John Fowles Center for Creative Writing

The John Fowles Center for Creative Writing promotes and advances the discipline of creative writing in all its aspects: fiction, poetry, drama, creative non-fiction and film. The Center enables students and non-students alike to gain a greater appreciation for the “written word” and those who write it. They meet and hear writers, explore subjects such as historical romances and human rights abuse.

Each year a diverse and distinguished group of national and international writers is invited to Chapman University, making access to those writers available not only to the Chapman community, but to the Orange County and, by extension, the Southern California community.

Over the years, the JFC has invited some of the most distinguished writers in the world including Salman Rushdie, Luisa Valenzuela, Lawerence Ferlinghetti, John Ashbery, Gioconda Belli, Alicia Partnoy, Alicia Kozameh, Hiber Conteris, Raymond Federman, Steve Katz, Ronald Sukenick, Raúl Zurita, Elizabeth George, David Matlin, Laurie Stone, Charles Bernstein, Larry McCaffery, Willis Barnstone, Dacia Maraini, Francesca Duranti, Giuseppe Conte and many more. Not only has it become a Chapman University institution, but it has gained regional, national and international notoriety and has become a draw for students and community alike.