Director: Thomas J. Bligh (English)

Offered jointly by the Communication and English departments, the creative writing minor contributes to our liberal-arts mission by exploring connections between the study of literature and the practice of writing. Creative writing minors at Mount St. Mary’s take a sequence of courses to develop their talents in a variety of narrative forms, including poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. All creative writing classes emphasize the value of revision and peer feedback. The minor is open to all students.

In the creative writing minor, students will:

• Create literary works in a variety of forms.
• Broaden their knowledge and understanding of literature.
• Synthesize lived and learned experience by expressing it imaginatively.
• Develop skills in the use of imagery, metaphor, dialogue, and description.
• Become better able to evaluate their written work and that of others.

Students may attend readings and lectures by visiting authors, participate in regional and national writing conferences, and share their work in poetry and prose readings on- and off-campus. The program includes opportunities to work on the staff of the Mount’s award-winning literary magazine, Lighted Corners, and to submit features to the Emmitsburg News-Journal.