Author Dinty W. Moore, founder and editor of the popular online journal Brevity, joins Fairfield MFA faculty.
Dinty’s affiliation with Fairfield offers students a chance to work hands-on at a journal with clear name recognition in the field.
— — Sonya Huber, director of ¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp's MFA in Creative Writing program.
¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp’s Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creating Writing program has welcomed founder and editor of the popular online journal Brevity , author Dinty W. Moore, to its faculty, forging an exciting new partnership between the University and the internationally revered journal.
“I've admired [ Brevity ] for a long time,” said Sonya Huber, director of ¶¶Òô»ÆƬapp’s MFA in Creative Writing program. “So when Dinty mentioned last year that he was looking for a new institutional home for the journal and would consider Fairfield, I jumped into high gear.”
The opportunity couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for the University, as Fairfield’s new College of Arts and Sciences dean, Richard Greenwald, PhD, had just arrived on campus. A proud supporter of creative writing programs in his previous university positions, Dr. Greenwald immediately understood the value of a Fairfield affiliation with Brevity and fully endorsed the new partnership.
“Dinty’s affiliation with Fairfield offers students a chance to work hands-on at a journal with clear name recognition in the field,” Huber said. “Additionally, Dinty’s own work is very innovative and genre-bending, so students who study with him will be supported as they experiment and push themselves in new directions, including nonfiction forms.”
In addition to serving as a mentor to MFA students seeking professional feedback on their creative writing, Moore will offer students the opportunity to gain invaluable editorial and publishing experience by reviewing essays submitted to Brevity from well-known and emerging writers across the world. One graduate student will also have the opportunity to serve as an editor for the journal in a paid teacher’s assistant position.
A widely published author specializing in memoir and literary nonfiction, Moore received his MFA in writing from Louisiana State University in 1990. He has published more than ten books during his career and has had his work featured in The New York Times Sunday Magazine , The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, The Southern Review, and Harper’s magazine, among numerous other venues. For over two decades, he has served as the founder and editor of Brevity , an esteemed online journal known for publishing brief, nonfiction essays written by well-known and emerging writers in 750 words or less. Drawing more than 10,000 unique visitors per month, the Brevity blog boasts more than 20,000 subscribers and has featured the work of three Pulitzer prize finalists, numerous NEA fellows, Pushcart winners, Best American authors, and writers from America, India, Egypt, Ireland, Spain, and Malaysia to name a few.
“Brevity has published so many writers I admire over the years, and because it is online, it is widely accessible and read,” Huber said. “It is also very difficult to get an acceptance from the journal because it receives thousands of submissions, so having a piece appear in Brevity is very special for writers.”
A special place for writers all on its own, Fairfield’s MFA in Creative Writing residency continues to build momentum as it transitions into its second decade - a milestone both Huber and Moore are excited to celebrate.
“Fairfield MFA is a strong program and a diverse program that represents America very well,” Moore said. “The residency itself is just so full of energy and vibrancy. The students are clearly happy to be here. They are excited to be here, and I feel the momentum growing.”
