Emily Carr announces new AOC and publication

Adding a joint-disciplinary Creative Writing area of concentration (AOC) is part of New College’s growth plan, and no one is more excited about the new offering than Emily Carr, Ph.D.
“We are artists. And we are useful,” said Carr, a visiting assistant professor of creative writing and the developer of the program. “The new AOC will help students explore their value as artists, and learn how to flex their creative muscles both on and off the page.”
Carr’s own value as an artist was recently reinforced when her work was published in a major literary anthology on April 7. Her poem, “Yolk,” was featured in Choice Words: Writers on Abortion, edited by Annie Finch (Haymarket Books, 2020). The book also includes selections from renowned authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Audre Lorde and Margaret Atwood.
“For me, this is the first time my work has been anthologized. And it’s amazing and terrifying to have my work in the company of women like Gloria Steinem and Joyce Carol Oates, who I’ve been admiring since I was 15,” Carr said.“This is something that gives me some validation that the work I’m doing matters and makes a difference.”
Carr has been making a difference in the literary world for years. She holds a Ph.D. in English/poetry from the University of Calgary and has published three books: Whosoever Has Let a Minotaur Enter Them, Or a Sonnet—(McSweeney’s Poetry Series, 2016); 13 Ways of Happily: Books 1 & 2 (Parlor Press, 2011); and Directions for Flying (Furniture Press, 2010). Her latest book, Name Your Bird Without A Gun: a Tarot Romance, is forthcoming this year.
With the new Creative Writing AOC in place at New College, Carr hopes to further inspire self-expression. The curriculum will enable her students to understand craft from a cross-cultural perspective, explore multiple genres, and respond to tense cultural issues and challenging situations.
“Students at New College have the opportunity to explore the spectrum of cultural work outside the academy while they are learning the craft of writing and the history of literature,” Carr said. “I’ve enjoyed exploring the unique New College curriculum and am looking forward to developing more cross-disciplinary synergies in the years to come.”
For more information on New College’s Creative Writing AOC, visit ncf.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/division-of-humanities/creative-writing. Visit Carr’s personal website at ifshedrawsadoor.com.
Anna Wright is a student writing intern in the Office of Communications & Marketing.