With a bold vision to foster a community of writers across genres, Dartmouth’s creative writing faculty led the launch of the Literary Arts Bridge this spring at 7 Lebanon St. in Hanover.
Professors , , and spearheaded the development of the new space and innovative programming.
“I applaud our creative writing faculty for their extraordinary vision and ingenuity in bringing the Literary Arts Bridge to life,” says , dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, whose office helped make the renovation of the new space possible. “Bringing together literary voices spanning diverse genres, The Bridge will enrich Dartmouth’s growing Arts District for years to come.”
Combined with a $1.75 million gift from a generous supporter of creative writing, the new space will allow Dartmouth to accelerate programming dedicated to the literary arts and open up new opportunities for collaboration with the Arts District—including the renewed and expanded , which is reopening this fall; the , which reopened in 2019 after a major expansion and renovation; the Black Family Visual Arts Center, dedicated in 2012; and The Warehouse, a laboratory for sonic arts that opened last fall.
“Dartmouth has an impressive legacy of creative writing, from award-winning students and alumni to acclaimed faculty working in virtually every genre,” Orner says. “The Literary Arts Bridge will offer opportunities for collaborations as well as exciting new programming that will further Dartmouth’s reputation for excellence in the field.”
“This dynamic space will complement our creative writing curriculum and showcase emerging voices, both within our community and beyond,” O’Malley says.
The Dartmouth-owned building housing The Bridge is across Lebanon Street from the Hop in the Arts District. The 2,400-square-foot, ground-floor suite features a large room with library tables for seminars, workshops, and other forms of collaboration; well-lit nooks and crannies with comfortable chairs for reading; small offices for individual consultation with advisers and group work; a soundproof room dedicated to podcasts and other audio activities; and an outdoor area, which may lend itself to events such as public readings, receptions, and other gatherings.
The Bridge will also provide a home for undergraduate publications like the literary journal Meetinghouse, enabling students to practice the craft of writing, designing, and producing a publication.
Signage at the Literary Arts Bridge will honor the celebrated poet and novelist , a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance whose connections to Dartmouth were only recently brought to light. Before his literary career took off, McKay held a variety of jobs in the Northeast, including as a porter at the Hanover Inn and janitor at a Dartmouth fraternity.
“It brings me great joy to launch Dartmouth’s hub for creative writing as we honor Claude McKay, whose literary voice spoke up for social justice with great beauty and urgency,” Francis says. “The Literary Arts Bridge will help prepare the next generation of creative writers to find new ways to engage with our complex world.”
Long-term plans are in the works for the Literary Arts Bridge to host a two-year writer-in-residence program for emerging postgraduate and visiting creative writers in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. The fellows will work closely with faculty and students and also take part in public programming.
Student demand for creative writing classes at Dartmouth has never been greater. In the last six years, course offerings have more than doubled, from 156 in 2017 to more than 330 in 2023. Roughly one third of Dartmouth’s English majors are pursuing a concentration in creative writing.
The creative writing curriculum provides students with the chance to practice their craft under the tutelage of celebrated faculty, including (who serves as chair of the Bridge Advisory Board), , , , , , and . Poet Laura Jean Gilloux, Guarini ’17, serves as The Bridge’s program manager.
Over the years, Dartmouth has produced a steady stream of extraordinary writers and artists in a variety of genres, such as David Benioff ’92, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Louise Erdrich ’76, Peter Heller ’82, National Book Award winner Phil Klay ’05, Christopher Meledandri ’81, Mindy Kaling ’01, Shonda Rhimes ’91, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Shribman ’76, and Morgan Talty ’16, author of the national bestseller Night of the Living Rez, among many others.
Creative writing students are recipients of major awards, such as , who was selected as the 2023 winner of the Academy of American Poets’ Aliki Perroti and Seth Frank Most Promising Young Poet Award, and , who was honored with the 2023 Glascock Poetry Prize.
Recent events at the Literary Arts Bridge include a catered lunch and conversation on May 15 with Adam Dalva, contributing editor of the Yale Review.
On the same day, the hosted a reading and discussion with Adrie Kusserow, author of The Trauma Mantras. And on May 21, a collaboration with the brought author HĂ©ctor Tobar to the space for coffee and conversation.
Additional programming, including an opening celebration, will be announced in the fall.
