Creative Writing
Creative Writing
Creative Writing at Duke is guided by the belief that the experience of writing and reading creatively is a gift to a student for life. It is a source of imaginative enrichment, aesthetic discipline, heightened awareness and a vital means of re-integrating thoughts, feeling and practice that are too often disconnected in our contemporary world. Courses cover a spectrum of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, essay, memoir, travel writing, documentary writing, theater and more. The goal is to increase compositional skill, critical and imagination thinking, aesthetic and literary expertise. Enhanced skills in writing, editing, critiquing and creative thinking provide vital tools for all students, whether or not they pursue careers in writing and the publishing industry. A regular series of writers-in-residence, visiting speakers, readings and on-campus conferences, as well as opportunities to work on a variety of campus publications supplement courses and support a vibrant creative community.
The English Department offers a number of Creative Writing Courses as well as the Distinction Program in Creative Writing. Students may also contribute to The Archive, Carpe Noctem, Eruditio, Passport Magazine and Prometheus Black, a publication of the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture. Students interested in the arts may wish to join the Arts Theme House.