Creative Writing
Enroll in Carthage’s Creative Writing Program
The Carthage English Department welcomes creative writers from all majors, whether through the English major with an emphasis in creative writing, the creative writing minor (for non-English majors), or individual courses.
Creative writing students at Carthage are part of an active, welcoming community of English majors and minors. They work closely with writing faculty and visiting professional writers, and have many opportunities to practice, share, and publish their work.
“When I came to campus for the first time and saw the beautiful nature that surrounds Carthage, I knew I wanted to stay here.”
“One of the best things about a liberal arts education is that, even if something isn’t your major, you can still participate in clubs, classes, activities, etc.”
“The Carthage faculty are amazing. My professors taught me so much and inspired me to enjoy the work I do in the classroom. The encouragement I’ve received from them has been one of my greatest helpers at college.”
“Carthage faculty have been really easy to talk to and approach. They are excited to see a student pursue things within their department and always make the time to assist students in their career journey.”
“I chose Carthage for the location, small class sizes, and the limitless opportunities to pursue your passions. The views don’t hurt either!”
What you’ll learn studying creative writing
Students read and write a wide variety of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry in classes that take a studio approach, writing individually and collaboratively in the classroom community. Students develop sustainable writing and reading practices grounded in attention, beginning with the ground at their feet, the books in their hands, or the people around them. Advanced writing classes focus on a specific genre or genres and include fiction and non-fiction prose, poetry and hybrid prose, and playwriting.
Cultivate creative thinking and expression
Develop a capacity for creative thinking and expression through reading and writing practices that develop receptivity to engaging with difficult and/or often overlooked texts and experiences, encouraging open inquiry into how texts and experience are made and received in language.
Understand the elements of storytelling
Studying creative writing helps students grasp the fundamentals of storytelling, including how stories emerge from close attention to lived experience and how literary writing allows the imaginative exploration of their own and others’ lives. Students will engage in writing practices that develop characters, settings, and language, in the process discovering the plots and themes of the connections between them.
Improve writing and communication skills
Creative writing develops the capacity for clarity, precision, and attention. Students learn how to use writing to generate insightful questions, observations, and ideas, how to explore these questions, observations, and ideas deeply, and how to share the results of that exploration with multiple audiences. Many careers require these strong writing skills. Creative writing can prepare students for roles in journalism, marketing, publishing, and more.
Gain recognition for your writing
Carthage recognizes students who have done outstanding creative writing work with scholarships and awards. Every year, the English Department awards the Chapin-Tague Creative Writing Awards for poetry and prose and the Centrique Editor’s Award for the best writing published in the College’s literary journal.
Create a portfolio of original work
Creative writing students graduate from Carthage with a collection of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, playwriting, or a combination of genres. Every English major with an emphasis in creative writing and every creative writing minor creates a chapbook of their original work during the capstone Seminar in Creative Writing and presents a public reading on campus.
Carthage graduates have gone on to M.F.A. programs at the Art Institute of Chicago, Boise State University, Columbia College Chicago, and others. Additionally, our graduates continue to write and contribute to literary communities around the country.
Join a community of creative Writers
Visiting Writers Series
Carthage hosts acclaimed writers from across the country in our Visiting Writers Series. Curated by Writer in Residence Richard Meier, the series has welcomed dozens of nationally-renowned fiction writers and poets, including Danielle Evans, Joshua Beckman, Renee Gladman, David Trinidad, Julie Patton, Eileen Myles, Kate Greenstreet, Duriel Harris, Lisa Fishman, Bojan Louis, Jenny Gropp, Laura Solomon, Sidik Fofana, José Felipe Alvergue, and Lewis Freedman.
Literary events
Off campus, students are encouraged to take advantage of the many literary events offered in the area. They can attend poetry readings, lectures, and plays both on campus and in renowned venues in nearby Milwaukee and Chicago. Every fall, English students and faculty travel to the acclaimed Stratford Festival in Ontario, where we see a variety of plays from Shakespearean tragedies to modern musicals.
Internships
Creative writing students have held internships at Woodland Pattern — a nonprofit gallery, book center, and performance space in Milwaukee — the Racine Public Library, the Friends of Lorine Niedecker, and other organizations.
Student clubs and organizations
Student writers can join campus clubs such as Poetry Underground, a student writing group that hosts weekly writing sessions and regular open mic nights. Students can also submit their work to Centrique, the College’s creative arts journal, and join the journal as editors and designers.
See more student opportunities
Scholarships for English majors with an emphasis in creative writing
Carthage awards one full-tuition per year History/English/Creative Writing Scholarship each year to an incoming freshman. This scholarship is awarded to a student who shows an interest in and dedication to History, English, and/or Creative Writing, and is renewable for four years.