This University Is Offering the First Spanish-Language Creative Writing PhD in the Country

By 2050, the United States is projected to surpass Mexico as the country with the largest number of Spanish speakers in the world. Already, the US has more Spanish speakers than Spain. Given the increasing importance of Spanish in the US, the University of Houston is establishing a Spanish-language creative writing PhD program. UH Professor Cristina Rivera Garza says the program is “not just natural, but urgent,” according to Houstonia.

“This, for me, it’s a life project,” Rivera, who began conceptualizing the doctorate program when she taught creative writing in English at the University of California-San Diego, said. “I’ve been thinking about a new generation of writers, thinking about the dynamic presence of Spanish in the United States, thinking about making a community that’s eager to tell stories and put them in writing. Our main emphasis for this program is not thinking about writing as an activity in isolation, in an ivory tower, but as a practice that connects us in the community.”

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