Creative Writing Courses Fall 2026
ENGL 351: Fiction Writing I
Instructor: Adam Desnoyers
26275 | TuTh 9:30-10:45 AM | Wescoe 4037
26369 | TuTh 2:00-3:15 PM | Wescoe 4037
If you have had a life-long interest in writing fiction then this is the course for you. By studying short stories from established writers, students will learn to read “like a writer” and recognize how narrative is constructed. We will study how characters are created and are made sympathetic (or less than sympathetic) by their actions, their words, and their histories. Students will learn how to write scenes, craft dialogue, build conflict, and otherwise learn how to tell a story, which is a skill that has benefit in every field. Students will produce two short stories over the course of the semester. A class period will be allotted to each story you produce, in which you will receive feedback from all of your peers. You will have an opportunity to rewrite these stories based on that feedback before finally presenting them in your final portfolio for the semester.
Instructor: Colleen Morrissey
26370 | MW 2:00-3:15 PM | Wescoe 4019
In this course, we will explore the timeless and universal craft of storytelling. Through studying published fiction and creating our own, we will experiment with the techniques that make a story compelling, meaningful, and artful. We will discuss what makes for successful plot (or anti-plot), character, conflict, voice, setting, and more. Students will compose their own fiction and practice giving and receiving constructive feedback through small-group and whole-class workshopping. Students will also practice the essential skill of revision.
Instructor: Silvia Park
26371 | MW 3:30-4:45 PM | Wescoe 4021
ENGL 352: Poetry Writing I
Instructor: Joseph Harrington
26377 | TuTh 11:00-12:15 PM | Wescoe 4075
To my mind, the point of a creative-writing class is to (a.) practice writing, (b.) read others’ writing (in part to get ideas for your own), (c.) practice talking about writing and providing feedback to authors, and (d.) see what new possibilities we can open for your and other people’s work. In this class, we will read a lot of the work of class members and of published poets. You’ll be required to compose 12 poems and to read and comment on the poems written by other class members. My philosophy: poetry, regardless of subject-matter, is about words. Words are sounds + marks + space. We get to make imaginative sound and visual compositions out of those things, which can be pretty fun. A “workshop,” in my view, should help people imagine ways they can change their writing to best reach and affect an audience. So, our goal is to think of possible re-versions, both for your poems and for others’. A “reversion” is much more dramatic than a mere revision. A “revision” can mean just dropping a comma here, changing a word there – in other words, tweaks. A reversion, by contrast, is a completely new version of the poem – based on the original version, but radically different. You or I might or might not prefer the reversion, but it will open new possibilities for, and insights into, the poem. And implied within the term “re-version” is the word “revert”: you can always revert to the previous version
Instructor: Brian Daldorph
26273 | M 5:30-8:20 PM | Regnier 256 - Edwards
*This course is taught on the Edwards Campus and satisfies the LLW requirement for English Writing or Language electives.
ENGL 355: Nonfiction Writing I - Workshop in the Essay
Instructor: Doug Crawford-Parker
26270 | TuTh 2:00-3:15 PM | Wescoe 4021
28250 | MW 3:30-4:45 PM | Wescoe 4010
When you hear the word “essay,” what comes to mind? School assignments? Five paragraphs? Exams? In this class, we will study and write a very different kind of essay: the essay as a form of literature where writers artfully enact their engagement with the world and with themselves. Our emphasis will be on the art and craft of the personal essay. We will read numerous essays to get a better handle on this often-slippery form. We will spend some time sharpening our sentence style, the material essays are made out of. And we will write essays and read each other’s work. The class employs a workshop format where each student reads and comments on the work of everyone else in the class and receives feedback from everyone else in the class. The workshop format of the course demands a high level of student participation, both in degree and quality.
Students will be required to write one short essay and two longer essays, keep a journal, do a presentation, and revise their work for an end of semester portfolio, in addition to reading numerous essays and other assignments. A willingness to read seriously, write, offer feedback, accept feedback, and enjoy oneself is essential for the course.
ENGL 551: Fiction Writing II
Instructor: Adam Desnoyers
26385 | TuTh 12:30-1:45 PM | Wescoe 4037
This course is an intensive exploration of the ideas and
techniques of fiction writing within the form of the
short story, with primary emphasis on the careful
analysis and discussion of student works-in-progress.
We will read a variety of published stories each week
and discuss narrative structure and style, imagery and
metaphor, use of scene and exposition, dialogue, and
the various points of view. Requirements: Students will
attend class regularly and participate actively in
discussion. They will produce three short stories of
their own during the semester, which they will submit
to the class to be workshopped. They will also provide
critiques for their peers’ stories as these are
workshopped. Lastly, students will revise their own
stories for inclusion in their final portfolio.
Instructor: Silvia Park
26386 | MW 2:00-3:15 PM | Wescoe 4021
ENGL 552: Poetry Writing II
Instructor: Joseph Harrington
26387 | TuTh 2:00-3:15 PM | Wescoe 4075
Instructor: Brian Daldorph
26274 | M 5:30-8:20 PM | Regnier 256 - Edwards
This workshop is based on the idea that to be a good writer, you have to write a lot and read a lot. So, we’ll all be doing both. We will read a lot of the work of student poets in the class (i.e., you), as well as poems by contemporary published poets who aren’t in the class. You’ll be required to compose a poem most weeks and to submit it to other members of the class. We’ll take different approaches over the course of the semester, to see what a poem is doing and to suggest ways the author might take it in new and exciting directions. My philosophy: all poetry, regardless of subject-matter, is about words, and words are sounds or marks on a page + blank space. We get to make imaginative compositions out of those sounds, marks, and space, and doing so can be a lot of fun. The goals? To improve and deepen your skill and confidence writing, talking (and asking questions) about writing, giving and accepting useful critique, and your versatility as a wordsmith generally. We will think about your poetry, not simply as a group of individual poems, but as a growing (and changing) body of work. We’ll also get into the habit of thinking about poetry as auditory and visual, not “purely” textual, art.
*This course is taught on the Edwards Campus and satisfies the LLW requirement for a Capstone.
ENGL 751: Fiction Writing III - Graduate Fiction Workshop
Instructor: Laura Moriarty
26392 | M 3:30-6:00 PM | Wescoe 3001A
This is an advanced course for students in the graduate creative writing program. The focus of this course will be on the criticism and discussion of student work. Each student will turn in two to three stories, personal essays, or chapters of a novel-in-progress. Students will also write and present careful criticism of their peers' work. We will also discuss readings, tba.
