Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics
“Take Me to Your Poets!”
That was the call of Naropa’s founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, upon arriving in the U.S.—and it sparked a poetic revolution.
Founded in 1974 by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman—alongside Diane di Prima, John Cage, and Trungpa—the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics (JKS) became a radically alternative literary space rooted in contemplative practice and experimental poetics.
Over the years, Naropa has welcomed iconic voices like William S. Burroughs, Ken Kesey, Gregory Corso, Joanne Kyger, Philip Whalen, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti—contributors to what Waldman calls the “outrider lineage”—working outside the mainstream yet fully immersed in the living worlds of poetry.
Today, The Jack Kerouac School offers:
A BA in Creative Writing & Literature grounded in both craft and critical inquiry
Two MFA options: a residential MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics, and a low-residency MFA with online flexibility
The legendary Summer Writing Program, where emerging and established writers converge
A thriving culture of readings, publications, and visiting artists carrying the tradition forward
Whether you’re a writer, scholar, or seeker, you’ll find a creative home at the Kerouac School—where language is both an art and a path.
Poetry as a Way to Help the World Wake Up to Itself
Find Your Creative Writing Program
Earn your literary arts degree in a creative writing program that values experimentation, critical study, and authenticity. In Naropa’s open-genre Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Literature, you’ll learn to take risks that push you beyond your creative comfort zone. In a contemplative community of talented faculty, open-minded peers, and graduate student mentors, you will grow as a person and as a writer. Get ready to transform!
Earn your writing degree in a program founded by literary greats Anne Waldman and Allen Ginsberg. Naropa’s MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics at Naropa provides a space for radical experimentation, joyful collaboration, and deep exploration of literature. Visiting professors include Joy Harjo, Claudia Rankine, and Sherwin Bitsui, and each year is punctuated by a powerful Summer Writing Program. Here, you can find your authentic literary voice and discover a meaningful career in writing.
Earn your professional writing degree from anywhere in the world. With Naropa’s low-residency MFA in Creative Writing, you’ll benefit from engaging online courses with esteemed faculty and thirty days of on-campus residencies. You’ll graduate with a creative writing degree, a manuscript ready for publication, and a vision for your future career in writing. In this innovative program, you can improve your writing craft and change your mindset without changing your zip code.
The first Summer Writing Program in 1974 drew over 1,300 students to Boulder, transforming the small mountain town into “a magnet of learning and exploration and promise” (East-West Journal, September 1974). Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, John Cage, Amiri Baraka, and other great thinkers of the time came to read their work, teach poetry writing classes, and engage in community with students from around the country.
An integral part of the Jack Kerouac School’s curriculum, the annual Summer Writing Program is a celebration of art, writing, performance, music, and creativity. Each summer, Naropa students, faculty, and visiting artists from across the country convene for three weeks of dialogue, performance, workshops, and writing practice. In the Summer Writing Program, a curriculum requirement for both of Naropa’s MFA programs, you’ll find camaraderie, inspiration, and revolutionary new approaches to your writing.
Interested in the Jack Kerouac School?
Read our blog & magazine or listen to our podcast!
Magazine
Snapshot Memory: The Jack Kerouac School in the 1990s
Magazine
Interview with Anne Waldman
Magazine
Everything We Do Is Supposed to Be Art
Episode 92. Andrew Schelling: Writing as a Spiritual Practice
Mindful U Podcast Episode 92. Andrew Schelling: Writing as a Spiritual Practice & State of Mind The newest episode of our podcast, Mindful U, is out on Apple, Spotify, and...
Episode 109. The Journey of a Poet
The latest episode of our podcast is available at Mindful U, Apple, Spotify, and Fireside now! In this episode, we’re joined by Eleni Sikelianos—poet, Naropa Summer Writing Program faculty, and...
Episode 108. The Path and Craft of Fiction Writing
The latest episode of our podcast is available at Mindful U, Apple, Spotify, and Fireside now! In this episode, The Path and Craft of Fiction Writing, Laird Hunt—alumnx of Naropa’s...
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Writerly Community
You’ll also have a contemplative practice that will serve you for a lifetime.
The Jack Kerouac School has always fostered community and collaboration over competition. Our faculty and students thrive on connection and self-exploration, celebrating each other’s successes through literary events, publications, and supportive dialogue.
Located at the foot of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, Naropa’s community also benefits from the surrounding natural beauty and the thriving literary communities in Boulder and Denver.
Scholarship Opportunities
Funding opportunities for students are available for the BA in Creative Writing and Literature, both Jack Kerouac School MFA programs, and the Summer Writing Program.
Three Allen Ginsberg, Anne Waldman, and Anselm Hollo Graduate Fellowships are awarded each year to MFA Creative Writing & Poetics students. These fellowships fully fund the creative writing degree and also offer an additional $5,000 scholarship and $3,000 stipend for duties performed as a requirement of the fellowships.
Multiple financial aid and scholarship opportunities are also available for Naropa’s Summer Writing Program, including the Zora Neale Hurston and Amiri Baraka Scholarships.
Contemplative Approach
Inspired by Naropa’s mission of contemplative education, the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is dedicated to an introspective pedagogy that invites students to deepen their writing craft while also plumbing the depths of their minds, hearts, and souls. The result is not only better writing but also greater connection with your writing community and yourself. You’ll graduate with more than just a literary arts degree.
Student Transformed
