creative writing club msu

Michigan State University Creative Writing Club 

Just write club, welcome to the michigan state university just write club all msu students are welcome to join.

Julie Christopher: 

Julie is a senior education major at msu hoping to one day teach elementary school., after joining the club last year, she was inspired to take over and improve it to make it more productive and enjoyable..

: Chairman of Membership

Maria is a junior civil engineering major at msu. as our chairman of membership, she's very friendly and outgoing and happy to help with any questions you may have she also plays the trombone and loves jazz..

Cyrin Watson : Event Planner

My name is Cyrin Watson, and  I am the main editor of Just Write. I am a junior majoring in English with a minor in Arts and Cultural Management. 

: Funds Manager

Trevor is an english major and the funds manager of the just write club he's a senior at michigan state. he loves reading, writing and long walks on the beach..

John Castro: Social Media  Manager

John castro is a junior majoring in professional writing. he handles all the social media and gross technology type things. he's also super bad at writing bios..

MSU's Just Write Club is a band of friends who write, laugh, and support each others' work. We meet every Thursday at 7 P.M in Room 317 of Bessey Hall located right across the river from Wells Hall and next to the Computer Center. We edit papers, write original content and bring in our own personal pieces to share and get critiques on. Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, memoir, essay-- anything goes. If that sounds like a fun time, and if you want to make some rad friends, check us out!  If you want to reach out to us, you can contact any of the e-board members, message us on our social media platforms, or just show up! All walks of life are welcome.

News & Events

Welcome back.

Our first meeting of the semester will be a great refresher for all of our returning members, and a fun introduction to everyone new who wants to stop by! As always, we will be in Bessey Hall in 316 @ 7PM. The first monthly  prompt of the new year will also be introduced .

Weekly Meeting

Business as usual! Same time, same place.

WEEKLY MEETING

Business as usual! Same time, same place. 

WEEKLY MEETING- Monthly Prompt is Due!

Uh oh! Our monthly prompt is due! Make sure to send your submissions to the MSU Just Write Email for a chance to win a spot in our annual journal.

For more information, contact:

E-mail: [email protected]

Enter your email address below to be added to our email list and receive updates about events, meetings, and more!

Writing Groups

At The Writing Center, we know that much writing takes place in a peer setting as a communal undertaking, creating teachers and learners simultaneously out of all those involved. For this reason, you can schedule a regular meeting of a writing group—a small group of writers working closely with a Writing Center facilitator—to read and respond to each others’ work, moving toward the common goal of peer education. The primary purpose of the groups is to help individuals talk about writing with one another in mutually beneficial ways.

Each writing group meets for two hours a week and members are expected to spend one hour each week reviewing the materials to be discussed. The meetings are conducted in ways that benefit the group members’ needs or preferences. The facilitator will help by asking questions about writing and those processes to hopefully bring in new perspectives.

In addition, the writing groups help with time management and organization. Many participants find these groups incredibly helpful as a venue to talk about writing, but occasionally a group member will find that they prefer one-on-one consulting.

Below, you’ll find a list of the types of writing groups the Writing Center @ MSU offers.

To request a writing group, please fill out out Join a Writing Group form .

• Writing Group Catalog

Graduate Writing Groups

Graduate writing groups are open to all MSU graduate students. There are normally 3 to 5 people in each group based on the discipline the students are in—humanities, social sciences, sciences, etc. Students may come to The Writing Center with a group already assembled or they may send individual requests through the Join a Writing Group form on the website to be placed in a writing group.

Creative Writing Groups

Are you a writer of fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry? The Writing Center facilitates groups of creative writers who can offer each other peer review, much like you’d see in a creative writing workshop or class. Groups meet once a week to write, share, give feedback, try new techniques, and talk about creative writing.

Our creative writing groups are open to everyone, including community members. Meetings for this group will be held off-campus at the East Lansing Public Library.

Faculty Writing Groups

Not simply an editorial opportunity, faculty writing groups consist of a handful of faculty members and a faculty member who acts as the facilitator, offering you the possibility to network within your discipline, or even to forge cross-discipline relationships and connections.

Faculty Creative Writing Groups

This faculty creative writing group uses the same organization as other faculty writing groups. This group currently meets once every two weeks to allow more writing time.

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• Linguistic Justice: A Speaker Series
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• Storytelling as Activism: A Speaker Series
• Writers Across the Curriculum: A Speaker Series
• To and From: Publications and the MSU Writing Center
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• Administration
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• Education Abroad
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• Schedule an Appointment

Undergraduate Minor

Minor in creative writing, college of arts and letters, department of english, undergraduate program.

• they have attained sophomore standing (at least 28 credits).
• have completed the introductory course requirement (ENG 210, ENG 226, or FLM 230 if in screenwriting track).
• submit a creative writing sample.
• submit an application packet available online at the program website http://www.english.msu.edu/undergraduate/program-options/creative-writing/ or through the Department of English.

Other Links

Cindy Hunter Morgan

[email protected] 517-884-1933

C320H Snyder Hall 362 Bogue St East Lansing, MI 48825

Faculty English

Assistant Professor Creative Writing

Cindy Hunter Morgan has a BA from Albion College and an MFA in creative writing from Lesley University. Her full-length collection of poems informed by Great Lakes shipwrecks is forthcoming from Wayne State University Press (March 2017). Several of her shipwreck poems were included in a 2015 exhibit of Jim Brozek’s photography at the MSU Museum and in a companion exhibit at the MSU Library. She also created a series of collages informed by and in conversation with the shipwreck poems. Those collages were exhibited in RCAH’s Snyder Hall in 2015. Cindy is the author of two chapbooks. The Sultan, The Skater, The Bicycle Maker won The Ledge Press 2011 Poetry Chapbook Competition. Apple Seasonwon the Midwest Writing Center’s 2012 Chapbook Contest, judged by Shane McCrae. Her poems have appeared in a variety of journals, including Salamander, Sugar House Review, and West Branch. She writes regularly for Murder Ballad Monday, a blog devoted to the exploration of the murder ballad tradition in folk and popular music.

Publications

A​The Sultan, The Skater, The Bicycle Maker

Apple Season

University News

Creative Writing

Explore Creative Writing courses and publishing opportunities at Midwestern State University! You can Major or Minor in English with a concentration in Literature or Writing. Check out the English, B.A. Major , English Minor: Literature Emphasis and/or English Minor: Writing Emphasis course catalogs for more information!

Available Courses:

ENGL2133-   Introduction to Creative Writing ENGL3103-   Special Topics in Creative Writing * ENGL3133-   Intermediate Creative Writing- Prose ENGL4133-   Advanced Creative Writing- Prose ENGL5133-   Advanced Creative Writing- Prose   (Graduate Level)

*May be repeated for credit

The James Hoggard Reading Series brings award-winning writers and poets from across the nation to campus. Visiting writers give a public reading of their creative work and interact with students in the classroom, providing valuable insight and guidance into the world of publishing, contemporary literature, and the writing life.

The  Red River Reading Series lets MSU students and faculty share their creative work with the campus community. At 4:00 PM on the first Friday of each month during the fall and spring semesters, two students and a faculty member present their poetry and prose. Readings are held in Legacy Hall and are open to the public.

Editing and Publishing Opportunities

Voices is Midwetern State University's Arts and Literature Journal. Students can submit their creative work for publication or they can work as editors on the student-run regional journal. More information can be found on the Voices website .

Creative Writing Awards

The Vinson Award is given annually to a current, full-time undergraduate MSU student who is in good academic standing. Students may submit work in poetry, short fiction, or creative nonfiction. The award is presented at the Honors Banquet during the spring term. In addition to publication in Voices , the prize includes a cash award of $1,000.

The Bryan L. Lawrence Creative Writing Award is given annually to the best submission to Voices . Poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfictin pieces are all eligible. In additon to a certification and publication in  Voices , the prize includes a cash award of $200.

What our students say

Develop technical skills and an appreeciation for the artistry of writing in a creative and exciting environment.

I was always afraid of writing, that I didn't have a sotry to tell. This class taught me that emotions are universal and even if you can't relate to the situation, you'll feel the same things I do.

You'll learn who you are and who you want to be as you learn to write.

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Actions Panel

The creative writing supper club monday 15th apr 2024.

Join writer Laurie Bolger for Creative Writing Supper Club, a chance to get scribbling from the comfort of your own space via Zoom.

Date and time

Refund policy, about this event.

The Creative Writing Suppertime Scribble is a Free Flow Creative Writing session with writer Laurie Bolger. During this 60 minute workshop Laurie will take you through several creative exercises to boost mindfulness and get your pen moving.

Please bring a supper of your choice or even a cuppa will do it! Cameras off/on... you do you!

To keep this event intimate there are limited spaces, so book quick! You will need a pen & paper & somewhere chilled to sit & let your imagination do it’s thing!

Eat, chill, scribble!

"Such a lush evening, I absolutely loved it. Never thought I’d feel comfortable sharing my written work but it was so much fun and really chilled." - Supper Club Diner 2021

"Somehow Laurie Bolger has created something on a Sunday morning that can simultaneously be part of a quiet, introverted recharge day & also lead me to create two viable drafts of new poems. #CreativeWritingBreakfastClub really is where it's at."

Breakfast Clubber 2022

"My first session- what a rush! Thank you."

Breakfast Clubber 2023

Laurie Bolger is a London based writer and founder of The Creative Writing Breakfast Club. Her debut pamphlet Box Rooms has featured at Glastonbury, TATE, RA & Sky Arts.

Laurie’s work has appeared in The Poetry Review, The London Magazine, Moth, Magma, Crannog, Stand, & Trinity College Icarus. Laurie’s writing has been shortlisted for The Bridport Prize, Moth Poetry Prize, Live Canon, Winchester & Sylvia Plath Prizes.

This year Laurie won The Moth Prize judged by Louise Glück with her poem 'Parkland Walk' & was awarded first place in the 2023 International Book & Pamphlet Competition.

Laurie has collaborated with organisations such Google, as Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Nationwide, Mind UK & Choose Love. Laurie's latest publications 'Makeover' & 'Lady' are to be published early next year.

www.lauriebolger.com

Instagram @lauriebolger_

Twitter @lauriebolger

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Creative Writing Concentration Requirements – Before Fall Semester 2022

The creative writing concentration at MSU offers students a program that blends foundational work in literary studies, exploration of creative writing in multiple genres, and a focused capstone experience.  Students graduate with a B.A. in English, but their diplomas note their dedicated commitment to creative writing.  Beginning with the same foundation as other English majors, students also work at the introductory and advanced level in at least two different genres of creative writing.  Many then choose to write a senior thesis in a single genre, creating in the last year of study a collection of poems or stories, a novel, or a finished screenplay; students might also pursue internships in writing and editing.  Our program provides many co-curricular events and opportunities, including a reading series, writing workshops, brown bag lunch conversations with faculty and visiting writers.  The Michigan State University English Department is also home to Red Cedar Review, one of the oldest student-managed literary journals in the United States.

English Requirements for Concentration in Creative Writing (39 credits):

• Writing-intensive course in close reading, with substantial attention to poetry, drama, and narrative prose, drawing broadly on texts taken from more than one century and more than one national literature.
• Experiential learning course, for students to attend literary events on campus and as outreach within the local community. 
• Literary and critical theory. How literature is constituted and how representation works. Assumptions behind and limits of a range of theoretical approaches. Application of theory to literary texts.
• Reflection on the theories and practices of literary history, as seen through the specific lens of creative writing.
• ENG 223: Introduction to Creative Non-Fiction Writing (3 credits each)
• ENG 226: Introduction to Creative Writing (3 credits)
• ENG 227: Introduction to Playwriting (3 credits)
• ENG 228: Introduction to Fiction Writing (3 credits)
• ENG 229: Introduction to Poetry Writing (3 credits)
• FLM 334: Introduction to Screenwriting (3 credits)

These courses satisfy the genre requirement. 

• ENG 317: Readings in African and Caribbean Literatures (3 credits)
• ENG 350: Readings in African, African American, or African Diaspora Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 351: Readings in Chicano and Latino Literatures (3 credits)
• ENG 352: Readings in Asian or Asian American Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 353: Readings in Women Writers (3 credits)
• ENG 354: Readings in Native American Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 355: Readings in Sexuality and Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 356: Readings in Jewish Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 360: Studies in Postcolonial and Diaspora Literature (W) (3 credits)
• ENG 448: Seminar in Gender and Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 449: Seminar in Race, Ethnicity, Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 450 Seminar in African American Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 460: Seminar in Global and Postcolonial Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 466: Seminar in Literatures of the Pacific Rim (3 credits)
• ENG 482: Seminar in Feminist Literary and Cultural Theory (3 credits)
• FLM 450: Studies in Ethnic Film (3 credits)
• FLM 451: Studies in Postcolonial Cinema (3 credits)
• FLM 452: Studies in Film, Gender, and Sexuality (3 credits)

*If ENG 360, 450, or 460 is used to fulfill this requirement, it may not be used to fulfill the requirement for literature after 1800.

• ENG 318: Readings in Shakespeare (3 credits)
• ENG 324: Readings in Epic (3 credits)
• ENG 368: Studies in Medieval/Early Modern Literature (W) (3 credits)
• ENG 441: Seminar in Early American Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 454: Seminar in Medieval Literature and Culture (3 credits)
• ENG 455: Seminar in Early Modern Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 457: Seminar in 18th Century British Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 362: Studies in Modern/Contemporary Literature (W) (3 credits)
• ENG 443: Seminar in 19th Century American Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 445: Seminar in 20th and 21st Century American Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 450: Seminar in African American Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 452: Seminar in 20th and 21st Century British Literature (3 credits)
• ENG 458: Seminar in 19th-Century British Literature (3 credits)
• PHL 474: Aesthetic Theory and Modernism (4 credits)

*If English 360, 450, or 460 is used to fulfill this requirement it may not be used to fulfill the diversity requirement.

• ENG 423: Advanced Creative Non-Fiction Writing (3 credits)
• ENG 428: Advanced Fiction Writing (3 credits)
• ENG 429: Advanced Poetry Writing (3 credits)
• FLM 434: Advanced Screenwriting (3 credits)
• Typically an additional introductory creative writing workshop or complementary, literature-based or technical writing course (see Academic Programs Catalog for options).
• ENG 484B: Critical Questions in Region, School, Movement (4 credits)
• ENG 484C: Critical Questions in a Literary Period (4 credits)
• ENG 484D: Critical Questions in a National Literature (4 credits)
• ENG 489H: Senior Honors Independent Project (4 credits)
• ENG 493: English Internship (4 credits)
• ENG 499: Senior Thesis Research (W) (4 credits)

*With the prior approval of the Department of English, English 400 (1 credit) in conjunction with ENG 423, 428, or 429 may be used to satisfy this requirement.

• One of the above ENG courses must fulfill the Tier II Writing requirement. 
• Courses that fulfill this requirement are marked with a (W) on the schedule.

See the “ Undergraduate Courses ” page for more information and examples of specific English courses. Alongside the requirements for the major, students must complete requirements for the University and for the College of Arts & Letters:

• Mathematics (1-2 courses, credits vary, see math website for more details)
• 1 course IAH 201-210 (4 credits)
• 1 course IAH 211 or higher (4 credits)
• 1 course ISS 200-level (4 credits)
• 1 course ISS 300-level (4 credits)
• ISB 200-level (3 credits)
• ISP 200-level (3 credits)
• ISB or ISP lab (2 credits)

*At least one IAH/ISS course must have an international focus (I), and one must have a national focus (D) as marked on the schedule of courses.

• Must demonstrate Second-Year Competency through “202” level
• Certain AP credit, tested proficiency, transfer credit at the appropriate level, or MSU coursework can fulfill this requirement
• Some languages have online placements tests
• See your advisor for more information
• An additional major, minor, 2nd degree, or thematically linked courses as approved by an advisor
• Minimum 15 credits, with 3 credits at 3xx/4xx level
• Internship, study abroad/away, research, service-learning
• View the Excel Network for additional information

Most students are left with room for general electives, and 120 total credits minimum are needed to graduate.

For more information about the program and/or your progress, speak with an advisor , visit Academic Programs , and review your information on student information systems .