Creative Writing Program

Courses in creative writing within the Arts Program are designed for students who wish to develop their skills and appreciation of creative writing in a variety of genres (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting) and for those intending to pursue studies in creative writing at the graduate level.

Any English major may include one Creative Writing course in the major plan. Non-English majors may pursue a minor as described under Program Requirements and Opportunities. While there is no existing major in Creative Writing, exceptionally well qualified students have completed majors in Creative Writing through the Independent Major Program.

All students interested in Creative Writing courses must:

1. Preregister using the Creative Writing B999 placeholder course. 
2. Download the Creative Writing Program questionnaire, complete and email to dtorday@brynmawr.edu by the end of the pre-registration period.

Creative Writing Program Strike Statement

To the Bryn Mawr and Haverford community:  

We are deeply saddened by the murder of Walter Wallace Jr. at the hands of members of the Philadelphia Police Department, and by the ongoing state-sanctioned murder of Black Americans. As Creative Writing faculty, we are attuned to the importance of language and the nuances of narrative, and to hear Haverford College’s president emphasize the fear of “outside agitators” over the needs of our communities to grieve and be in solidarity with Black life tells an unacceptable story about our community’s values. Philadelphia has been profoundly and uniquely shaped by anti-black police violence, and as institutions of higher education a mere twenty minutes away, Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges both must continue to be involved in the fight against this legacy.

We strongly support, and are in agreement with, the principles and demands of the student strike. To echo the Haverford Anthropology department, for students to make the sacrifices that a strike demands in order to push the Bi-Co towards becoming a more just place is “an extraordinary act of love.” We wish to affirm and celebrate the clarity, power, and innovation the leaders of the student strike have shown in telling their own story of this moment. As faculty in Creative Writing, we declare our solidarity with striking students and commit ourselves to supporting this strike in any way we’re able. We call on other departments to do the same. We are responding to the strike in the following ways:

• We are busy exploring ways to partner with student leadership around how best to support their learning initiatives as they intersect with our genres of work
•  All regularly planned classes (synchronous and asynchronous) have been suspended until further notice  
• Students participating in the strike will not be subjected to any grade or attendance penalties 
• We remain available to meet with students who are interested in continuing work on their theses and final portfolios; we likewise support those who decide to suspend work until the end of the strike 
• If the strike ends and classes resume in the coming weeks, each professor will touch base in class and consult with students about how to continue forward and finish the remainder of the semester  
• We will be postponing upcoming events planned with the college that predate the end of the strike
• We will send the student demand letter and mutual aid links to our networks and continue to work within our department to respond and engage BIPOC student demands. As a start to this end, we will hold a Zoom conversation for all interested students on Monday, November 9, from 1-2pm, with an intention to listen to students, and provide support. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88490630897
• We encourage members of the Creative Writing community to support students through the mutual aid mechanism: Venmo @hcstrikefund Learn more on Instagram @bicomutualaid 

As members of the college faculty we are committed to doing the listening, reading, talking and generative work necessary, alongside our students and our colleagues, to dismantle the legacies of iniquity at our two colleges. 

In solidarity, 

Bryn Mawr Creative Writing Program
Daniel Torday
Director of Creative Writing
Professor
Bryn Mawr College