Creative Writing - About Us

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 The Shaindy Rudoff Graduate Program in Creative Writing is a magnet for English-speaking Israelis, as well as Jews and non-Jews from around the world. The two-year Program, housed in the Department of English at Bar-Ilan University, offers an MA in English with specializations in Fiction,  Poetry or Creative Nonfiction.

Located on the outskirts of Tel Aviv and only an hour's bus ride from Jerusalem, Bar-Ilan University enjoys a diverse student body.

Students in the Program range in age from 21-71 and come from all over the world. Though the Program explores the long tradition between Judaism and writing, there are no agendas, only the pursuit of good writing. Our students and visiting writers often experience their time in the Program as a life-changing period.

The Program organizes annual conferences and sponsors informal gatherings with writers at the Stern House in Jerusalem and other venues. For the May 6-8, 2012 international conference, Tsuris and Other Literary Pleasures, go to http://english.biu.ac.il/creative-writing/361

Permanent Faculty members:  Marcela Sulak, Evan Fallenberg, Linda Zisquit, William Kolbrener and Michael Kramer.

Visiting Faculty for 2012-13  include Sarah Van Arsdale, Peter Bricklebank and Joan Leegant.

Past visiting instructors have included Jane Bernstein, Joseph Skibell, Melvin Jules Bukiet, Atar Hadari,  Joan Leegant, Bret Lott, Jonathan Wilson, Steve Stern, Mark Mirsky, Risa Miller, Tony Eprile, Abby Frucht and Jennie Feldman. 

Visiting writers have included Max Apple, Eva Hoffman, Gerald Stern, Aharon Appelfeld, Etgar Keret, Rebecca Goldstein, Peter Cole, Adina Hoffman, Nathan Englander, Ethelbert Miller, Marita Golden, David Bezmozgis, Joy Katz, Phil Schultz, Todd Hasak-Lowy, Meir Shalev, Rodger Kamenetz and Michael Collier, among others.

The Program is named in loving memory of Shaindy Rudoff (1966-2006) whose vision and dedication  made the Program possible.

We hope you will consider joining this extraordinary writing community.

For further details, visit the rest of this site and our Facebook page at  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1471764703&ref=ts
then email the Coordinator, Nadia Jacobson, at barilanwriting@gmail.com

The Program acknowledges with respect the contribution of our founders Shaindy Rudoff, z"l,
Michael Kramer (Acting Director), Sharon Friedman, Allen Hoffman (Fiction Coordinator and Acting Director), Linda Zisquit (Poetry Coordinator) and our benefactors Sheldon, z"l, and Hedda Rudoff.