Students, faculty and alumni celebrated 15 years of UCA’s major in creative writing with party hats, performances and pompoms.

Organized by the Department of Film, Theatre and Creative Writing, the event was held in Win Thompson Hall on Nov. 19.

The creative writing program began in 2009 with Terry Wright as its founder. Having been asked by the provost at the time to leave the English department and help build the program, Wright said he faced a dilemma.

Wright said, “It was not an easy decision. I was a tenured associate professor in English. I had taught in the department for over 15 years. Had friends and colleagues and students I cared about, but I also knew that moment was a now or never again opportunity. I took up that task.”

This decision began the first semester of UCA’s major in creative writing.

“It’s the product of everyone who’s ever touched it in some way, whether faculty, staff, administrators, students and especially, tonight, graduates,” Wright said.

The celebration recognized creative writing faculty members Sandy Longhorn, Donna Hubbard, Jennie Case, Acie Clark, Stephanie Vanderslice, M Shelly Conner and Thaïs Miller.

As the only university in Arkansas offering a bachelor of arts in creative writing, the program is unique.

Dean Tom Williams said, “But it’s worth assuring and worth asserting again that there is more than just uniqueness here. There’s quality. There’s quality for peers through searches to find talented colleagues. There’s quality for students who have the assurance of experience in the classroom, of excellent academic experience in the classroom, but also the variety of external experiences external to the classroom.”

The program has the largest number of creative writing courses available at any college in Arkansas.

Freshman creative writing major Jared Richmond said, “Well, being like the only one in the state, I think it’s really important that we really foster all of the relationships within the department because there are not very many other places that people can go to experience a community of writers.”

Richmond expressed appreciation for the program’s ability to inspire self-assurance.

“It raises confidence and your ability to speak up and speak out and make friends,” Richmond said.

The event included an open mic featuring original poetry and fiction works performed by students and alumni.

One student reader was junior creative writing, French and English major Clover McEntarffer.

McEntarffer said, “The creative writing program is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to work with a lot of peers who are also creatives, to explore facets of our personality and aspects of our world that we would otherwise feel to stifle to explore and it gives us a community in which to explore those topics and ask the hard questions and really find who we are and who we’re becoming.”

To conclude the celebration, attendees were invited to relax, mingle and eat cake.