Welcome to the Creative Writing Minor! Our exciting and dynamic program offers students from across campus the opportunity to write a broad range of creative texts—fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and more—under the supervision and encouragement of dedicated English faculty. We also offer various hands-on publishing and workshop opportunities to enrich our students' experience in the minor.

Why Minor in Creative Writing?

• Join a Dynamic Community of Critical Artists.

Our students develop their writing through the intensive workshops and close critical conversations that form the heart of our creative writing courses. Students can also take advantage of extracurricular activities to enhance their creative and critical experience. A prime example is our student-founded Creative Writing Club, which draws participants from across campus and sponsors a public reading series open to aspiring writers who wish to share their work in an informal setting.

• Work with Accomplished and Dedicated Faculty.

The English Department's Creative Writing faculty maintain active scholarly and creative agendas. Three of our professors have published books in the past two years, and all publish regularly in nationally recognized literary journals. Faculty also work closely with students on creative projects both in and outside of the classroom; we are committed to nurturing the creative aspirations of our students.

• Participate in Conferences and Field Trips.

The Creative Writing Minor regularly organizes field trips to readings and presentations given at nearby universities by professional writers. Our ongoing relationship with the Boldface Writers' Conference, a highly respected national conference for young writers, is a great example: in 2014, approximately fifteen creative writing students from WCU attended the summer conference (in Houston, TX) on full scholarships, and funding for 2015 has already been secured.

• Publish Your Work.

The Creative Writing Minor at WCU supports two long-running literary and arts publications on campus that showcase student writing: Daedalus, published at WCU since 1971, and Literati, edited by undergraduate students in WCU's English Club. Both journals publish new editions each spring. Our faculty are equally committed to helping students publish their work in magazines and journals beyond WCU.

Advising Sheet

Like most minors at WCU, the Creative Writing Minor requires students to take six courses, or 18 credits, in order to complete the program. Our students start with a required core class—CRW 201—before choosing the remaining five courses from a group of CRW electives. View our updated Creative Writing Minor advising sheet.

Courses

Students in the Creative Writing Minor may choose from a range of elective courses to complete the program. Please check the online Schedule of Classes to learn course availability for a given semester, keeping in mind that the English Department usually offers at least seven Creative Writing courses per term.  View the complete list of required and elective courses for the Creative Writing Minor.

Resources of Interest

Interested in learning more about creative writing? Thinking of submitting your own work for publication? Be sure to consult our extensive library research guides below. They contain a vast storehouse of valuable information—on writing, editing, publishing, prizes, fellowships, organizations, and so much more—all curated exclusively for our students by WCU librarians and the creative writing faculty.

• Creative Writing, Part 1: So you think you want to write for a living…
• Creative Writing, Part 2: Putting yourself out there, and furthering your literary career!