creative writing workshops hamilton

Creative writing workshops events in Hamilton, Canada

The Writer's Block Workshop

Tuesday at 7:00 PM + 1 more

CoWork at the Cotton Factory

EXPROSÉ: Poet Showcase & Writing Workshop

Sat, Jul 27, 6:45 PM + 2 more

Poetry in the Park

Thu, Jul 11, 5:45 PM + 3 more

Neon Paint Night: A Creative Workshop Experience

Thu, Jul 11, 7:30 PM

Bampot House

Ceramic Magnet Workshop

Mon, Aug 12, 7:00 PM

Royal City Brewing Company

Uncovering the Lost Arts

Thu, Jul 25, 6:30 PM

299 Doon Valley Drive, ECE Building

Business Case Writing Certification Training in Kenora, ON

Fri, Jul 26, 9:00 AM + 13 more

Regus Business Centre

Ceramic Incense Holder Workshop

Mon, Jul 29, 7:00 PM

Creative Jewelry Workshop

Today at 6:30 PM + 249 more

Trinity Bellwoods Park

Business Writing 1 Day Training in Guelph

Wednesday at 9:00 AM + 5 more

For venue details reach us at: [email protected]

Needle Felting Workshop

Mon, Jul 8, 7:00 PM

Tue, Jul 23, 7:00 PM

Schooner Street Brewery

Writers' Circle

Friday at 2:00 PM

MUSE Arts Creative Lab

Tue, Jul 9, 7:00 PM

Writer's Corner: Ink Adventure

Wed, Jul 10, 7:00 PM

Pierre Berton Resource Library

Foundations of handbuilding for couples

Today at 7:00 PM + 239 more

Artventures Oakville

Business Writing 1 Day Training in Brampton

For venue details reach us at [email protected]

How to Talk to the Press

Wednesday at 6:00 PM + 5 more

On Task Studio Toronto

Business Case Writing Certification Training in Guelph, ON

Fri, Jul 26, 9:00 AM + 20 more

Improv Workshop & Jam | Pay What You Can

Fri, Jul 12, 7:00 PM + 2 more

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Literature and Creative Writing

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The City of Hamilton, Ontario. (This sub is in no way affiliated with the City of Hamilton Municipal Government)

Writers - groups, workshops…

Anyone here part of a writers group in Hamilton or surrounding areas? I’ve been writing alone for a while now and think it would be beneficial to be part of a community of writers.

Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library

Organizations for Writers and Illustrators

Antioch Writers' Workshop . Whether you're a beginning, intermediate, or advanced writer, Antioch Writers' Workshop programs offer the tools and inspiration you need to take the next steps on your writing path. They offer instruction in the creative writing craft and in the professional skills creative writers need to succeed in the publishing world, as well as opportunities for connecting to a vibrant, supportive creative writing community. --> Central & Southern Ohio Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators . A local chapter of the National Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, the Central and Southern Ohio Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators meet monthly in Columbus, Ohio at the Upper Arlington Public Library to discuss aspects of writing or illustrating, and critiques of chapter member’s work.

Central Ohio Fiction Writers . Central Ohio Fiction Writers (COFW), is a non-profit professional association for writers of all fiction genres, and a local chapter of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) organization. --> Cleveland State Poetry Center was originally established in 1962 at the former Fenn College of Engineering to promote poetry through readings and community outreach. In 1971, it expanded its mission to become a national non-profit independent poetry press under the auspices of the Cleveland State University Department of English, and has since published over one-hundred-fifty titles.

Cleveland State Writing Center . The CSU Writing Center and WAC Program have two goals: hospitality and independence. They strive to create a warm environment because they believe that writing requires many decisions that are best made in a peaceful and welcoming environment. The staff is comprised of graduate students in literature or creative writing who enjoy working with students.

Dayton Christian Writers Guild, Inc.  The Dayton Christian Writer's Guild is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to educate, support and to encourage others to write, to write as a means of preserving history for the next generation, and to leave a legacy for all to see and read. --> Downtown Writers Network . The Downtown Writers Network exists to promote central Ohio writers. we're here to help both business writers and creative writers. Helping both business and creative writers, the network assists freelance, technical and business writer. They also provide an online database where you can market your skills and locate new clients. For creative writers, they offer workshops where you can get together with other authors, in a creative space that's solely designed to celebrate the writing life. --> Great Lakes Fiction Writers . From their website: “Based on the shores of Lake Erie in Northeast Ohio, Great Lakes Fiction Writers (GLFW) welcomes fiction writers in any genre at any point in their career who wish to explore writing romance or including romantic elements in their stories. We are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment where all members feel respected and valued regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation or identity, disability, education, or any other bias.”

Greater Canton Writers' Guild . The Greater Canton Writers’ Guild was founded in 1964 for beginning and professional writers for purposes of learning, discussion, and mutual support. It includes persons of diverse skills who share a common commitment to the craft of writing. --> Greater Cincinnati Writer’s League . Founded over 80 years ago, the Greater Cincinnati Writer’s League is a group of writers whose focus is poetry.

Hamilton Writers Guild . The Hamilton Writers Guild offers support and encouragement to both novice and experienced writers wishing to further his or her writing ambitions. The Guild is open to both published and unpublished writers.

International Writer’s Association . The International Writer’s Association (IWA) aspires to do what it can to encourage new literary talent. With two branches in two countries, and more to come, IWA is truly an international writer’s group.

Lake Erie Ink. Lake Erie Ink is a not for profit 501(c)3 that provides creative expression opportunities and academic support to youth in the Greater Cleveland community.  Lake Erie Ink believes that creative writing is not only for kids and teens who already love writing, but also for youth who have something say and too often feel that no one is listening.

Lit Youngstown is a literary arts center in Youngstown that hosts a monthly reading series and open mic, workshops and classes for writers, a monthly book discussion, Fall Literary Festival, Winter Writing Camp, and many other projects and events.

Literary Cleveland .  Literary Cleveland is a nonprofit organization that offers classes, workshops, programs and events. Its mission is to help writers develop their craft, create a strong network of writers, and connect writers to the community. Literary Cleveland aspires to become the hub, the connection point for the literary arts in the Northeast Ohio region.

Maumee Valley Romance Writers of America . MVRWA is the local chapter of Romance Writers of America based in Toledo, Ohio whose purpose is to advance the professional interest of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy.

Mid-Ohio Writers Association . Mid-Ohio Writers Association was established in order to draw attention to writers in the mid-Ohio area and to encourage area residents to be interested in reading, writing and education. Meetings are free and held at Ontario Library n Mansfield, Ohio.

Northern Ohio Bibiliophilic Society (NOBS) . Founded in 1983, NOBS is an association of book collectors, dealers, librarians, and others interested in promoting the production, preservation, collection, and sale of fine and antiquarian books, and the preservation and protection of the heritage of the printed word. NOBS is a member of the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS) and a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

Northern Ohio Society of Children’s Book Writer’s & Illustrators . The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, formed in 1971 by a group of Los Angeles based writers for children, is the only international organization to offer a variety of services to people who write, illustrate, or share a vital interest in children’s literature. The SCBWI acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers and others involved with literature for young people.

The Ohio Poetry Association . The Ohio Poetry Association (OPA), chartered originally as the Verse Writers’ Guild of Ohio, is a nonprofit, educational volunteer organization with a 501(c)(3)Federal designation. They exist to promote the art of poetry and support poets and others who appreciate poetry.

Ohio Writers’ Guild . The Ohio Writers’ Guild is a supportive community of and for Ohio authors. Our mission is to encourage excellent work through peer review, educational programs and promotional events. As the premier organization for Ohio writers since 1988, the guild participates in many community and state events, sponsors weekly gatherings and provides an encouraging community for Ohio’s family of authors.

Ohio Writers’ Conference . Ohio Writers’ Conference is an annual event which is typically held in Columbus, Ohio. The conference recognizes students’ work that has been submitted and published in Kent State University’s soft-bound book of students’ orignal work, Beginnings. The conference includes storytellers, a keynote address, interactive workshops, and an awards luncheon. Beginnings authors are invited to share their work at an open mike session.

Thurber House . Their mission is to celebrate the written word for the education and entertainment of the broadest possible audience and to continue Thurber’s legacy of humor. Thurber House also facilitates many literary programs including: Evenings with Authors, Literary Picnics, and Book Groups.

Wick Poetry Center . The Wick Poetry Center encourages new voices by promoting opportunities for individuals and communities locally, regionally, and nationally. Wick engages emerging and established poets and poetry audiences through readings, publications, workshops, and scholarship opportunities.

Y-City Writers . What began as one person’s personal quest became a forum for storytellers of all ages, skill levels, and genre-preferences. Y-City Writers now consists of over 71 members (published and non-published), and is still growing. Their goal is to provide a comfortable experience for everyone involved, while encouraging our craft. To this end, Y-City Writers host open mics and a yearly writing conference. There are no dues to attend meetings

Additional Resources

Money-Saving Guide for Authors and Writers . A nice list of resources and links for aspiring authors on everything from The Elements of Style to self-publishing. [Note: The suggestion for this resource came to the Ohio Center for the Book via LouAnne Taylor , “part-time media specialist in the library at a public school in Wyoming” and the 9th through 12th grader attendees of her “Introduction to Writing” course who are encouraged to research the craft of writing. Ms. Taylor wrote us to say the Ohio Center for the Book website had been very beneficial to her aspiring writers, and one of the attendees asked if it was possible for the “Money-Saving Guide” to be included in our list of resources. Thanks, Nicole, for the resource!]

The Writers Circle

creative writing workshops & community

WordSMASH Creative Writing Mini-Camps

for Rising Grades 3-5 and 6-7

Summer Adult Workshops

4, 5, and 6 week workshops - Summer is the perfect time to write!

2024 Summer Creative Writing Intensives

For Teens Who LOVE to WRITE ~ REGISTER TODAY!

Celebrating the Written Word

Summer has begun, jump right into  wordsmash, creative writing mini-camp for grades 3-5 and 6-7 .

Our two-hour per afternoon, week-long program is chock-full of writing games, wacky prompts, and time to sink into a favorite book just to read! Seasoned writers will be challenged by story starters unlike anything they’ve seen in school. Reluctant writers will find TWC’s interactive games and prompts an irresistible invitation to start creating. Our collaborative, energetic environment will lay the foundation for kids to let loose and let the words flow.

In Morristown, Summit, and South Orange, NJ , plus virtual options for kids everywhere.

2024 Summer Creative Writing Intensives  for Teens Who LOVE to Write

~ now in our 12th season ~, week 1: july 15-19 – full, week 2: july 22-26 –  three spots left, week 3: july 29-august 2 –  full.

The Writers Circle is a Scholastic Awards Summer Scholarship Program partner.

Summer Writing Is for Adults , too.

Great summer choices:

Where Do I Begin? | Summer Writing Book Club | Creating Kid Lit | Romancing the Novel | Writing Short Stories & Flash Fiction and much more.

See our full schedule and

From the writers circle blog.

Writing When Life Gets In the Way

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The Summer of Eras!

by Rebecca Kilroy, former Summer Intensive Program Coordinator, moving on to brand new things It’s the summer of Eras! I’ve lost count of the number of Eras tour t-shirts our students wore to the Intensive. Not a single Wednesday special event passed without at least…

On Journaling

by Christina Kapp, TWC Instructor & Outreach Coordinator I wish I could say that my journal was any less cluttered than my desk, my closet, my attic, but it’s not. I aspire to order in so many things and fail miserably. There are plenty of…

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 12 best creative writing colleges and programs.

College Info

Finding a dedicated creative writing program at a school you're excited about can be a real challenge, and that's even before you start worrying about getting in. Nonetheless, there are some great options. In order to help you find the best school for you, this list rounds up some of the best colleges for creative writing in the United States .

The Best Creative Writing Programs: Ranking Criteria

You should never take college rankings as absolute truth —not even the very official-seeming US News ones. Instead, use these kinds of lists as a jumping-off place for your own exploration of colleges. Pay attention not just to what the rankings are but to how the rankings are determined.

To help with that, I'll explain how I came up with this highly unscientific list of great creative writing colleges. I started by narrowing my search down to schools that offered a specific creative writing major. (If you don't see a school you were expecting, it's likely because they only have a minor.)

In ranking the schools, I considered five major criteria:

• #1: MFA Ranking —If a school has a great graduate creative writing program, it means you'll be taught by those same professors and the excellent graduate students they attract. Schools with strong MFA programs are also more likely to have solid alumni networks and internship opportunities. However, many schools with great undergrad programs do not offer MFAs, in which case I simply focused on the other four options.
• #2: General School Reputation —The vast majority of your classes won't be in creative writing, so it's important that other parts of the school, especially the English department, are great as well.
• #3: Extracurricular Opportunities —One of the key advantages of majoring in creative writing is that it can provide access to writing opportunities outside the classroom, so I took what kind of internship programs, author readings, and literary magazines the school offers into consideration.
• #4: Diversity of Class Options —I gave extra points to schools with a variety of genre options and specific, interesting classes.
• #5: Alumni/Prestige —This last criterion is a bit more subjective: is the school known for turning out good writers? Certainly it's less important than what kind of education you'll actually get, but having a brand-name degree (so to speak) can be helpful.

The Best Creative Writing Schools

Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of schools! The exact numbering is always arguable, so look at it as a general trend from absolutely amazing to still super great, rather than fixating on why one school is ranked #3 and another is ranked #4.

#1: Northwestern University

Northwestern's undergrad creative writing program boasts acclaimed professors and an unparalleled track record of turning out successful writers (including Divergent author Veronica Roth and short-story writer Karen Russell).

Outside the classroom, you can work on the student-run literary journal, intern at a publication in nearby Chicago, or submit to the Department of English's yearly writing competition . The university is also home to a top journalism program , so if you want to try your hand at nonfiction as well, you'll have plenty of opportunities to do so.

#2: Columbia University

Like Northwestern, Columbia is home to both a world-class creative writing program and a top journalism school (plus one of the best English departments in the country), so you have a wide range of writing-related course options. Columbia also benefits from its location in New York City, which is bursting at the seams with publishing houses, literary journals, and talented authors.

#3: University of Iowa

The University of Iowa's big draw is the infrastructure of its graduate Writers' Workshop, which is often considered the best MFA program in the country.

As an English and Creative Writing major here, you'll take classes from great young writers and established professors alike, and get to choose from a wide range of topics. This major provides transferable skills important for a liberal arts major with a creative focus. You'll also have access to the university's impressive literary community, including frequent readings, writing prizes and scholarships, and the acclaimed literary journal The Iowa Review .

#4: Emory University

Emory is renowned for its dedicated undergrad creative writing program , which draws the very best visiting scholars and writers. Students here have the chance to attend intimate question-and-answer sessions with award-winning authors, study a range of genres, compete for writing awards and scholarships, and work closely with an adviser to complete an honors project.

#5: Oberlin College

A small liberal arts school in Ohio, Oberlin offers very different advantages than the schools above do. You'll have fewer opportunities to pursue writing in the surrounding city, but the quality of the teachers and the range of courses might make up for that. Moreover, it boasts just as impressive alumni, including actress and writer Lena Dunham.

#6: Hamilton College

Hamilton is another small college, located in upstate New York. It's known for giving students the freedom to pursue their interests and the support to help them explore topics in real depth, both inside and outside the classroom. Hamilton's creative writing program takes full advantage with small classes and lots of opportunities to intern and publish; it also has one of the best writing centers in the country.

#7: Brown University

Brown's Literary Arts program offers one of the top MFAs in the US as well as an undergraduate major . For the major, you must take four creative writing workshops and six reading-intensive courses, which span an array of departments and topics, from music and literature to Middle East studies and Egyptology.

#8: Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University has an excellent creative writing MFA program, lots of super specific class options, and a number of scholarships specifically earmarked for creative writing students. This school’s undergraduate English program also offers a concentration in creative writing that allows students to specialize in a specific genre: poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. If you’re interested in exploring your potential in a specific writing genre, Washington University could be a great pick for you.

#9: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT might not be a school you generally associate with writing, but it actually has an excellent program that offers courses in digital media and science writing, as well as creative writing, and provides plenty of guidance on how graduates can navigate the tricky job market.

Not to mention the school is located in Cambridge, a haven for book lovers and writers of all kinds. Though it probably isn’t a good fit for students who hate science, MIT is a great place for aspiring writers who want to build writing skills that are marketable in a wide range of industries.

#10: University of Michigan

University of Michigan is one of the best state universities in the country and has a top-notch MFA program. This school’s undergrad creative writing sub-concentration requires students to submit applications for admittance to advanced creative writing courses. These applications give students crucial practice in both building a writing portfolio and articulating their interest in creative writing to an audience who will evaluate their work. If you're looking to attend a big school with a great creative writing major, this is a fantastic choice.

#11: Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins is another school that's known more for engineering than it is for writing, but, like MIT, it has a dedicated writing program. As a major here, you must take not only courses in prose, poetry, and literature, but also classes on topics such as philosophy and history.

#12: Colorado College

Colorado College is a small liberal arts school known for its block plan , which allows students to focus on one class per three-and-a-half-week block. The creative writing track of the English major includes a sequence of four writing workshops and also requires students to attend every reading of the Visiting Writers Series.

Bonus School: New York University

I didn't include NYU in the main list because it doesn't have a dedicated creative writing major, but it's a great school for aspiring writers nonetheless, offering one of the most impressive creative writing faculties in the country and all the benefits of a Manhattan location.

How To Pick the Best Creative Writing School for You

Just because Northwestern is a great school for creative writing doesn't mean you should set your heart on going there. (The football fans are completely terrifying, for one thing.) So where should you go then?

Here are some questions to ask yourself when looking at creative writing programs to help you determine the best school for you:

Does It Have Courses You're Interested In?

Look at the course offerings and see whether they interest you. While you can't predict exactly what classes you'll love, you want to avoid a mismatch where what you want to study and what the program offers are completely different. For example, if you want to write sonnets but the school focuses more on teaching fiction, it probably won't be a great fit for you.

Also, don't forget to look at the English courses and creative writing workshops! In most programs, you'll be taking a lot of these, too.

What Opportunities Are There To Pursue Writing Outside of Class?

I touched on this idea in the criteria section, but it's important enough that I want to reiterate it here. Some of the best writing experience you can get is found outside the classroom, so see what kind of writing-related extracurriculars a school has before committing to it.

Great options include getting involved with the campus newspaper, working on the school's literary journal, or interning at the university press.

Who Will Be Teaching You?

Who are the professors? What kind of work have they published? Check teacher ratings on Rate My Professors (but make sure to read the actual reviews—and always take them with a grain of salt).

If you're looking at a big school, there's a good chance that a lot of your teachers will be graduate students. But that's not necessarily a bad thing: a lot of the best teachers I had in college were graduate students. Just take into consideration what kind of graduate program the school has. If there's a great creative writing MFA program, then the graduate students are likely to be better writers and more engaged teachers.

What Are the Alumni Doing Now?

If you have a sense of what you want to do after you graduate, see if any alumni of the program are pursuing that type of career. The stronger the alumni network is, the more connections you'll have when it comes time to get a job.

What About the Rest of the School?

Don't pick a school for which you like the creative writing program but dread everything else about it. Most of your time will be spent doing other things, whether hanging out in the dorms, exploring off campus, or fulfilling general education requirements.

Many schools require you to apply to the creative writing major, so make doubly sure you'll be happy with your choice even if you aren't accepted to the program.

What's Next?

Are you sure a creative writing major is the right fit for you? Read our post on the pros and cons of the major to help you decide what path to take in college.

For more general advice about choosing a college, check out our complete guide to finding the right school for you. Some major factors to consider include deciding whether you're interested in a small college or a big university , an in-state or out-of-state institution , and a public or private school .

Alex is an experienced tutor and writer. Over the past five years, she has worked with almost a hundred students and written about pop culture for a wide range of publications. She graduated with honors from University of Chicago, receiving a BA in English and Anthropology, and then went on to earn an MA at NYU in Cultural Reporting and Criticism. In high school, she was a National Merit Scholar, took 12 AP tests and scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and ACT.

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Young Writers

Lighthouse's Young Writers Workshops are designed to foster creativity, self-expression, and excitement about writing. There are no grades here, just the stories. We offer workshops at Lighthouse including afterschool and weekend workshops, the Young Authors Collective, and summer camps, as well as youth outreach in schools, at juvenile residential treatment centers, and in collaboration with other arts organizations.

For the latest on workshops and events,  sign up for our Young Writers Program e-newsletter . 

Lighthouse connects kids and teens to words, new friends, and a writing community. We offer workshops in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and many other genres and topics. Our classes are taught by published authors and are designed to foster creativity, self-expression, and excitement about writing.

Summer Writing Camps

Lighthouse's Young Writers Camps are led by published and award-winning writers, and each workshop is designed to foster creativity, self-expression, and excitement about writing in young writers aged 8 to 18. Registration for half-day camp and applications for full-day camp will open on January 1, 2019.

School Outreach

The Young Writers Program offers creative writing workshops in public and private schools as well as juvenile residential treatment centers throughout the Denver metro area. Led by working, published writers with a passion for sharing their craft, our outreach workshops provide access to our innovative creative writing programming for young people who cannot come to Lighthouse.

The Young Authors Collective, or YAC, is a group of talented, word-obsessed high school writers dedicated to experimenting with new creative forms, collaborating with other arts organizations, and writing a ton. We meet once a week at Lighthouse to generate new pieces, give friendly feedback, and work towards publication.

Support Young Writers

Our Future Scribes Depend on Your Support. Nearly all of the workshops and projects that will engage 2,300 students this year are free to attend, and for the sessions that do have tuition, such as summer writing camp, financial aid is available for any student who needs it. We want all young people who want to write to be able to do so and for them to be nurtured by the best instructors and mentors available. This only happens with the support of generous donors like you.

Creative Writing

Why study Creative Writing?

Creative Writing studies will not only build your confidence and improve your story-telling, but will teach you to write interesting and attention-grabbing copy. You will develop a strength in imaginative writing and creative non-fiction, and will learn to write effectively across a range of genres.

Learn to structure your writing clearly, articulate concepts, read and interpret imaginative and other types of writing, and develop an understanding of reader expectations.

Our English Programme is the proud home of  Mayhem , an online literary journal showcasing the creative writing of students, staff and alumni of the University of Waikato.

Complementary subjects of Creative Writing include Creative Practices ,  English ,  History ,  Screen and Media Studies ,  Theatre Studies  and  Writing Studies .

Career Opportunities

• Creative Writer
• Content writer
• Freelance Writer

School of Arts

Creative Writing can only be studied as a minor subject. This can be taken in many of our undergraduate degrees at the University of Waikato, alongside your selected Major.

Subject Requirements

Creative Writing is available as a minor.

To complete a minor in Creative Writing students must complete at least 60 points in papers listed for the minor, including WRITE203 and WRITE300.

For more information about subject requirements please refer to the  catalogue of papers for the most up to date information.

If you have any questions and need more advice contact one of our friendly student advisors phone: 0800 800 145  or  +64 7 838 4080 or email:  [email protected]

Creative Writing papers

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Spark creative writing workshops, for teens ages 13 - 18, mondays 12-1 p.m. july 8, 15, 22, 29, 2024 at the arts building 301 e. 11th street, 37403 free to participants.

Join us for a FREE workshop series exploring the genres of poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction. Discover and hone your unique voice as you write without worry about grades or exams. We'll work on elements of craft, share work, edit work, and share it again. Come ready to chase the ideas that spark your imagination, and put words on the page that surprise, amuse, move, and inspire you and others.

Hosted by Kris Whorton

Kris Whorton is an English Lecturer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. where she teaches Creative Writing, Scientific Writing, and Literature.  A desire to be useful in her community brought her to Hamilton County Jail where she has been teaching Creative Writing as part of Southern Lit Alliance's program, Turn the Page, since 2018. Her own fiction has appeared most recently in Scarlet Leaf Review, Eunoia Review, Askew Anthology, and Driftwood Press where she has also been a guest editor. Her poetry and creative nonfiction have been anthologized and have appeared as both weekly and feature pieces. 

Creative Writing

This project is designed to give you an opportunity to explore or refine your writing skills and to display your creativity. Writing is a skill that you will use your entire life.

PROJECT SUPERINTENDENTS: 

Aaron Galvin, 765-894-6780, [email protected] Ashley Estes, 317-416-0444, [email protected]

EXHIBIT CHECK-IN:               Sunday. July 14, 4-6 PM JUDGING:                               Monday, July 15, 8:30 AM, Closed Judging       

RELEASE:                              Tuesday, July 23, 9-11 AM , and 5-7 PM

STATE FAIR ENTRIES:          3 exhibits per county, one (1) per level                                    

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Writing Workshops

Masha has been teaching since 2002 in live and online seminars as well as one-on-one workshops in creative/fiction/novel writing and journalism. She has taught graduate, university and continuing education writers. She has developed curricula for online and live writing classes. For the journalism workshop, she has taught both working reporters and journalism students.

Workshops locations and affiliations include: University of Southern Maine (Stonecoast MFA); Kabul University, Afghanistan; University of Richmond, VA; Gotham Writers' Workshop, New York City; Pima College Writer's Workshop, Tucson, AZ; University of Michigan Writers Workshop, Ann Arbor, MI; Willamette Writers; and 92nd Street Y, New York City.

Online Writing Classes

Stirring the pot: turn your life into fiction, writing the forbidden: going to secret places to fuel your fiction, creating inspired characters, private manuscript consultation, student success.

• The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne
• Shakedown by Andie Ryan
• The Boy Who Killed Caterpillars by Joshua Kornreich

Overview of Graduate Degrees in Literature and Creative Writing

M.f.a. (creative writing), ph.d. (creative writing), researching a school, creative writing, links that may help you begin researching schools, how to increase your chances of getting in and doing well, course work,  work outside the classroom, exceed the minimum requirements to complete a degree in your major, read current publications in your field, extend your study beyond the classroom, links to journals with submissions guidelines and deadlines for submitting work to contests, the keystone of acceptance (the application), the statement of purpose, the writing sample, letters of recommendation, application, personal statement, critical writing sample, graduate record exam, grade point average, links with specifics regarding applications.

The English Department and Writing Program offer a number of courses that support writers' development in a variety of genres and contexts. For First-Year students, we offer Academic English & Academic Inquiry seminars. For all undergraduates, we offer a variety of Communication Intensive  and other courses in areas such as:

• rhetoric & writing studies
• language & linguistics
• professional/technical communication
• literature, film & media studies
• creative writing & journalism

Each semester, the English department publishes detailed course descriptions , which include additional information about the courses being offered. For a complete set of department courses, please consult the General Bulletin or the Student Information System (SIS) , using course codes ENGL (English), WRIT (Writing & Rhetoric), AIAE (Academic English), and/or AIQS (Academic Inquiry).

For personalized writing support,  ENGL 180: Writing Tutorial (1 credit) is a weekly tutorial with a consultant from the Writing Resource Center that is designed to meet the specific writing goals of each student.

Sample courses from our literature, professional/technical communication, non-native speaker, language and linguistics, and creative writing offerings are described below. Many of these courses also count as Communication Intensive (CI) courses in the CWRU  Unified General Education Requirements (UGER) . In addition to the courses described below, we offer topical seminars  that highlight the diverse scholarly interests of our students and faculty. 

Sample Literature Courses

• ENGL 200: Literature in English (CI) -  This course introduces students to the reading of literature in the English language. Through close attention to the practice of reading, students are invited to consider some of the characteristic forms and functions imaginative literature has taken, together with some of the changes that have taken place in what and how readers read.  
• ENGL 257A: Reading Fiction (CI) -  This course introduces students to prose narrative forms in English by exploring their intersecting histories and their contemporary developments. We will introduce and develop the key terms, concepts and practice of literary studies. The specific focus of the course may vary. Recommended preparation: Academic Inquiry Seminar or SAGES First Seminar.  
• ENGL 257B: Reading Poetry (CI) -  This course will help you to read and enjoy poetry by introducing you to the history of poetic forms in English. We will introduce and develop the key terms, concepts and practice of literary studies by turning to poems for our test-cases; examples may include the sestina, sonnet and villanelle, ghazal, pantoum, haiku, and open forms. The specific focus of the course may vary. Recommended preparation: Academic Inquiry Seminar or SAGES First Seminar.

Sample Professional & Technical Writing Courses

• ENGL 217A: Business & Professional Writing (CI) -  An introduction to professional communication in theory and practice. Special attention paid to audience analysis, persuasive techniques in written and oral communication, document design strategies, and ethical communication practices.   
• English 217B: Writing for the Health Professions (CI) -  This course offers practice and training in the professional and technical writing skills common to health professions (e.g., medicine, nursing, dentistry). Attention will be paid to the writing processes of drafting, revising, and editing. Typical assignments include: letters, resumes, personal essays, professional communication genres (e.g., email, reports, patient charts, and histories), and scholarly genres (e.g., abstracts, articles, and reviews).  

Sample Courses Designed for Non-Native Speakers of English

• ENGL 146: Tools, Not Rules: English Grammar for Writers -  This course provides an introduction to English grammar in context for academic writers. It focuses on the study of language in use, including parts of speech, sentence grammar, paragraph structure, and text cohesion.  
• ENGL 147: Writing Across Disciplines (CI) -  In this course, students will develop their genre knowledge and metacognitive skills to prepare for the advanced writing, reading, and research tasks required in upper-level writing and disciplinary courses across the university. Through individual and group inquiry, students will analyze and discuss the conventions of academic genres to understand the textual and linguistic features and disciplinary expectations of each form of writing. Then, students will apply these generic conventions through the production and revision of writing within each genre. Throughout the semester, students will engage in workshops and discussions that foster skills in the areas of seminar participation, collaboration, rhetorical awareness, and critical thinking.  

Sample Rhetoric, Language & Linguistics Courses

• ENGL 255: Rhetoric and the Art of Public Speaking (CI) - This course uses the lens of classical rhetoric to explore contemporary political debate. While the word "rhetoric" is often used today to deride precisely what's wrong with political discourse, it more properly denotes the techniques of effective persuasion. By learning how rhetorical devices are used, we can empower ourselves to analyze policy debates and to make our own contributions.   
• ENGL 301: Linguistic Analysis -  Analysis of modern English from various theoretical perspectives: structural, generative, discourse analytical, sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, and cognitive linguistic. Some attention to the major dialects of American English.   
• ENGL 310: History of the English Language -  An introductory course covering the major periods of English language development: Old, Middle, and Modern. Students will examine both the linguistic forms and the cultures in which the forms were used.   

Sample Creative Writing Courses

• ENGL 203: Introduction to Creative Writing -  A course exploring basic issues and techniques of writing narrative prose and verse through exercises, analysis, and experiment. For students who wish to try their abilities across a spectrum of genres.  
• ENGL 213: Introduction to Fiction Writing -  A beginning workshop in fiction writing, introducing such concepts as voice, point of view, plot, characterization, dialogue, description, and the like. May include discussion of literary examples, both classic and contemporary, along with student work.  
• ENGL 214: Introduction to Poetry Writing - A beginning workshop, focusing on such elements of poetry as verse-form, syntax, figures, sound, tone. May include discussion of literary examples as well as student work.

Literature and Creative Writing

The goal of the Literature and Creative Writing Department is to help students develop a sophisticated understanding of the role literature plays in the human experience through refining their skills as interpreters of literary texts and as writers, either of literary analysis or of their own creative works.

About the Majors

At Hamilton, students may choose to major in literature or creative writing. In either case, their professors will encourage them to explore literature across centuries, nations, and languages. Consulting with advisors, literature majors develop an individualized, and potentially interdisciplinary, course of study. Creative writing majors take courses that balance literary study with poetry and prose workshops. In both majors, the curriculum emphasizes small classes, the exchange and testing of ideas, and the development of superior reading and writing skills.

Literature Students Will Learn to:

• Write clear and well supported arguments about literary and/or other cultural texts
• Demonstrate knowledge of diverse literary traditions across historical periods, geographic regions, and/or social contexts
• Analyze literary works compellingly in contexts informed by literary criticism and/or broader regions, and/or social contexts

Creative Writing Students Will Learn to:

• Write with an awareness of the literary traditions within which they are working
• Write with attentiveness to form and genre
• Write a sustained creative project that demonstrates originality and attention to language

A Sampling of Courses

American ghosts.

Why do we tell ghost stories, and what role do ghosts play in American history and literature? This course will explore the ghost narrative in short fiction, novels and film. We will examine what ghosts express in U.S. literature and culture, how they unearth our understanding of American history, and how ghost stories intersect with gender, race, sexuality and class. We will read works by Shirley Jackson, Toni Morrison, Carmen Maria Machado, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Jesmyn Ward and Louise Erdrich, among others. Students will engage in close reading and textual analysis and will write four full-length essays. 

Explore these select courses:

Food in literature and film.

Always a necessity and sometimes a luxury, food connects all people to the planet and to one another. This course will explore how authors and filmmakers use food and cooking in their works as a means of exposing complex social relationships, histories, and identities. The list of authors we may read includes Laura Esquivel, Aimee Bender, Isak Dinesen, Franz Kafka, MFK Fisher, Ruth Reichl, and many poets. We will also look at films such as Big Night ; Eat, Drink, Man, Woman ; and Ratatouille .

Finding Identity

Literature: what is it good for.

Debates about the value of literature have long been tied to questions about its use. Literature has been praised—and condemned—as a source of pleasure, a medium for the transmission of knowledge, and a vehicle of personal expression. In order to determine why fiction matters, we will examine works that explore the power of literature to shape moral, social, and political realities, including philosophical manifestos, anti-slavery treatises, self-help manuals, and experimental novels. Works by Rousseau, Cugoano, Wollstonecraft, and George Eliot, as well as the film The Servant (1963).

Creative Non-Fiction Workshop

Seminar: poems in and out of context, meet our faculty, margaret thickstun .

Chair, Jane Watson Irwin Professor of Literature

[email protected]

literature in 17th-century England and Colonial America, particularly by women and by people writing on religious subjects

Anne Valente 

Associate Professor of Literature and Creative Writing, Director of Creative Writing

[email protected]

creative writing, novels and short stories, creative non-fiction, and 20th century American literature

Stephanie Bahr 

Assistant Professor of Literature, Director of Medieval and Renaissance Studies

[email protected]

Patrick Caoile 

Visiting Assistant Professor of Literature and Creative Writing

[email protected]

Creative writing, Asian American literature and media, Filipino American literature, the Gothic, pop culture

Naomi Guttman 

Jane D. and Ellis E. Bradford ’45 Distinguished Writing Chair

[email protected]

poetry and poetics; food writing; contemplative pedagogy; environmental and feminist literary study

Tina May Hall 

Associate Dean of Faculty and Professor of Literature and Creative Writing

[email protected]

creative writing, 20th-century literature, experimental women's writing, and postmodern gothic

Doran Larson 

Edward North Chair of Greek and Greek Literature and Professor of Literature and Creative Writing

[email protected]

20th-century American literature; the history of the Anglo-American novel; fiction writing; nonfiction writing and prison writing of the U.S., South Africa, and Ireland

Jane Robbins Mize 

[email protected]

Native American and Indigenous Studies, environmental humanities, twentieth- and twenty-first-century North American literature, poetry and poetics, media studies

Hoa Ngo 

[email protected]

Vincent Odamtten 

William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Literature and Africana Studies

[email protected]

African literature with a focus of Ghanaian and women's literature; 20th-century Caribbean literature; African-American literature; science fiction; literary criticism; use of digital technology in the study of literature

Onno Oerlemans 

Elizabeth J. McCormack Professor of Literature

[email protected]

Romantic period literature; animals in literature; animal rights; nature writing – literature and environmentalism; cultural and political history of the Adirondack Park

Jane Springer 

James L. Ferguson Professor of Literature and Creative Writing

[email protected]

poems, poetics, nonfiction and Southern literature

Pavitra Sundar 

Associate Professor of Literature

[email protected]

cultural politics of voice; postcolonial studies; sound studies; South Asian film and media studies; feminist theory, especially women-of-color and transnational feminisms

Suzanne Taylor 

Assistant Professor of Literature

[email protected]

Katherine Terrell 

Associate Chair, Professor of Literature

[email protected]

Old English, Middle English, and Middle Scots language and literature

Benjamin Widiss 

[email protected]

20th-century and contemporary American literature, literary theory, autobiography, film

Steven Yao 

Edmund A. LeFevre Professor of English

[email protected]

20th-century American and British literature; literary translation; Ezra Pound; comparative literature; Asian American literature, especially poetry; global literary modernisms; Asian diasoporas; transpacific literature

Christian Goodwillie

Lecturer in History, Lecturer in Literature and Creative Writing

[email protected]

Thomas Knauer 

Lecturer in Literature and Creative Writing

[email protected]

Phil Memmer

[email protected]

Nhora Lucía Serrano 

[email protected]

Technology Enhanced Learning & Educational Innovation, Digital Humanities, History of Book History/Print Culture, Visual Studies (Graphic Narratives and Editorial Cartoons & Comics), Latin America/Latinx, and Medieval And Renaissance Studies

Faces & Spaces

List Hall houses the offices for faculty members in literature and creative writing. The recently renovated space has 16 faculty offices, eight classrooms, several collaborative spaces for students, and a new landscaped entrance.

Take a Virtual Tour of Hamilton 

Careers After Hamilton

Hamilton graduates who concentrated in literature and creative writing are pursuing careers in a variety of fields, including:

• Director, Electronic Publishing, Scientific American
• Executive Editor, Whole Living magazine
• Chief Development Officer, Norman Rockwell Museum
• President, Scholastic Media
• Magistrate, Connecticut State Superior Court
• Composer/Music Publisher, Ceili Rain
• Financial Advisor, Ameriprise Financial Services
• Physician, Senior Deputy Editor, Annals of Internal Medicine
• Communications Manager, IBM

Explore Hamilton Stories

Cassandra Adler ’24: On the Path to ‘Know Thyself’ 

Cass Adler ’24, a double major in Hispanic studies and creative writing, shares her Hamilton journey.

Larson Publishes New Book on American Prison System 

"Inside Knowledge: Incarcerated People on the Failures of the American Prison," by Doran Larson, the Edward North Chair of Greek and Greek Literature and Professor of Literature and Creative Writing, was published this week by NYU Press.

Kerkman ’25 Wins Dell Award; Story to be Published 

Creative Writing major Emma Kerkman ’25 has been selected as the winner of the Dell Award, formerly the Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing for her story, “Lolo’s Last Run.”

Department Name

Literature and Creative Writing Department

Contact Name

Margie Thickstun

Help us provide an accessible education, offer innovative resources and programs, and foster intellectual exploration.

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More From Forbes

A writing room: the new marketplace of writer classes, retreats, and collectives.

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A Writing Room is one of the fast-growing writer collectives. The four co-founders (left to right): ... [+] Reese Zecchin, Director of Production; Jacob Nordby, Director of Writer Development; A. Ashe, Creative Director; Claire Giovino, Community Director.

The past decade has brought an explosion in the number of books published each year in the United States (an estimated three to four million annually). In turn, this explosion is bringing a growing and evolving marketplace of writer classes, retreats and collectives. It is a marketplace creating new jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities—both for mainstream tech, marketing and managerial workers, as well as for writer/artist denizens of America’s bohemia.

The Drivers of Growth in Book Publishing

The number of book sales in the United States remains healthy, though it has leveled off in the past four years. In 2020, 756.82 million book unit sales were made in the US alone. This number climbed to 837.66 million in 2021, before falling slightly to 787.65 million units in 2022 and 767.36 million units in 2023.

What has changed dramatically has been the number of books published. Steve Piersanti of Berrett-Koehler Publishers estimates that three million books were published in the US, up 10 times from the number only 16 years ago . Other estimates put the number of published books annually at closer to four million .

The main driver of this growth in books published has been self-publishing. According to Bowker , which provides tools for self-publishing, an estimated 2.3 million books were self-published in 2021. Up through the 1990s (now the distant past in publishing), writers of all types of books, fiction and nonfiction, were dependent on convincing publishing houses to publish their work. As the technology for self-publishing and print on demand grew in the early 2000s, writers could publish on their own, and a very large number of Americans began to do so.

Fueling growth also is the level of affluence and discretionary income that an increasing segment of American society is reaching. For centuries, theorists across the political spectrum have envisioned a society, freed from basic economic needs, pursuing creative activities, with writing as a primary activity. In The German Ideology , Karl Marx could write about the economy of abundance in which individuals pursue writing as one of a series of daily activities—hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, write criticism in the evening. John Maynard Keynes in a 1930 essay, “ Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren” , envisions a time a hundred years forward (2030) in which writing is no longer the province of the upper classes. Contemporary theorists on the future of work, such as John Tamny, similarly see a blooming of creative and artistic activities by the average citizen.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, a writing room, and the emerging marketplace of writer training.

A marketplace of writing coaches, classes and retreats expanded throughout the late twentieth century and first years of the twentieth century. Published authors and even recently-minted graduates of MFA programs hung out shingles for individual coaching and small classes. Colleges expanded their writing programs and certifications, and writer retreats multiplied. Co-working and literary event spaces were established in major cities ( The Writers Room in New York, The Writers Grotto in San Francisco). But the marketplace continued to bump up against geographic and logistical limitations.

Then, along the came the internet, and its evolution.

Today, hundreds of businesses throughout the country offer assistance to aspiring writers. Many continue to offer some in-person assistance through coaching, classes or retreats. But as in other fields, the internet has allowed for a nationwide (worldwide) reach that these businesses are taking advantage of to scale. The major pre-internet writer assistance companies, such as The Writers Studio , added online courses and instruction, and the early internet-based companies from the 1990s, such as Writers.com (a pioneer in the internet field), steadily expanded their offerings. New enterprises are springing up on a regular basis, including the writer collectives.

A Writing Room is one of the fastest growing of the writer collectives, and its suite of services illustrate the how the field is evolving.

A Writing Room has its roots in the writing classes that novelist Anne Lamott had been teaching for some years, and her interest by the early 2020s in creating a larger on-going community of writers. Lamott connected with a team of four entrepreneurs who had experience with previous start-ups and expertise in online tools. In early 2023 they set out to develop A Writing Room.

Novelist Anne Lamott, one of the partners in A Writing Room.

A Writing Room launched in June 2023, and followed a few months later with an inaugural writers retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Though hastily arranged, the retreat attracted more than 400 in person attendees and over 1600 attendees online. In the first half of 2024, the company set up a membership structure of monthly and annual memberships. Within months, over 550 writers had joined.

The products that members can access are aimed in part at teaching the craft of writing. In a recent author discussion (with close to 400 participants joining online) Lamott discussed the craft of writing with novelist Donna Levin . Both started publishing in the 1980s. They noted how much publishing and the role of the writer have changed, but emphasized the fundamentals that have remained over their forty years, related to craft and the responsibility of the writer: the daily commitment, the careful development of plot and characters, the numerous rewrites (as many as you think you need, and one more).

A Writing Room offers a series of on-demand courses, online discussions with authors and publishing professionals, and daily writing prompts, built around writing as craft. It further offers instruction on the paths to and options for publication, building a following of readers.

At its center, A Writing Room is about being part of a community of writers, giving and receiving regular feedback from other members, as well as feedback from writing mentors and coaches. In an interview earlier this year, Lamott explained:

The great myth about writing is that it's an entirely solitary activity. This really isn't true. Every book I've ever written has been with a lot of help from my community. I wouldn't be the writer I am today — and wouldn't even want to write — without people to share the process and finished work. Writing is a process, but it doesn't have to (and really shouldn't be) done in total isolation.

The writing process can feel overwhelming. It often does for me. Believe me, a trusted writing friend is a secret to life.

Other emerging writing collectives also emphasize community and cooperation. Levin underscored this point in the recent online discussion: “Writing can be such an isolated activity, and to some extent needs to be. You want to seek out a community that can give you the support you need and also the honest feedback.”

How the New Marketplace Is Evolving And Jobs Created

The founders of A Writing Room know that the marketplace for writer assistance is fast changing, and they need to be quick to adapt to increased competition. Already, several developments are driving change in the field:

· The entrance of major online education companies (i.e. Masters Class , Coursera, Udemy ).

· Faculty recruitment of writers with built-in audiences of sizable twitter and other social media followings.

· Partnerships with the major publishers and agencies, who hold out the promise of publication to participants of the classes, retreats and collectives.

· Specializations by race and ethnicity, gender, geography and genre.

· Market segmentation, and attention to higher income consumers.

A number of these developments reflect the changes in the broader publishing world and are likely to continue. Overall, the marketplace itself will be expanding, as publishing technology advances, along with discretionary income.

The jobs being generated by this new marketplace are a mix of tech, administrative, and writing coach positions. At A Writing Room, recent hires include a community liaison, video editor, customer support, and a “beta reader” providing feedback to writers on their drafts. The hiring process is sweeping up into jobs not only workers who have been in the regular economy, but also residents of America’s bohemia: writers and artists who previously were outside of (and often scornful of) the market system. What can be better than that.

In his 2023 book, The Novel, Who Needs It , Joseph Epstein, former editor of American Scholar , offers a paean to fiction as above all other intellectual endeavors that seek to understand human behavior. But what he says of fiction is true of other writing (memoir, history, even forms of self-help) that arouses the mind.

Yes, there are way too many books published each year, and yes only a very small percentage of writers will earn any significant income from their writing. But who knows what individual book will succeed commercially or critically, or add to our shared knowledge or wisdom. And really, why not encourage the craft of writing. How much does America benefit from most of the paper-pushing, meetings and e-mails that now pass for work in our economy of affluence.

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