Creative Writing

Program Offerings

Offering type
Minor

The Program in Creative Writing, part of the Lewis Center for the Arts,  with a minor in creative writing, like our present certificate students, will encounter a rigorous framework of courses. These courses are designed, first and foremost, to teach the students how to read like a writer, thoughtfully, artistically, curiously, with an open mind attuned to the nuances of any human situation. This skill is not only for students who plan to be professional writers, but most important, this is a skill we believe to be crucial for all students. The many courses offered by the creative writing department teach students how to structure a narrative and write it well; how to use lived experience in the compressed linguistic construct of a poem so that it provides a meaningful experience for a reader; how to think about, and undertake, the translation of a literary work into another literary work in another language; how to write and adapt literary narratives for a variety of screen media.

Goals for Student Learning

• The Art of Reading

A sophisticated reader of literature is one who reads with a discerning but not judgmental mind. Teaching the art of reading to our students is one of the most effective ways to prepare them to navigate a murky, complex and increasingly more contentious world.

• The Art of Writing

Whether the students work in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction or screenwriting, our goal is to teach students to write clearly and dynamically, to communicate complex ideas, and to distill experience into arts.

• The Art of Exploration

We encourage our students to expand their horizons by learning new approaches and trying new genres, whether a poet trying out digital storytelling, or a prose writer creating a novel in verse. We encourage our students to bring their writings out to the world and to bring the world into their writing.

• Public Service and Global Citizenship

A writer in today’s world is not a hermit writing from the top of a tower. Our minor program aims to promote the values inherent in the University’s unofficial motto, “In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity,” to draw from the model of Toni Morrison, and to cultivate a younger generation of writers who will be engaging with the public thoughtfully and meaningfully.

Prerequisites

For the minor program, our goal is to guide students through a course of study that begins with introductory courses, and then combines courses at advanced levels with cross-listed and approved courses offered by other units. The minor in creative writing includes a total of five courses. At least three of these must be CWR courses (cross-listed courses will also count). The final two courses can be CWR courses or, with the approval of the program director, up to two additional literature or comparative literature courses. To be eligible to apply for the minor, students must have taken the three creative writing courses by the end of their junior year. Senior year is focused on development of students' independent work.

As an example of a pathway through the minor, students typically enroll in two to three 200-level courses during their first and second years at Princeton. These include intro to fiction writing, intro to poetry, intro to translation and intro to screenwriting. Students who have taken two 200-level courses are allowed to register for 300- and 400-level courses, including advanced fiction writing, advanced poetry writing, advanced translation and advanced screenwriting.

Admission to the Program

In the spring semester of junior year, students apply to be admitted to the creative writing program for independent work during their senior year.

Program of Study

Students admitted to the minor program will have one year of one-on-one thesis work with an established poet or prose writer. This independent work includes weekly or biweekly conferences with the thesis advisers for two semesters. Under the direction of the thesis advisers, the students will produce a full-length collection of poetry, a collection of short stories or a finished novel manuscript. Each final thesis is read by another writer, who provides a thoughtful and detailed commentary, which gives a snapshot of the student’s career and offers future direction. This independent thesis work has long been a treasured tradition of the creative writing program, and we believe that the conversion to the minor program will more accurately reflect the amount of work both the students and the advisers have put in during their senior year. Apart from independent work, the students will also participate in two public readings — a reading of their work-in-progress with their peers alongside a published writer, and a thesis reading, a celebration of their final theses. An unofficial monthly lunch meeting for the thesis cohort, directed by an appointed faculty member, will serve as a support group.

Faculty

  • Director

    • Yiyun Li
  • Executive Committee

    • Elena Araoz, Theater, LCA
    • Tina M. Campt, Art and Archaeology
    • Jane F. Cox, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Katie Farris, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Tina Fehlandt, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Martha Friedman, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Judith Hamera, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Christopher J. Harris, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Aleksandar Hemon, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Brian E. Herrera, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • A.M. Homes, Creative Writing, LCA
    • Ilya Kaminsky, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Deana Lawson, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Rebecca J. Lazier, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Yiyun Li, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Pamela E. Lins, Visual Arts, LCA
    • Susan S. Marshall, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Moon Molson, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Paul B. Muldoon, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Nicolás Pereda, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Kirstin Valdez Quade, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • David W. Reinfurt, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Joe Scanlan, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Patricia Smith, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Lloyd Suh, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Jeffrey Whetstone, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Rhaisa Williams, Lewis Center for the Arts
    • Stacy E. Wolf, Lewis Center for the Arts
  • Professor

    • Aleksandar Hemon
    • Ilya Kaminsky
    • Yiyun Li
    • Paul B. Muldoon
    • Patricia Smith
  • Associate Professor

    • Katie Farris
    • Kirstin Valdez Quade
  • Professor Emeritus (teaching)

    • Joyce Carol Oates
  • Professor of the Practice

    • A.M. Homes
    • Lloyd Suh
  • Lecturer

    • Michael C. Dickman
    • Zoe K. Heller
    • Sheila Kohler
    • Jack Livings
    • Jenny McPhee
    • Lynn Melnick
    • Susanna Moore
    • Kathleen Ossip
    • Ed Park
    • Lynn S. Strong
  • Visiting Associate Professor

    • Monica Youn

For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.

Courses

CWR 201 - Creative Writing (Poetry) Fall LA

Practice in the original composition of poetry supplemented by the reading and analysis of standard works. Each student is expected to prepare a manuscript each week. There will be a weekly workshop meeting and occasional individual conferences. Staff

CWR 202 - Creative Writing (Poetry) Spring LA

Practice in the original composition of poetry supplemented by the reading and analysis of standard works. Each student is expected to prepare a manuscript each week. There will be a weekly workshop meeting and occasional individual conferences. Staff

CWR 203 - Creative Writing (Fiction) Fall LA

Practice in the original composition of fiction supplemented by the reading and analysis of standard works. Each student is expected to prepare a manuscript at least every other week. There will be a weekly workshop meeting and occasional individual conferences. Staff

CWR 204 - Creative Writing (Fiction) Spring LA

Practice in the original composition of fiction supplemented by the reading and analysis of standard works. Each student is expected to prepare a manuscript at least every other week. There will be a weekly workshop meeting and occasional individual conferences. Staff

CWR 205 - Creative Writing (Literary Translation) (also COM 249/TRA 204) Fall LA

Practice in the translation of literary works from another language into English supplemented by the reading and analysis of standard works. Each student is expected to prepare a manuscript each week. There will be a weekly workshop meeting and occasional individual conferences. Staff

CWR 206 - Creative Writing (Literary Translation) (also COM 215/TRA 206) Spring LA

Practice in the translation of literary works from another language into English supplemented by the reading and analysis of standard works. Each student is expected to prepare a manuscript each week. There will be a weekly workshop meeting and occasional individual conferences. Staff

CWR 301 - Advanced Creative Writing (Poetry) Fall LA

Advanced practice in the original composition of poetry for discussion in regularly scheduled workshop meetings. Prerequisites: Two 200-level CWR courses. Staff

CWR 302 - Advanced Creative Writing (Poetry) Spring LA

Advanced practice in the original composition of poetry for discussion in regularly scheduled workshop meetings. Prerequisites: Two 200-level CWR courses. Staff

CWR 303 - Advanced Creative Writing (Fiction) Fall LA

Advanced practice in the original composition of fiction for discussion in regularly scheduled workshop meetings. Staff

CWR 304 - Advanced Creative Writing (Fiction) Spring LA

Advanced practice in the original composition of fiction for discussion in regularly scheduled workshop meetings. Prerequisites: Two 200-level CWR courses. Staff

CWR 305 - Advanced Creative Writing (Literary Translation) (also COM 355/TRA 305) Fall LA

Advanced practice in the translation of literary works from another language into English supplemented by the reading and analysis of standard works. Prerequisites: 205 or 206 and by application. P. Muldoon

CWR 306 - Advanced Creative Writing (Literary Translation) (also COM 356/TRA 314) Spring LA

Advanced practice in the translation of literary works from another language into English supplemented by the reading and analysis of standard works. Prerequisites: 205 or 206 or by Program permission. Staff

CWR 345 - Special Topics in Creative Writing (also AMS 345/GSS 383) Not offered this year LA

Students gain special access to the critical understanding of literature through their involvement in the creative process. Topics include autobiography, prosody, non-fiction, revision and point of view. Students are expected to prepare a manuscript at least every other week. Specific topics and prerequisites will vary. By application. Staff

CWR 401 - Advanced Creative Writing Tutorial Not offered this year LA

Tutorials in the original composition of fiction, poetry, or translations, open to those who have demonstrated unusual commitment and talent through four terms of creative writing or who provide equivalent evidence of their capacity for advanced work. Open also to qualified graduate students. Individual conferences to be arranged. Staff

CWR 402 - Advanced Creative Writing Tutorial Not offered this year LA

Tutorials in the original composition of fiction, poetry, or translations, open to those who have demonstrated unusual commitment and talent through four terms of creative writing or who provide equivalent evidence of their capacity for advanced work. Open also to qualified graduate students. Individual conferences to be arranged. Staff

CWR 403 - Special Topics in Screenwriting (also VIS 406) Not offered this year LA

This class will familiarize students with the complex use of metaphorical, emotional, and visual threads in long form screenplay writing. Analyzing examples of international, independent, and classical structures, students will be exposed to the rhythms and demands of the process of conceiving and writing a long form narrative film. Prerequisite: Introduction to Screenwriting and by application. Staff

JRN 240 - Creative Nonfiction (also CWR 240) Spring LA

This is a workshop in factual writing and what has become known as literary non-fiction, emphasizing writing assignments and including several reading assignments. Students will examine masterpieces about social inequality and to what extent it is possible for authors to know the struggles of their subjects, and to create empathy for them. One three-hour seminar. A. Elliott

JRN 280 - The Literature of Fact (also CWR 280) Fall LA

This course offers a chance to think about and practice different kinds of writing. Students will strive to identify and emulate the best--the smartest, the most vivid, the most humane--in a variety of journalistic genres. Specific content and approach vary from year to year, depending on the expertise of the professor. One three-hour seminar. J. Prager

JRN 441 - The McGraw Seminar in Writing (also CWR 441) Not offered this year LA

Each year a different kind of writing is featured, depending on the specialty of the McGraw Professor of Writing. One three-hour seminar. Staff

THR 205 - Introductory Playwriting (also CWR 210/ENG 205) Fall LA

This is a workshop in the fundamentals of writing plays. Through writing prompts, exercises, study and reflection, students will be guided in the creation of original dramatic material. Attention will be given to character, structure, dramatic action, monologue, dialogue, language N. Davis, S. Khoury

THR 305 - Playwriting II: Intermediate Playwriting (also CWR 309) Spring LA

A continuation of work begun in Introductory Playwriting, in this class, students will complete either one full-length play or two long one-acts (40-60 pages) to the end of gaining a firmer understanding of characterization, dialogue, structure, and the playwriting process. In addition to questions of craft, an emphasis will be placed on the formation of healthy creative habits and the sharpening of critical and analytical skills through reading and responding to work of both fellow students and contemporary playwrights of note. M. Cruz