212-650-6329 [email protected]

Click here to view directions to campus

Chairperson.

Professor Elizabeth Mazzola, Chairperson Location: North Academic Center, Room 6/219 160 Convent Avenue | New York, NY 10031 Phone: 212-650-5407 [email protected]

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CURRENT STUDENTS

Course info.

Follow the link below to see the updated course bulletin.

Requirements

• Five writing workshops (15 credits; students may take fiction, poetry, or non- fiction workshop up to 4 times for credit. The fifth workshop must be in a different genre. (For example, 4 fiction workshops and 1 poetry workshop)
• Five literature seminars (15 credits)
• Three critical practice courses (9 credits)
• One thesis tutorial (3 credits)

Note: There is no foreign language requirement for MFA students who enrolled in Fall 2011 or subsegment semesters. The requirement still applies to students who enrolled before Fall 2011.

Pending Grades (including INC):

No one can graduate with a pending grade on his/her transcript. Make sure that you take care of all of your pending grades and credits from e-permits, study abroad, and incompletes.

Transfer Credits:

No more than six (6) approved graduate credits may be taken outside the Graduate program’s course offerings, and all writing workshops must be taken within the program.

E-permit Credits:

E-permit  grades do not appear automatically in CUNYFirst. Once you receive a grade from your host college, please request that the host college transcript be sent to Mitchel Johnson ([email protected]) at the Registrar’s office at CCNY.

These are examples of course sequences that includes all requirement and the correct distribution of credits. You can take Literature and Critical Practice courses in whatever sequence you want. The only restriction is that you cannot take 2 workshops at the same time. It is usually advisable to take the thesis tutorial (individual work with a mentor) in your last semester.

Download PDF

MFA Thesis Expectations

The thesis tutorial is an independent tutorial (3 credits) arranged between the student and his or her mentor (first reader) with a goal to produce a manuscript that will be the culmination of that student’s work in the MFA program. It is usually taken during a student’s final semester. The semester before the thesis tutorial, the student should select a mentor; it is important to do this well in advance since creative writing faculty may have other demands on their time. Although every thesis-mentor relationship unfolds in different ways, you can expect in the first meeting to establish a clear timetable for subsequent meetings as well as a timeline to meet college deadlines.

In the meetings with the mentor, you will map out a plan for the thesis, receive feedback, discuss the writing process, and receive guidance and encouragement. You can expect to revise according to this feedback. The number of pages shared with your mentor will vary according to your genre. You will be responsible for copy-editing and checking grammar for the final draft. The thesis will most likely be a collection of creative work you have already assembled over the course of your MFA career that you expand or revise as you work with your mentor. It is not recommended that you begin a new project during the thesis tutorial. Your thesis should be a substantial collection of poems, stories or essays, a portion or draft of a novel, memoir or play. For most students the thesis manuscript is a rough draft of their first book (see minimum page lengths under formatting) rather than something publishable right away. However, you can discuss with your mentor the next steps for your writing career.

Mentor/Faculty Advisor (First Reader)

It is your responsibility to choose a mentor for your thesis. Your thesis mentor should be a member of the creative writing faculty that you have worked with successfully in a workshop. After identifying your ideal mentor, it is appropriate to approach him or her in the semester before your thesis workshop to ask if they will be free to work with you. Your Program Director may be able to suggest Creative Writing faculty members whom the Director feels would be suitable for you if you are unable to cases, MFA students may have their theses advised by Literature professors. the stated requirements, please talk to agreed to serve as your mentor, you may register during registration period for the thesis tutorial.

Second Reader

You must also obtain a second reader for that your second reader be a Literature professor, rather than a creative writing instructor. Your second reader will only is unable to serve as your second reader, a creative writing professor may do so, but will likely be too overcommitted with thesis advisement to read your thesis, and will only be signing off on it.

Applying for Graduation

All students who are eligible to apply for graduation will receive an email to their CCNY email account from the Registrar’s office. This will include a link to Apply for Graduation through CUNYFirst.

Commencement

Students who graduate in the Fall or Winter are invited to participate in the May/June divisional and/or all-school commencement ceremonies.

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

Application deadline for fall admission:, february 15 extended to march 1st.

Total Credits:  42 GRE Required:  No Minimum TOEFL/IELTS Scores:  600 (PBT), 100 (IBT) or 7 Degree Awarded:  M.F.A Supporting Documents Required:

• Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended
• 2 letters of recommendation
• Personal Statement
• Writing sample (30-50 pages of fiction, nonfiction or 10 poems)

Program Director:  Michelle Valladares

For more information on the application process, visit  CCNY Graduate Admissions.

For more information on financial aid, visit the  Office of Financial Aid.

All application materials and fee payments must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Once all materials have been received and logged, your application is then forwarded to our graduate review committee. Any application materials sent directly to the English Department (via email or snail mail) will not be accepted (e.g. please don’t have transcripts, letters of recommendation, or checks sent here).

The English Department does not handle application fees, nor does it have authority to waive application fees. For questions about this fee, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Students who file an application before the deadline should follow up with the Office of Graduate Admissions regarding the status of their application and application materials.

Letters of recommendation are confidential and submitted directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions by the recommender, not by the applicant. The application system should provide all necessary information to the applicant and recommender.

Consider work that best represents your talent.

We want to know who you are, why you’re a good fit for our MFA Programs, and why our program is the right fit for you.

Personal Statement: Single. Writing Sample: Double. Note: Poetry writing sample submissions may be formatted according to the needs of the poems. 

Accepted students may defer enrollment for up to one year from the term of acceptance. After that time, students must reapply.

Ready to Apply

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.

Mostly dividing his time between New York City and Tehran, Iran, Salar regularly publishes personal essays and short stories, plus numerous translations of other authors that appear in journals across the world.

A professor at the City University of New York’s CITY COLLEGE campus in Harlem, he teaches workshops in the English Department’s MFA program and also serves as Director of Undergraduate Creative Writing. Website: salarabdoh.com

Author Website

Spring 2020

Spring 2019

She has been anthologized in Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia & Beyond, and The HarperCollins Book of English Poetry by Indians . Her honors include a Pushcart Prize Nomination and she was awarded “The Poet of the Year” by the Americas Poetry Festival of New York. She is currently working on a book about faith called Searching for Tara.

Naima’s second novel,  Didn’t Never Know , is the story of the integration of a public high school in a small Southern town, which sets off a chain of events that bonds two families together in unexpected and complicated ways over the course of their lives. It is forthcoming from Grand Central Publishing.

Naima’s stories and essays have appeared in the  New York Times , the  Rumpus ,  Aster(ix) ,  Kweli ,  The Paris Review Daily , and elsewhere. She has taught writing to students in jail, youth programs, and universities. Naima is currently visiting faculty at the MFA program at City College in Harlem and Antioch University in L.A.

Unger has been a featured writer in book festivals in San Juan, Miami, Los Angeles, Guatemala, Sharjah, Managua, Bogotá, Lima, La Paz, Oaxaca, and Guadalajara.

She received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Arizona, and her Ph.D. from Stanford University.  She teaches a range of subjects from feminist and critical literary theory, poetics, film studies, contemporary literature, and women’s literature.

He has taught poetry and nonfiction workshops. An independent book editor with an interest in the ways writers engage with the culture, he has also led MFA courses in publishing and authorship.

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Email us at [email protected] so we can respond to your questions and requests. Please email from your CUNY email address if possible. Or visit our help site for more information:

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Our library stands at the heart of one of the most beautiful campuses in the country.

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Department of English Statement on Black Lives Matter

The coronavirus pandemic and mounting economic distress disproportionately affect the health, well-being, and life of people of color. The racist, systemic mistreatment of black and brown people by police departments across our country appallingly compounds their distress. We unequivocally support and stand with those who have taken to the streets to protest the murders of George Floyd and Philando Castile in Minneapolis, the murders of Kendra James, Sean Bell, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Manuel Loggins, Jr., Walter Scott, Alton Sterling, Breonna Taylor, and too many others to name. Black Lives Matter. We extend our deepest sympathy to their families and friends. These deaths are an immediate and irretrievable loss of body and soul; their cause a disease that threatens and diminishes us all. As academics and writers we must make black lives matter through our commitment to diversity in our hiring and admissions practices, in our efforts to create inclusive and safe classrooms, where we teach the creative work and history of people of color. In these ways we commit to fighting racism in our lives and in our work by advancing the values, principles, and actions to which this nation, at least by its words, commits.

Apply by January 15

Contact Bonnie Harris, program administrator,  via e-mail .

Application Guide

This small, highly personal two-year program in creative writing confers master of fine arts degrees in fiction, poetry, and playwriting. It offers single-discipline and inter-genre workshops, literature seminars, small-group reading tutorials, and one-on-one tutorials, all of which emphasize relationships between eminent faculty and students. Additionally, students have the opportunity to work on our literary journal, The Brooklyn Review , and give public readings and performances in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The program offers some fellowships and prizes. Students may also teach undergraduate courses for the English Department.

Our graduates have had their work published widely and have won competitions sponsored by the Iowa Review, the Colorado Review , the Mississippi Review , and Zoetrope , among many others. They have had books published, received major prizes, founded presses and literary journals, and been included in numerous anthologies, including The Best New Young Poets, Best American Short Stories, Best American Nonrequired Reading, O. Henry, and Pushcart . Our playwrights have won Obies, Guggenheim Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize, started theater companies, and had their plays produced here and abroad. For more information about what our students, alumni, and faculty are up to, visit our Student Publications , Newsletters, and Events pages.

We host regular on-campus readings by some of the most gifted writers at work today. These readings are intimate, meant for students in the program and members of the community. The writers read from their work and speak informally to students about the writing process. Recent visiting writers include: Jeff Allen, Allison Amend, Benjamin Anastas, L.A. Asekoff, Jonathan Baumbach, Caroline Bergvall, Anselm Berrigan, Frank Bidart, Amy Bloom, Lucy Brock-Broido, Susan Choi, Lisa D'Amour, Erin Courtney, Edwidge Danticat, John Darnton, Jonathan Dee, Stacey D'Erasmo, Donna Di Novelli, Timothy Donnelly, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Marcella Durand, Amy Eddings, Eric Ehn, Jennifer Egan, Nathan Englander, Joshua Ferris, Jonathan Safran Foer, Graham Foust, Elizabeth Gaffney, Mary Gaitskill, Melissa Gibson, Francisco Goldman, Kenneth Goldsmith, David Grubbs, Pete Hamill, Susan Howe, Erica Hunt, Linda Susan Jackson, Julia Jarcho, Lisa Jarnot, Len Jenkin, Robert Kelly, Sibyl Kempson, Jhumpa Lahiri, Sydney Lea, Jonathan Lethem, Tan Lin, Phillip Lopate, Sam Lipsyte, Alice Mattison, Colum McCann, Frank McCourt, Ernesto Mestre, Anna Moschovakis, Paul Muldoon, Dennis Nurkse, Geoffrey G. O'Brien, Stephen O'Connor, Joseph O'Neill, Jenny Offill, Julie Otsuka, Caryl Phillips, Marie Ponsot, Francine Prose, Nava Renek, Roxana Robinson, Adam Ross, Sarah Ruhl, Karen Russell, Sapphire, Gjertrud Schnackenberg, Helen Schulman, Elizabeth Searle, Sara Shepard, Lorna Simpson, Darin Strauss, Gary Shteyngart, Elizabeth Strout, Lawrence Thornton, Colm Tóibín, Kate Walbert, Dana Ward, Colson Whitehead, Diane Williams, Liz Willis, and Mark Yakich.

To read about some of our students, see the recent Poets & Writers "MFA Nation" feature .

Sigrid Nunez, Winner of the National Book Award

The Friend , Winner, National Book Awards 2018 for Fiction

Sigrid Nunez is the author of the novels Salvation City , The Last of Her Kind , A Feather on the Breath of God , and For Rouenna , among others. She has been the recipient of several awards including a Whiting Award, the Rome Prize in Literature, and a Berlin Prize Fellowship.

Playwriting Alumna Annie Baker Wins MacArthur Genius Grant

Playwriting alumna Annie Baker has been named a 2017 MacArthur Foundation Fellow. Baker is a playwright exploring the complexities of human behavior and the ways in which language is often inadequate to build true understanding between people. With a keen ear for the subtleties of everyday speech, a masterful command of dramatic structure, and a willingness to allow silences to linger on stage (often to a point of discomfort), she brings to life the erratic rhythms of human interaction.

Photo: John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Announcements

Brooklyn College is delighted to announce the following awards for our faculty and alumni:

Poetry alumnus Paul Beatty has won the 2016 Man Booker Prize.

Faculty member Ben Lerner has been awarded a 2015 MacArthur Fellowship.

Faculty member Marjorie Welish has been awarded a 2014 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Playwriting alumna Annie Baker has received a 2014 Guggenheim Fellowship and the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Contact Information

Geoffrey Minter, Graduate Deputy & Lecturer of English Email: [email protected] Fall Office Hours (by Zoom): Mondays, 4-7 p.m. Tuesdays, 5-6 p.m. Wednesdays, 4-7 p.m. Thursdays, 12:30-2 p.m., 3:30-5 p.m. Direct Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89485381241?pwd=WitlZGoyQUc0c1duRDAvQVRnZjdKQT09 Meeting ID: 894 8538 1241 Passcode: bc21

Bonnie Harris, MFA Administrator Email: [email protected] Phone: 718.951.5197

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A Reading by Birdhouse Prize Winner Hannah Lee

• Post author By John Rice (he/Them)
• Post date April 3, 2024

Tuesday, April 16, 7PM (Reception at 6:30PM) QC Art Center, Rosenthal Library 612 Moderated by Peter Vanderberg In-person, or via Zoom:  http://tinyurl.com/2efezp7x

Join us as we celebrate the latest winner of the Birdhouse Prize from Ghostbird Press, Hannah Lee! She’ll be reading from her award-winning chapbook, On the Other Side of the Magpie , along with past winners Joe Gross and Francesca Hyatt.

Ghostbird Press is a small, independent chapbook press that publishes collaborations of writing and visual art. Peter Vanderberg, a fellow QC MFA alum, offers the annual Birdhouse Prize to graduating QC MFA students, resulting in a gorgeous full-color chapbook for the winner.

If you can’t make it to campus for this wonderful event for the QC community, we hope you can join us over Zoom via the link below. Join via Zoom:

http://tinyurl.com/2efezp7x

Hannah Lee is a NYC-based Korean-American poet who processes her world through poetry. She is a graduate of the Queens College MFA program, and was an editor at Armstrong Literary. Her work has been featured in Encounters Magazine.

Francesca Hyatt is a writer, translator, and lecturer of English at CUNY-Queens College. She has MFA in Creative Nonfiction and her chapbook Forestwish won the Birdhouse Prize in 2022 (Ghostbird Press). She is the editor at KtB Magazine, a founding co-editor at the new literary journal Clotheslines, and the co-editor of the forthcoming anthology Eating Alone.  www.francescahyatt.com.

Joe Gross is a Flushing-based bookseller, poet, translator, and author the prize-winning chapbook Lest We All Get Clipped (Ghostbird Press, His work has been anthologized in Eating Alone: Essays & Reflections (Clotheslines Press). His work has been anthologized in Eating Alone: Essays & Reflections (Clotheslines Press 2023) and The Pearl (Wyeth Renwick 2023). He holds an MFA from Queens College, where he was co-editor of Armstrong Literary. Twitter: @komradekapybara Instagram: @joegrosspoet

Peter Vanderberg is the editor of Ghostbird Press and a PhD student at St. John’s University. He is the author of several chapbooks including war/torn, recently released from Finishing Line Press. He lives and teaches on Long Island.

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National Poetry Month: BMCC Community Members Who Have Served as Poet Laureates

April 5, 2024

April is National Poetry month. Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month celebrates poets’ integral role in the country’s culture and the belief that poetry matters. Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) is home to a number of poetry experts and offers poetry courses. Not only that, several BMCC faculty, students and alumni have been appointed as poet laureates throughout New York.

Alumna Phylisha Villanueva: Westchester Poet Laureate

BMCC alumna Phylisha Villanueva (Communications and Media Studies, 2015) was named Westchester County’s new poet laureate in 2024 according to a report from Arts Westchester. In her new role, the Belizean-American poet, author and cultural activist intends to conduct ekphrastic writing workshops, a style of writing that responds to visual art, creating a unique dialogue between the two art forms. She will also organize poetry slams and other open mic events in Westchester County. After BMCC, Villanueva completed a Bachelor of Science in Creative Writing degree at Empire State University, SUNY in 2023 is currently earning a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at St. Francis College.

Student Stephanie Pacheco: NYC Youth Poet Laureate

Writing and Literature major Stephanie Pacheco is the 2023 New York City Youth Poet Laureate and a member of the 2022 New York City Youth Slam Team. Hailing from The Bronx, she has been a leading organizer and strategist with several activist organizations such as the Healing Centered Schools Task Force, working to mobilize youth across the city against educational injustice. Her advocacy and poetry have been highlighted by “The New York Times,” The Today Show, NPR, “The Daily News,’ CBS, and other publications. She is a recipient of the 2021 Princeton Prize in Race Relations and has performed her poetry at multiple landmarks such as The Schomburg Center and The Apollo Theater, as well as the New York State Capitol and Federal Hall.

English Professor  Marguerite Maria Rivas: First Poet Laureate of Staten Island 

In 2019, English Professor Marguerite Maria Rivas was named Staten Island’s first ever poet laureate.  Rivas’ poetry, both lyric and long-form, is largely based on the culture, history and natural environment of Staten Island. Her work has been widely published in journals, anthologies and in a best-selling college textbook. She is also the author of two full-length collections of poems. In her book, “Tell No One: Poems of Witness,” she reflects on the kinship and the resiliency of Staten Islanders in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Rivas’ poem “Witness,” is included in the National September 11th Museum’s online collection, along with two others.

Speech, Communications and Theatre Arts Professor Golda Solomon: Yonker’s First Poet Laureate 

In February 2022, Golda Solomon, Adjunct Associate Professor in the  Speech, Communications and Theatre Arts Department at BMCC — and who teaches at BMCC’s CUNY in The Heights ( CITH ) campus — was named the first poet laureate of the City of Yonkers by Mayor Mike Spano. Professor Solomon’s poetry collections include  “ Flatbush Cowgirl” and “Medicine Woman of Jazz.” Her CDs include “Po’Jazz: Takin’ It to the Hollow,” “First Sets,” “Jazz Riffs” and “We Are. ”  Professor Solomon is a founding member of The Jazz & Poetry Choir Collective, and a creator of Poetry in Partnership with Jazz, or Po’Jazz. Her work has been supported by funding from Poets & Writers and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Yonkers Initiative. She has collaborated on events with The Science Barge, which is docked in Yonkers, and plans to expand these activities through her role as poet laureate, a volunteer position that lasts two years.

Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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• Victor Mukhin

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

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