Tulane’s outstanding undergraduate program in creative writing offers classes in poetry, fiction, screenwriting, writing for children, spoken word, and creative non-fiction – all in America’s most storied literary city.

We also offer our undergraduates unparalleled opportunities to develop as writers, including masterclasses, short-term writing residencies, a student reading series and literary journal, and travel to conferences and festivals.

Our program is supported by the Creative Writing Fund of the Department of English.

The Concentration in Creative Writing

Students choosing to pursue the major in English with emphasis in creative writing are held to the same requirements as those in the regular English major except that they must choose four creative writing courses as the focus of their study. All of these courses may count as electives toward the English major.

Creative Writing Classes

ENLS 361 : Introduction to Creative Writing A craft course emphasizing skills in writing poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. This is a pre-requisite for all 400-level classes.

ENLS 362 : Workshop in Creative Writing Intensive workshops in creative writing led by a visiting writer, with two or three different classes on offer each semester. Recent classes include workshops in: Writing for Children; Spoken Word; and Cultural and Media Commentary.

ENLS 363 : Screenwriting A course examining the expressive strategies and formal considerations relevant to the writing for television and cinema. A workshop format requires sustained analysis of professional screenplays as well as student work. In spring 08, an advanced 400-level class in screenwriting will be offered in addition to the 363 class.

ENLS: 461 : Advanced Creative Writing--Fiction . A workshop emphasizing the writing of fiction. May be repeated for credit. A 361 creative writing course and permission of the instructor are prerequisites. This course is usually taught by Professor Paula Morris.

ENLS 462 : Advanced Creative Writing--Poetry . A workshop emphasizing the writing of poetry. May be repeated for credit. A 361 creative writing course and permission of the instructor are prerequisites. This course is usually taught by Professor Peter Cooley.

ENLS: 461 : Advanced Creative Writing—Special Topic . A workshop class taught by a visiting professor or the Distinguished Writer-in-Residence. May be repeated for credit. A 361 creative writing course and permission of the instructor are prerequisites. Recent/current classes offered by: Ken Foster, Jason Berry and ZZ Packer.

(Students can request that creative writing classes taken in other Tulane departments (theater, foreign languages) or at other universities be counted toward the emphasis.)

The Creative Writing Fund Spring Reading Series

Each spring the English department invites a writer of international reputation to give a public reading on campus. Our first visitor, in spring 07, was Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison.  The spring 08 visitor will be announced this fall.

Distinguished Writer-in-Residence

Each semester our Writer-in-Residence who teaches one or two creative writing classes, gives a public reading, and takes an active role in the university’s cultural life. In spring 2007, the visiting writer was non-fiction writer and novelist Jason Berry. Visiting writers in the 2007/08 academic year are fiction writer ZZ Packer (fall) and poet Timothy Liu (spring).

Creative Writing Readings and Events

We maintain a full schedule of visits from acclaimed authors in a variety of genres. These writers give readings or talks, and meet with students. Recent visitors include playwright, novelist and sculptor Edward Carey; Pulitzer Prize-winning non-fiction writer Lawrence Wright; poet Alison Pelegrin, and non-fiction writer Tom Sancton.

Tulane students are also active in organizing events. In spring 07 students from the Spoken Word workshop hosted a citywide youth poetry slam on campus. With students from Loyola, they run 1718, New Orleans' first inter-collegiate reading series. Readings by acclaimed local authors and student writers take place once a monthduring both fall and spring semesters at The Columns Hotel. 

The Newcomb College Center for Research on Women sponsors two visits each year: the Florie Gale Arons Poet and the Zale Writer-in-Residence. Visiting poets attend the Advanced Poetry class and give a public reading. Recent visitors include Alice Notley, Toi Derricotte, and Natasha Tretheway. Kimiko Hahn will visit Tulane in fall 07.

The Zale Writer-in-Residence spends a week on campus, attending a variety of classes, meeting with students in one-on-one sessions, and giving readings and talks. Recent visitors include Elizabeth McCracken, Curtis Sittenfeld and Julie Orringer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I major in creative writing?

There’s no major in creative writing: students can declare a creative writing concentration within the English major. Four creative writing courses are required – including one section of 361, Introduction to Creative Writing – for a concentration.

Are the same classes available each semester?

Up to six section of Introduction to Creative Writing are offered each semester, as well as Advanced Poetry and Advanced Fiction. The other classes vary, depending on the interests of visiting writers and availability of other specialist instructors. For example, two screenwriting classes will be offered in spring 08, and the spoken word class will be offered again in fall 08. Up to three different 362 classes are scheduled each semester.

I've taken classes in creative writing at other schools. Can these count towards the four classes I need for the concentration at Tulane?

Only one creative writing class taken at another institution can count towards the concentration. Three of the classes must be taken at Tulane, including a section of 361.

I’m not an English major. Can I still take creative writing classes?

Our students represent all areas of the university – Business, Architecture, Medicine, Engineering, the Liberal Arts. Many of these students take four or more creative writing classes during their time at Tulane, and are active participants in our literary events.

How do I find out more about next semester’s course offerings?

Course descriptions and class listings are available online on the Department of English web site.

What kind of opportunities are offered to creative writing students beyond the classroom?

Starting in 2007, an outstanding graduating senior in creative writing is awarded a week-long residency at ‘A Studio in the Woods,’ an acclaimed artists’ retreat just outside New Orleans. The first student writer-in-residence was James Langlois. We also run two creative writing contests each year: the Academy of American Poets contest and the Dale Edmonds Short Story Prize.

As well as sponsoring students to attend the Sigma Tau Delta national conference, we will take creative writing students to the AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference in New York City in 2008.

What do creative writing students do after graduating from Tulane?

Students who have completed undergraduate work in creative writing have gone on to graduate programs at Michigan, Johns Hopkins, Iowa, Houston, Indiana, Maryland, Washington, Hollins, UCLA, New Hampshire, Cornell, Syracuse, NYU, Montana, Virginia, Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, Florida State, USC, Southern Mississippi, Arkansas, UNO, Vermont College, and Brooklyn College.

They have won numerous prizes and published work in the New Yorker , The Atlantic , The Southern Review , The Nation , The New Republic , The Virginia Quarterly Review , Prairie Schooner , and Denver Quarterly and have had their work included in Best American Poetry and the textbook The Making of a Poem .

They have careers in college, junior college, and high school teaching, English as a second language education, journalism, radio, television, film, literary publishing, public relations, advertising, arts management, law, medicine, and social services.