emory creative writing certificate

English and Creative Writing

Join a powerful community of creative writers and thinkers.   In Emory's English and Creative Writing program, you will study both art and craft  of writing , alongside some of the nation’s most talented students and acclaimed faculty in one of the nation's leading creative writing programs.

Build your skills from idea to draft to revision—as you explore areas including fiction, nonfiction, dramatic writing, and poetry.   

Graduates from the English and Creative Writing program g o on to highly competitive writing and PhD programs as well as to many other fields of study, including medicine, business, and law.   

Recent graduates are working at  Forbes Travel Guide, CNN Digital, Penguin Random House, Modern Luxury, Challenge Foundation , and  William Morris Endeavor .   

Notable alumni include:

• Lauren M. Gunderson, named the country’s most produced playwright in 2017
• Brian Tolleson, the founding partner of communications and brand strategy firms Lexicon and Bark  Bark
• Lauren Giles, corporate lawyer and Alston & Bird partner
• Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter Kristian Bush of Sugarland  

Examples of Classes

Introduction to poetry writing.

Experience the profound connection between reading poetry and writing it. Generate new work while helping one another through discussions examining the writer’s intentions, ideas, phrases, and images.  

Intermediate Playwriting

Experience the creative process first-hand from inspiration through character development to dramatic action and dialogue in this collaborative course co-taught by a playwright and a theater artist .  

Georgia Civil Rights Cold Case

A   historical and journalistic exploration of the Jim Crow South through the prism of unsolved or unpunished civil rights-era murders in Georgia.   This course was the foundation for WABE’s Peabody Award-winning podcast, “Buried Truths.”  Taught by Pulitzer and Peabody-award winner professor Dr. Hank Klibanoff.

Research in Creative Writing

Bringing characters to life through research  

Creative writing and theater studies students’ research supports Playwriting Fellow Jiréh Breon Holder’s professional stage production.   

“I know I was meant to be at Emory. Coming here, I felt I had access to words I hadn't been able to find before. It has been integral for me to see who I am as a writer by developing as a student and researcher first.”

English and Creative Writing Major

Requirements.

In the Creative Writing Program at Emory students study both art and craft: the literary traditions in which they write and the elements of craft in poetry, fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and creative nonfiction. The program fosters their development as writers, through an emphasis on reading as a writer, generating material, and revision. Academic requirements of the English/creative writing major are eleven courses (thirty-eight to forty-four credits) beyond the introductory courses in English required by Emory College (English 101, 181, or Literature 110). Five of those eleven courses (fifteen to twenty credits) are to be creative writing workshops and the other six (eighteen to twenty-four credits) are to be advanced-level English classes in literature and criticism (i.e., 300 and 400 level). Students must take at least two 300-level literature courses in prose, two in poetry, and two in nineteenth-century writing or earlier. Majors may also substitute one 200-level English literature course for one 300-level course. At least two writing workshops must be in the same writing genre (fiction, poetry, etc.). This framework provides enough flexibility so that English/creative writing majors may work out individual programs of study in consultation with their advisers. In addition to the creative writing courses listed below, English/creative writing majors are also eligible for work in the Internship Program (see ENG 496R), independent study (see ENGCW 397R), and creative writing honors (see ENGCW 495R). Please note that internship hours do not count toward the major. The Creative Writing Program also sponsors a reading series in which nationally prominent authors are invited to campus to read from their latest works and to meet with students.

Prerequisites

Official talk with Creative Writing faculty advisor about the major

Emory College of Arts and Sciences Creative Writing Program

Home » The Creative Writing Program » Fall 2023 Course Atlas

Fall 2023 Course Atlas

WEBSITE MIGRATION IN PROGRESS. Fall 2024 classes are listed on atlas.emory.edu . 

CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM COURSE ATLAS

All students must take one 200-level Introduction class at Oxford College or Emory (270W, 271W, or 272W) before advancing to Intermediate 300-level workshops in prose or poetry. The same is required of non-majors who wish to take Creative Writing workshops, though some instructors may choose to waive this requirement for junior and senior non-majors. The requirement is never waived for majors.

Fall 2023 courses that do not require a 200-level introductory class:

• ENGCW/THEA 372RW Intermediate Playwriting
• ENGCW 385RW and crosslists AAS/AMST/HIST 387RW Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases

Students who have completed the 200-level requirement may apply to any Intermediate workshop.

A 300-level Intermediate course is a pre-requisite for Advanced courses, which are usually offered in the Spring semester. Students who wish to take an Advanced course in fiction, poetry, or playwriting must receive a grade of A or A- in their Intermediate 300-level course.

Please see http://creativewriting.emory.edu/home/academics/major-english-creative-writing.html for more information about the Creative Writing Program requirements.

Permission is required to enroll in all Creative Writing classes. Students must fill out an application and submit to the Creative Writing Program office via email to Nora Lewis at [email protected] . If your application includes a writing sample, it must be attached to the application and sent as ONE DOCUMENT IN WORD FORMAT. Your email subject line must include "application" -- failure to use this keyword may result in a delayed response.

Application forms may be downloaded from the Creative Writing Program website at  https://creativewriting.emory.edu/academics/Course%20Application.html  or email [email protected]  to request a copy.

Applications will be accepted until the end of Add/Drop/Swap in the Fall (or until classes are full/closed).

All classes are HAPW unless otherwise noted.

All classes have a maximum of 15 students unless otherwise noted.

DO NOT EMAIL AN INSTRUCTOR FOR PERMISSION . The instructors will forward your email to the Creative Writing Program administrator, and you will receive a reminder that the proper procedure to apply for a class is to submit your application (and writing sample, if required) to Nora Lewis.

If you are not sure if a course is open, or have any other questions, please email Nora Lewis at [email protected]. ***OPUS is NOT an accurate picture of availability*** as students who have been accepted into a class may have not yet registered or been added in.

Students will receive an email from Nora Lewis with information about acceptance into classes.

Emory College atlas page: https://atlas.emory.edu/

CREATIVE WRITING FALL 2023 COURSE ATLAS

Engcw 190 freshman seminar.

ENGCW 190-1: Freshman Seminar: Writing Bodies in the World    MAX: 12 students    GER: FSEM

(crosslisted with AAS 190-3, ENVS 190-3, and LACS 190-1)

Yanique   Wednesday   1:00-3:45

NO APPLICATION REQUIRED

  Note: There is no class on August 23, but there is an assignment. Please email [email protected]  as soon as possible if you did not receive a message with instructions from Professor Yanique.

This is a reading and writing class that will serve as introduction to the rigor of college level reading and the vulnerability of college level creative writing, as well as introducing you to your campus—Emory.  Our subject matter of the environment refers to both the outdoors and to human made enclosures. The ‘bodies’ and ‘world’ of the subtitle will explicitly refer to black bodies within a racist society and to student bodies on a college campus.  Our course will veer into disciplines such as Environmental Studies, African American Studies, Caribbean Studies, English, Creative Writing and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies.  This class will occur in-person and out&about.  In-person will mean meeting in our assigned classroom or on the Emory college quad.  Out&About refers to times during class when you will meet at specific sites around campus in small groups or out on solo excursions. This, as will be true for all aspects of the course, will be subject to change as the course progresses. 

Written Assignments:

Personal Essay/Op-Ed Essay (4-6 pages) draft due, final due

One short story, group of poems, or novel excerpt (5-25 pages), draft due, final due

Smaller assignments due in class, for homework, collected, not collected, etc., as the course progresses.

Epiphaneia by Richard Georges

A House for Alice by Diana Evans

The Book of Delights by Ross Gay     

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on the elements of the course, as listed below.  Each aspect of the class will be weighed equally. Students must perform with excellence on all elements of the course to receive an A-.  Excellence is defined by the professor.  Students performing very well will receive a grade on the B to B+ scale.  Students performing well will receive a grade on the C+ to B- scale.  Students performing mediocrely will receive a grade on the D to C scale. Students performing inadequately will be asked to leave the class or they will receive an F grade. The A grade is reserved for students who exceed the professor’s expectations.

• ENGCW 271W Introduction to Poetry Writing

**All sections are now closed. Applications no longer accepted.**

ENGCW 271W: Introduction to Poetry Writing (three sections) MAX: 15 students each section

Extracurricular activities for all sections:

Students are required to attend Creative Writing Program readings and colloquia outside of class time and are encouraged to attend any other activities co-sponsored by the Program.

Pre-requisite : None

ENGCW 271W-1     Debevec-McKenney        Monday 2:30-5:30 

ENGCW 271W-2     Debevec-McKenney        Tuesday 2:30-5:30 

ENGCW 271W-3     Sturm                           Wednesday 2:30-5:30 

Debevec-McKenney's sections:   

Students must attend the first class to be enrolled in these workshops.

Alongside an overview of vital poetry building blocks, you will close read and analyze a diverse range of poems. Embrace your obsessions, value your voice, your quirks, the feeling inside you that tells you where to break a line, and learn how to harness those feelings using form and constraint. Generate a portfolio of poems, written via practice, play, experimentation, and a series of odd prompts. Workshop your own poems and the poems of your peers. Be a part of a passionate and caring writing community. Leave the course less afraid of the blank page and more confident and prepared to keep writing poems.

I’m So Fine: A List of Famous Men & What I Had On by Khadijah Queen

Sturm's section 

This class is an opportunity to generate new creative work in a collaborative, critical setting. In order to develop a relationship between creative reading practices and creative writing practices, we will read and discuss books by a number of 20 th and 21 st century American poets whose work will guide our discussion of poetic techniques and aesthetic practices. We will study these poets in order to study our own interests, intentions, and practices as writers. Students should expect to devote themselves to a practice of reading and writing and be prepared for mature discussions of complex material. We will write new poems in correspondence with the material we read, experiment with reading techniques, recite poems, create a poetics statement, discuss aesthetic processes and revision, and produce chapbooks of our own poetry.

Pregrets by Anselm Berrigan (Black Square Editions, 9781736324806)

Toxicon and Arachne by Joyelle McSweeney (Nightboat, 9781643620183)

Certain Magical Acts by Alice Notley (Penguin, 9780143108160)

All This Time by Cedar Sigo (Wave, 9781950268467)

The Sonnets by Ted Berrigan (Penguin, 9780140589276)

Kissing Other People by Kay Gabriel (Nightboat, 9781643621791)

• Poem-Responses: 140 points
• Workshop Participation & Discussion: 100 points
• Chapbook w/Revisions & Poetics Statement: 100 points
• Assessment criteria will often be presented verbally in class, so it is integral to attend class to effectively manage your work.
• ENGCW 272W Introduction to Fiction Writing

ENGCW 272W: Introduction to Fiction Writing (four sections)   MAX: 15 students in sections 1, 3, and 4; 14 students in section 2

Students are required to attend Creative Writing Program readings and colloquia outside of class time and are encouraged to attend any other activities co-sponsored by the Program. 

Pre-requisite: None

ENGCW 272W-1  Skibell                      Monday 2:30-5:30   

ENGCW 272W-2  Cooper                   Tuesday 2:30-5: 15      

ENGCW 272W-3  Sathian                  Wednesday 2:30-5: 15      Writing Literary Speculative Fiction

ENGCW 272W-4  Yanique                  Thursday 1:00-3:45      Making People: Empathy and Expertise

Skibell' s section:    

Students must attend at least the second class to enroll

Course description:  Our course will serve as a workshop into the form and structure of fiction writing for the beginning student. We will be working in a round-table workshop format. We will learn by doing. Topics covered will include:  

1) scene work; 2) POV; 3) plot vs. narrative; 4) beginning near the end; 5) characterization;  6) dramatic action, etc..  

Writing: Each student will write three short stories for the workshop. The first will be 7-9 pages in length; the second 8-12. As a final project, each student will write a 3- to 5-page story for the final class.  

Workshop: We will read and discuss each other’s stories. Through the process of speaking intelligently and generously about other people’s work, one hones one’s own narrative and dramatic sense. Each class member’s work will be discussed twice. Everyone is expected to participate in the roundtable discussions generously and openly.  

Reading each other’s work: One of the greatest benefits of the workshop is getting feedback from one’s peers. I encourage you all to be generous with one another on this score. Make honest and full-hearted and generous comments on the one another’s manuscripts, and be prepared to throw yourself into the class discussions. Each of you will get back what you give to your peers in this regard. 

Grading: I don’t feel it’s right to grade young writers on the quality of their work. Evaluating creative work is subjective at best. And so our class will work on a 100-point grading system. Attendance at our 13 classes is worth 2 points each for a total of 26% of your grade. (Miss a class, lose two points. Arrive 30 minutes late, lose 1/6 of a point, etc.) Your 28 peer responses, turned into [email protected] on time, are worth 1 point each for a total of 28% of your grade. (These will be time-stamped and strictly counted. Do not send other correspondence to this address. ) Each story is 10 points each, and your proof of attendance at a two Creative Writing Reading Series event or other literary events is worth 2.5 points each.  This totals 89 points, which equals a B.  

The other 11% of your grade is my subjective evaluation of your performance, in class and on paper. This means, in essence, that by doing 100% of the work, you are guaranteed a B. My evaluation of the final 11% will consider: manifest effort, progress made from beginning to end, attitude to the class and the work, and other such intangibles as level of engagement, intellectual inquiry, curiosity, generosity, pro-activity, consistency, a positive attitude, as well as a Bell Curve comparison to your peers. Some students take ownership of a workshop, others seem less involved. If you want an A, make sure you take ownership of the class and that you compare favorably to the most involved students.

Texts: none

Cooper's section: 

Students must attend the first  class to enroll

This is an introduction to the art of fiction writing for beginning students. The roots of storytelling will be explored, and elements of the fiction writer's craft will be introduced and practiced (desire/conflict, character development, point of view, dialogue, showing vs. telling, structure, etc.). We will also closely read and examine selected works of published short fiction, though the occasional interdisciplinary model of music, film, and other mediums will be considered—all with an eye toward identifying and generating character and story, and learning how to “read like a writer.” Students will complete writing exercises and shorter pieces of fiction, as well as one longer story that will be workshopped. Students will also be expected to analyze and discuss in-depth both the work-in-progress of fellow students and published stories; thusly, class participation is not optional. (Note: we will center character-based literary fiction, meaning this course is not one in which genres like fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, horror, romance, etc. will be read or written.) This course will prepare students for intermediate-level workshops in fiction.

No texts, but students will be expected to print a significant amount of pages throughout the semester.

Students will be assessed on their writing and class participation:

• Writing (50%): shorter pieces of writing; one longer workshop story; significant revision of workshop story.
• Participation (50%): oral and written responses to student and published work; presentations; class discussion/participation; shorter writing assignments; attendance; overall effort/improvement.

Sathian's section:   Writing Literary Speculative Fiction

Students must attend the first  class to enroll, even waitlisted students

     A man wakes up as a giant bug. A woman marries an ogre. A nose earns a promotion, landing a great government job. Eerie wallpaper comes to life. 

     In fiction, anything can happen, including these seemingly ‘unreal’ events. But what is reality? When we write fiction, how much should the material world constrain us? When does hewing to the everyday world—a world concerned with relationships, money, death, race—help us create richer fiction? When does departing from the strict rules of this world—adding vampires, zombies, ghosts, and metamorphoses; subtracting death, gender, even time—make for a more textured, even more real literary experience? 

     In this class, we will consider some great ‘unreal’ writers, from Shirley Jackson to Carmen Maria Machado. Writing prompts, small assignments, and reading for craft will help get juices flowing during the first few weeks. During the second half of the course, students will turn in two pieces of short fiction that employ craft tools we've developed during our first weeks. This section is ideal for students interested in writing literary, character- and language-driven non-realism/speculative fiction/surrealism, though writers of realism are welcome here as long as they’re willing to spend the first month reading primarily non-realism.  

     This class is not about “genre” fiction, i.e. pulpy science fiction or romance. We are only reading writers who treat character and language as paramount. If you’re not interested in writing great sentences or exploring character alongside world-building, you’re in the wrong class! 

Texts and materials:

Required: Making Comics by Lynda Barry | ISBN-10  :  1770463690 | ISBN-13  :  978-1770463691

1-2 composition notebooks, wide-ruled, for in-class prompts

Optional: Elements of Style by Strunk & White; On Writing Well by William Zinsser

Yanique's section:   Making People: Empathy and Expertise

Students must attend the first  in-person class to enroll

Note: There is no class on August 24, but there is an assignment. Please email [email protected]  as soon as possible if you did not receive a message with instructions from Professor Yanique.

This is an introductory course on the art of fiction writing.  We will focus on elements of craft such as character development, narrative control, dialogue, scene development, setting, structure, openings and endings.  We will engage with fiction writing as always about creating human beings with histories, bodies, and social realities; as always about creating a world anew for an audience; and as always a form of communication with an ongoing humanity—be it dead writers, current beloveds, future anonymous readers or one’s own self.  Students will come to understand the fiction workshop as a place to face fears, biases and the limitations of the imagination all via practice and hard work. Students will come to see fiction as a place to communicate as writers and critics.  Students come to see fiction writing and critical reading as a place to engage bravely and vulnerably with grief, joy and the full range of human emotions between. 

If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery

Handouts assigned by the professor

Students will be assessed on four elements of the course, as listed below.  Each aspect of the class will be weighed equally at 25%. Students must perform with excellence on all elements of the course to receive an A-.  Excellence is defined by the professor.  Students performing very well will receive a grade on the B to B+ scale.  Students performing well will receive a grade on the C+ to B- scale.  Students performing mediocrely will receive a grade on the D to C scale. Students performing inadequately will be asked to leave the class or they will receive an F grade. The A grade is reserved for students who exceed the professor’s expectations.

ENGCW 370RW Intermediate Fiction

ENGCW 370RW: Intermediate Fiction Writing (three sections)

MAX: 12 students in section 1; 14 students in section 2; 10 students in section 3

NOTES REGARDING APPLICATION TO THIS COURSE:

• Pre-requisite: Any 200-level Creative Writing workshop (ENGCW 270W, 271W, 272W)
• Applications must include a writing sample of 10-15 pages of fiction
• Applications must be submitted in Word format as ONE DOCUMENT with writing sample attached

ENGCW 370RW-1  Jones                Tuesday 2:30-5:30

ENGCW 370RW-2  Cooper              Wednesday 2:30-5:30  

ENGCW 370RW-3  Sathian             Thursday 2:30-5:30      Understanding Genre in Short Fiction

Jones' section: 

Capping enrollment at 12 students

Intermediate Fiction is a workshop/studio style course. Students will produce two complete works of short fiction of 10-15 pages. One of the works of short fiction will be revised significantly and this revised version will serve as the final project in lieu of a final exam. Along with peer critique, students will also read widely in the genre of short fiction, focusing on the basic components of fictions, plot, dialogue, setting, character, etc.

The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction: 50 North American Stories Since 1970 , eds. Lex Williford and Michael Martone

Cooper's section:

NOTE:  The priority deadline to apply is April 19, 2023.

This workshop is designed to build upon the experience and skills students have acquired in previous fiction workshops. Students taking this class will be expected to push themselves consistently to develop and hone their storytelling skills, and to engage with the gamut of human emotions and experiences—through both their own writing and the work of others (including published writers and fellow students). We will plumb the roots of storytelling and practice the various elements of craft (character, point of view, dialogue, setting, scene-building, structure, etc.), with students producing two strong, original pieces of short fiction, one of which will be revised significantly and submitted at semester's end (to serve as a final exam). Also required: detailed, thoughtful written and oral feedback on fellow student writing in workshop, as well as reading of and responses to published work. Class participation is not optional. (Note: we will center character-based literary fiction, meaning this course is not one in which genres like fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, horror, romance, etc. will be read or written.)

Writing (50%): two original workshop stories; one significant revision.

Participation (50%): oral and written responses to student and published work; class discussion/participation; shorter writing assignments; attendance; overall effort/improvement.

Sathian's section:  Understanding Genre in Short Fiction

     Now that you have reached the intermediate level of your college fiction writing journey, it’s time to start talking about genre, style, influence, and intention. What kind of writer do you want to be? Are you drawn to sensitive psychological realism, character driven stories, and quiet epiphanies? Do you enjoy playing with form and voice, writing stories told entirely in text message or monologue? Do you like psychological realism, horror, science fiction, or magical realism? Or are you a fan of several of the above genres? What about your voice—are you a serious writer, a funny writer, or both?

     It’s also time to start talking about your artistic obsessions. Why do you write? What set of concerns and interests drive your writing? Are you trying to articulate something ineffable about the subjective experience of being a queer person? Are you here to satirize your family en route to finding the human comedy of all families? What do you find interesting—so interesting that it keeps you coming back to the page?

     This class is about understanding how many ways there are to write great fiction. We’ll read a number of different types of stories at the start of the semester, and you will (with luck) begin to discover your “literary ancestry,” the writers who shape and influence you, and your “artistic obsessions,” those things that make you want to write. In doing so, you’ll also (again, with luck) begin to shape your own voice, style, and concerns.

     This is also a workshop, which means you will be turning in your writing and discussing it with your classmates.

     Students will be graded on the quality of their writing, including grammar, style, flow, and narrative success. Some of this is subjective, and will be determined by the instructor. But you are, at this point, ready to be assessed on substance.

     Lastly, this class will deal in revision, because most of writing is just revising what you have already written, over and over and over again. As Philip Roth put it in The Ghost Writer, “I turn sentences around. That’s my life. I write a sentence and then I turn it around. Then I look at it and turn it around again.”

Required: Roget's Thesaurus 7th edition or 8th edition

Stories posted to Canvas

ENGCW 371RW Intermediate Poetry

**Both sections are now closed. Applications no longer accepted.**

ENGCW 371RW: Intermediate Poetry Writing (two sections) MAX: 15 students each section

• Pre-requisite: Any 200-level Creative Writing workshop (ENGCW 270W, 271W, 272W) 
• Applications must include a writing sample of 3-4 poems, each poem on a separate page

Extracurricular activities for both sections:

ENGCW 371RW-1     Duong            Monday 2:30-5:30  

ENGCW 371RW-2     Duong            Tuesday 2:30-5:30  

Students must attend the first  class to enroll, even waitlisted students  

This intermediate course is a space for experienced poets to further sharpen and expand their poetry practices in an intensive workshop environment. Over the course of the semester, we will explore the poem as a kind of research endeavor—an investigation driven by language and syntax. How do poets draw subjects, language, and even formal considerations for their poems from external sources such as historical records, interview transcripts, and art objects? In each class session, we will work towards a shared set of terms and ideas with which we might complicate our understanding of poetry’s possibilities. We will read five poetry collections and a number of other poems, craft essays, and hybrid works across a wide range of literary styles and traditions. 

Assignments for this course include drafting a new poem for workshop each week, conducting collaborative in-class exercises, devising a unique research assignment, and assembling a final portfolio consisting of revised poems accompanied by an artist’s statement. You will also be expected to give and receive peer feedback on workshop submissions, which you will implement during the revision process. All students are required to attend the Creative Writing Program’s three readings this semester.

1.) Look – Solmaz Sharif

2.) Reenactments – Hai-Dang Phan

3.) The Vertical Interrogation of Strangers – Bhanu Kapil

4.) feeld – Jos Charles

5.) Whereas – Layli Long Soldier 

Class participation: 30%

Weekly poems: 20%

Final portfolio: 30%

Artist’s statement: 10%

Research assignment: 10%

ENGCW/THEA 372RW Playwriting

**This class is now closed. Applications no longer accepted.**

ENGCW/THEA 372RW-1: Intermediate Playwriting      Belflower      Tuesday  2:30-5:30 

MAX: 15 (ENGCW: 10, THEA: 5)  

This is a permission-only course and all students, including Theater Studies students, must apply through the Creative Writing Program. Applications may be downloaded from the "Course Application" tab on the left ( https://creativewriting.emory.edu/academics/Course%20Application.html ) or obtained by emailing Nora Lewis at [email protected] .

Writing sample requirement:  2-5 pages in any genre, preferably dramatic writing or poetry. Please include your sample with your application in ONE Word document.

Extracurricular Activities:

Students are required to attend and write short responses about selected readings sponsored by the Creative Writing Program, as well as productions by Theater Emory and/or in the greater Atlanta community.

I don’t really believe in teaching you what a play “should be” or following mandates on form or process that have historically been made and upheld by a select few.

I see my job as exposing you to many points of view, many tools, many ways — and guiding you toward the plays you want to write. That only you can write. 

We will learn to approach writing in the same way we approach something like exercise. Before running a marathon, we must train every day. We must warm up. We must feed ourselves well. In this class, we will learn how to train our writing muscles by doing daily warm-ups and eat the best artistic foods to fuel our own work through engaging with plays, as well as poetry, visual art, and other non-playwriting endeavors. 

This is a reading-heavy and writing-centric course. Everything builds on what came before, so it’s essential to stay on top of the work on a week-by-week basis.

All plays and other readings will be available via Canvas or Emory online library access.

ENGCW 376RW Creative Nonfiction

ENGCW 376RW-1: Creative Nonfiction      Skibell     Tuesday 2:30-5:30

MAX: 10 students  

• Applications must include a writing sample of 5 pages in any genre

This workshop will introduce the fundamentals of writing personal nonfiction narratives. We will explore the basic elements of storytelling -- character, plot, setting, structure, dialogue, etc. -- and how each is used in creating a story out of the events of one’s own life. Students will learn how to turn a true story into a written narrative. Editing skills will be sharpened in discussion and evaluation of one another’s works-in-progress. The course will concentrate on the creation of three short nonfiction pieces as well as considerations of technique, creation of real characters, and dramatic structure. Classes will be conducted as workshops in which the main emphasis is on the students' own work, and short lectures, with some in-class writing and improvisation.

A PDF compendium of stories

Students will be assessed on their performance based on a 100-point system. Class attendance makes up 26 points. Peer responses equal 28. Each story is worth 10 points, and proof of attendance at a Creative Writing Reading Series event or another literary event is worth 2.5 points each. The other 11 points is the professor’s evaluation of the student’s writing and critical reading skills.

Extracurricular activities:

ENGCW/FILM 378RW: Screenwriting

ENGCW 378RW-1/FILM 378RW-2: Screenwriting       MAX: 15 (ENGCW: 10, FILM: 5)  

Williams     Thursday  2:30-5:30

The Screenwriting section taught by Professor Joe Conway does  not  require an application. The class  does  count as a Creative Writing workshop for majors.

NOTE: There is no class on August 24. Please email [email protected]   for more information.

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

This is a permission-only course and all students, including Film and Media Studies students, must apply through the Creative Writing Program. Applications may be downloaded from the "Course Application" tab on the left ( https://creativewriting.emory.edu/academics/Course%20Application.html ) or obtained by emailing Nora Lewis at [email protected] .

Applications must include a writing sample of 2-5 pages in any genre, preferably narrative prose.

PRE-REQUISITE - Screenwriting applicants must have taken one of these classes:

• ENGCW 270W Introduction to Creative Writing
• FILM 101 Introduction to Film (formerly FILM 270)

The professor has deemed this to be a workshop for the beginning screenwriter .

Welcome to Screenwriting. This class will introduce the fundamentals of writing for film. We will explore the basic elements of storytelling – concept, character, plot, structure, scene design, action, dialogue, revision, etc. -- and how each is used in writing for the screen. Students will learn the format used for film scripts. Editing skills will be sharpened in discussion and evaluation of each other's work-in-progress. The course will concentrate on the development and writing of one 25-page screenplay as well as technical consideration of technique, character and dramatic structure. Classes will be conducted as workshops in which the main emphasis is on the students' own work, with in-class lecture, film clip review, group writing exercises and open discussion. Students should budget for printing/scripts/videos.

Assessment:  

Students will be assessed on their writing skills and class participation:

30% Development of screenplay (concept, character, outline). 

30% Writing first draft (treatment, presentation, coverage).

30% Delivery of final draft (completed 25-30 page screenplay).

10% Class participation (attendance, discussion, critiquing).

Text:  

Save The Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need

Author: Blake Snyder

Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions

ENGCW 385RW/AAS/AMST/HIST 387RW Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases

**This class is now full and has a waitlist.**

ENGCW 385RW-1: Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases        Klibanoff        Tuesday 2:30- 5: 15    

(Crosslisted with AAS/AMST/HIST 387RW-1)     MAX: 16 (4 each subject)  

Pre-requisites: none 

In the years between 1945 and 1968, untold numbers of American citizens were targeted for death because of their race, beliefs, or civil rights work – and in some cases merely because of what they drove, how they spoke, or the ever-shifting lines of racial etiquette they crossed. In many cases, their murders were inadequately investigated or prosecuted, their stories left untold, and the crimes against their humanity never punished. The Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project at Emory University is both a class and an ongoing historical and journalistic exploration of the Jim Crow South through the prism of unsolved or unpunished civil rights-era murders in Georgia. Using primary evidence – including FBI records, NAACP files, old newspaper clippings, court transcripts, and personal archives – students come to see and understand history from the inside out. Student essays, grounded in secondary readings that provide broader context, will be aimed at the project website, coldcases.emory.edu. Students also may become engaged in helping research a new season of the podcast, Buried Truths, based on a case we’ll be examining in class.

Students should budget for photocopying.

NOTE: This course is not open to first-year students. All students, including students from African American Studies, American Studies, and History, must fill out and submit the application form in Word format and include a writing sample of 3 pages of nonfiction.

Course packet handed out in class

There will be frequent writing assignments and frequent requests to revise your work. I will read your work closely, make comments on your theme, your structure, your language, word selection, grammar, punctuation, spelling and citations, as well as your integration of primary evidence and secondary material. You may work on a team project, may be tasked to help with the podcast Buried Truths, and will write an 8- to 10-page final paper. I will build in time for peer review of your work. I will meet with you out of class to focus on both the research and the writing. You will see that I am as serious about your mastery of writing as I am of your command of the historical events we will examine. My goal is not merely for you to learn and understand the history, but to be able to convey it clearly. 

Students are required to attend readings and colloquia sponsored by the Creative Writing Program outside of class time.

Cancelled - ENGCW 389W Special Topics: Gwendolyn Brooks and Sylvia Plath

ENGCW 389W-1 Special Topics:  Gwendolyn Brooks and Sylvia Plath      

Schiff    Wednesday 2:30-5:30

ENGCW 495RW Honors

Permission required: Accepted Honors students only. One semester of Honors counts as a workshop.

Pre-requisite: Approval of project by Honors thesis director.

Please review Honors application guidelines at http://creativewriting.emory.edu/home/academics/honors-program.html

Creative Writing

Best-selling novels, blockbuster movies and award-winning poems all start with an idea…but the crucial next step of creating words to convey and express those ideas can be daunting. Our Creative Writing courses provide individualized guidance from experienced instructors who have published works in multiple genres. Explore methodologies across all writing categories as you refine both your personal style and voice utilizing the most effective tools and techniques. Tailor your curriculum based on personal interests/skill sets, and build your platform while growing your brand as you work to successfully achieve your writing goals.

Click here to learn more about the Creative Writing Certificate

Session Time-Out

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