Our History

Among the literary luminaries who have visited the Southampton Writers Conference since its founding in 1976 are Joyce Carol Oates, James Baldwin, E.L. Doctorow, Tom Wolfe, Elizabeth Strout, Mark Doty, Melissa Bank, and Colson Whitehead. In recent years, regular faculty Meg Wolitzer, Billy Collins and Matthew Klam have been joined by such masters as Vijay Seshadri, Terrance Hayes, Natalie Diaz, Sharon Olds, Lauren Groff, Brit Bennett, Marisa Silver, Alexander Chee, Amy Hempel, Julia Phillips, and Jericho Brown.

Creative writing on the ocean view campus of Stony Brook Southampton has a long and distinguished history, due in no small part to its magnificent location in the Hamptons, a renowned resort area only 80 miles from New York City. Writers, artists and entertainers have been summering here for over a century. Indeed, the legacy of the area includes Kurt Vonnegut, Elizabeth Hardwick, Tennessee Williams, John Steinbeck, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

It’s no wonder, then, that The Southampton Writers Conference is able to attract world-class authors to its faculty, authors who are also experienced, accessible teachers.

The Southampton Writers Conference is part of Stony Brook Southampton’s MFA in Creative Writing program.