Concentrations

Since the first writing workshop in 1927, New School fiction writers have been expanding boundaries and reimagining what is possible both in and outside of the classroom. Our Fiction faculty work across genres and are active in the New York and international literary communities. In fiction seminars, students explore and challenge the canon while learning to read as writers; in workshops, they are encouraged to experiment with new forms and unfamiliar genres while honing or reinventing their voices. In addition to publishing innumerable novels and story collections, our Fiction alumni have launched beloved reading series, edited nationally recognized magazines, and reshaped the writing landscape as book editors and agents. Fiction faculty provide students with one-on-one advising, discuss their works-in-progress, and help them navigate the practical challenges of writing and publishing through graduation and beyond.

Students in the Nonfiction concentration have the opportunity to engage with the full spectrum of nonfiction writing, from essay to memoir to journalism, and to learn from faculty working in these disciplines. They learn from faculty with decades of experience while immersing themselves in the rich history and literary landscape of New York City. Students can also hone their writing at the line level, develop advanced research techniques, and learn topitch, write proposals, and build relationships with editors.

The Poetry concentration is innovative, experimental, and interdisciplinary and welcomes students who want to expand the boundaries of art. Students become part of a tight-knit community led by a diverse, passionate faculty. They have opportunities to read their work on and off campus, join the staff of our literary journals, and connect with writers and artists across the university. Our faculty of multidisciplinary artists are deeply embedded in the literary community. They challenge students to be socially engaged and to reimagine what it means to be a poet at this time while guiding them through the complexities of publishing in the current literary landscape.

The Arts Writing concentration enables students to hone their critical and creative writing while immersing themselves in the rich New York City arts scene.The program provides an intellectual and creative grounding for graduate students interested in transforming critical writing about the visual arts, popular culture, literature, politics, and digitality. Our award-winning faculty emphasize extensively researched, thoughtfully created, and imaginatively composed writing and welcome writers engaged in multigenre practice. Students benefit from access to New York City’s hundreds of galleries and museums and the opportunity to get involved with literary organizations through the program’s close connections with groups including the National Book Critics Circle and The Nation.

Faculty of the Writing for Children and Young Adults concentration believe that young readers deserve our best work. Our students learn from a faculty of actively publishing authors, joining a community of dedicated, dynamic, and diverse writers in the heart of New York City. Works by faculty and alumni authors sit on bookshelves, achieve best seller status, and winning awards, and, most important, are loved by young readers. Our graduates influence young people as publishing professionals, educators, and leaders. We believe that understanding the business of publishing is integral to the craft and encourage students to attend events with outside authors, editors, and agents. NYC provides endless opportunities to meet and learn from other children’s literature professionals and to benefit from Greenwich Village’s rich literary history.

Current and Past Faculty
Coe Booth, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Emily XR Pan, Caron Levis, David Levithan, Sarah Weeks, Tor Seidler, Susan Van Metre, and Bunny Grable.

Alumni Authors
Jenny Han, Dhonielle Clayton, Kacen Callender, Patricia McCormick, Alyson Gerber, Corey Ann Haydu, Janae Marks, Haley Neil, Lisa Graff, Morgan Matson, Carlyn Greenwald, Auriane Desombre, Lucas Klauss, Suzanne LeFleurre, Linda Epstein, and Sophia N. Lee.

Learn More