The Department of English offers workshop courses in the writing of fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction for those students who wish to gain experience in creative writing. Students are encouraged to submit their work to college publications such as Manuscript and to enter Carleton's literary contests.

Carleton professors of creative writing are poets Gregory Hewett and Susan Jaret McKinstry along with novelist Gregory Blake Smith. Our visiting creative writing professor is Dennis Cass who teaches creative non-fiction. A brief biography of Dennis Cass can be accessed on the right sidebar of this page.

In addition to the courses offered by Carleton faculty members, the department brings visiting writers to campus to read and to conduct workshops in their specialties. Visitors in recent years have included playwrights Lee Blessing, Barbara Field, Tony Kushner, and Bridget Carpenter; memoirists Carol Bly and Patricia Hampl; poets Robert Creeley, Carolyn Forche, Donald Justice, Czeslaw Milos, Alberto Rios, and Cole Swensen; fiction-writers Paule Marshall, Ann Beattie, Alison McGhee, John Updike, Kate Wenner, and Carleton graduate, Jane Hamilton.

Creative Writing Courses: 2011-2012

Fall Term

ENGL 160: Introduction to Creative Writing - Susan Jaret McKinstry

ENGL 270: Short Story Workshop - Gregory Blake Smith

Winter Term

ENGL 160: Introduction to Creative Writing - Gregory Hewett

ENGL 270: Short Story Workshop - Gregory Blake Smith

ENGL 271: Poetry Workshop - Gregory Hewett

Spring Term

ENGL 160: Introduction to Creative Writing - Gregory Hewett

ENGL 280: Creative Non-Fiction Workshop - Dennis Cass

ENGL 370: Advanced Fiction Workshop - Gregory Blake Smith

ENGL 371: Advanced Poetry Workshop - Not offered in 2011-12.

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To be considered for admittance to Advanced Creative Writing courses students must submit a sample of their work in the genre. English majors who plan to choose the Creative Comps Option must have taken ENGL 370 or ENGL 371 before their senior year.

Instructions for Registering for ENGL 370:
To register for English 370 please submit--just after you register--an example of your fiction, preferably a short story, to Professor Gregory Smith.  Put it in his mailbox on 2nd Laird. Admission to the class is based upon the quality of the work submitted.  When you register for classes, place yourself on the wait-list for English 370.  If you are accepted into the class, bring a Drop/Add card on the first day.  Professor Smith will try to let you know if you have been accepted by the end of term.

Instructions for Registering for ENGL 371:
To register for English 371 (Advanced Poetry Workshop), email as attachments three of your poems to Prof. Greg Hewett (ghewett@carleton.edu).  Please do this just before or just after you register, and he will e-mail you back as soon as possible to let you know whether you are admitted to the class, or not. Put your name on the wait-list when you do your on-line registration. If Prof. Hewett admits you, bring an add/drop card to the first day of class.