yale creative writing

Yale Creative Writing

• English Department

Creative Writing at Yale

Students from all disciplines in Yale College enroll in the department’s creative writing courses.  For students who wish to try their hand at learning basic elements of craft, the department recommends English 123, Introduction to Creative Writing .  This course, combining the small workshop format with lectures and readings by distinguished writers, offers hands-on experience in fiction, poetry, and drama.  It is open to all undergraduates, without prerequisite or application.

Other introductory options in creative writing include English 120, Reading and Writing the Modern Essay , as well as Yale’s famous course Daily Themes , in which students write 300 words daily and attend a weekly lecture and weekly tutorial to test their non-fiction powers or improve their writing fluency.  In many semesters, Yale’s residential college seminars also include some courses in creative writing. 

The English department’s upper-level writing courses (English 450-475) are open to all students on the basis of the instructor’s judgment of their work. Instructions for the submission of writing samples for admission are available in LC 107. Students may in some cases arrange a tutorial in writing (English 470), normally after having taken intermediate and advanced writing courses.  Applications for upper-level writing courses can be found at  Deadlines and Applications  on the Department of English site.

The English Department has also created  The Writing Concentration  as a special program for its majors who want to embark on a challenging pursuit of writing excellence.

The department also supports a wide range of public readings, both by our own faculty and by distinguished visiting writers.  For details on upcoming events, see the Creative Writing Events Calendar , the English Department Events Calendar , or follow Yale Creative Writing on  Twitter  and  Facebook .

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Creative writing & journalism courses, creative writing and journalism courses for yale college students, spring 2025 courses.

Students may take more than one creative writing class in the same term, but not two in the same genre: Drama, Fiction, Nonfiction or Journalism, Poetry.  In addition, students who enroll in ENGL 4400 The Creative Writing Concentration Senior Project may not enroll in any other creative writing course in the same term.

A current (and continually updated) listing of all English course offerings is available on  Yale Course Search  (YCS).

Some Courses Require an Application in Advance

A list will be posted here by Monday, October 14. Those applications will be due by noon on  November 1 . Applicants will be notified of decisions by  November 14 . When registration period begins, admitted students must add the course to their Registration Worksheet and request Instructor Permission in  YCS . Instructors will approve admitted student requests in YCS; approved students must then return to YCS to Confirm Changes and complete registration in the course. Admitted students who do not complete registration in the course by December 1,  ( or the date requested by the instructor, whichever comes first ) may have their places filled from the waiting list. Applicants who submit after the November 1 deadline may be accepted to the waiting list.

Online Application Tip:  log into your Microsoft account using your Yale email address and password.  Please note that if you are trying to access the form while logged into any email on your browser that is not your Yale one, the page will not load.

Where No Application is Listed Below

Please check the course sites on Canvas for further information ; these can be accessed through YCS  by clicking on the Syllabus link  in the course window. In most cases,  students may enroll during registration period by submitting an instructor permission request through YCS or by enrolling on a first-come-first-served basis, depending on the course.

Independent Creative Writing Courses

Proposals for independent study courses are due at noon on  November 11 . Students will be notified by 5:00 pm on November 18  whether the proposal has been approved or revisions are required.

Questions? Contact Erica Sayers or Jane Bordiere.

Special Writing Courses

ART 040/ENGL 0440 (formerly ENGL 041) Writer as Designer, Designer as Writer. Rachel Kauder-Nalebuff and Andrew Walsh-Lister. Enrollment limited to first-year students.

ENGL 2013 (formerly ENGL 413) Literary Production: Prose. Samuel Huber.

LITR 348/ENGL 2415/HUMS 427/JDST 316 (formerly ENGL 456) The Practice of Literary Translation. Peter Cole. Application  due  November 11.  Please see the course’s Canvas site (and the syllabus there) for details of the application process.

LITR 305/ENGL 3415/HUMS 428/JDST 343 (formerly ENGL 483) Advanced Literary Translation. Robyn Creswell.

The courses listed above do not count toward the Creative Writing Concentration.

Introductory Creative Writing Courses

ENGL 1023 (formerly ENGL 123) Introduction to Creative Writing. Richard Deming, Derek Green.

ENGL 1023 counts as an introductory cours for English Majors; does not count towards the Creative Writing Concentration.

ENGL 2421 (formerly ENGL 406) The Craft of Poetry.  Maggie Millner.

ENGL 2441 (formerly ENGL 404) The Craft of Fiction. Adam Sexton, Sophia Veltfort.

Intermediate Creative Writing Courses

ENGL 3412 (NEW) Writing About Faith. Danielle Chapman.

ENGL 3421 (formerly ENGL 408) Poetry Writing. Cynthia Zarin. ENGL 3421 Application Form

ENGL 3433 (formerly ENGL 436) Narrative Podcasts. Aaron Tracy.

ENGL 3434 (formerly ENGL 425) Writing the Television Drama. Derek Green.

ENGL 3441 (formerly ENGL 407) Fiction Writing. Marie-Helene Bertino. ENGL 3441 Application Form

ENGL 3442 (formerly ENGL 428) Young Adult Writing. Jake Halpern. ENGL 3442 Application Form  due November 11  (log in using Yale email and password)

ENGL 3443 (formerly ENGL 438) Writing Fiction from the Archives. R. Clifton Spargo.

ENGL 3444 (formerly ENGL 439) Speculative Fiction Workshop. Marie-Helene Bertino. ENGL 3444 Application Form

ENGL 3450 (formerly ENGL 450) Daily Themes. Kim Shirkhani. ENGL 3450 Application Form

ENGL 3453 (formerly ENGL 423) Writing about the Performing Arts. Margaret Spillane.

ENGL 3456/HUMS 176 (NEW) Writing Historical Figures. Heidi Stalla.

ENGL 3459 (formerly ENGL 429) Writing Humor. Ryan Wepler. ENGL 3459 Application Form

ENGL 3461 (formerly ENGL 421) Nonfiction Writing. Section 01 “Writing about Clothes” Kate Bolick.

EVST 224/ENGL 3467 (formerly ENGL 418) Writing About The Environment. Alan Burdick.

HUMS 174/ENGL 3474 (formerly ENGL 416) Writing from the Archive: Imagining the Real. Adina Hoffman.  Application due November 18, noon . Please see the Canvas site for how to apply.

Advanced Creative Writing and Journalism Courses

ENGL 4422 (formerly ENGL 464) Breathing Poetry into the Archives. Natalie Diaz. ENGL 4422 Application Form

ENGL 4434 (formerly ENGL 461) The Art and Craft of Television Drama. Aaron Tracy. ENGL 4434 Application Form

ENGL 4435 (formerly ENGL 462) Writing Screenplay Adaptations. Donald Margulies. ENGL 4435 Application Form

ENGL 4441 (formerly ENGL 465) Advanced Fiction Writing. Amity Gaige. ENGL 4441 Application Form

ENGL 4455 (formerly ENGL 455) Writing about Oneself. Anne Fadiman. - Just added! ENGL 4455 Application Form

ENGL 4458 (formerly ENGL 478) Writing about Place. Cynthia Zarin. ENGL 4458 Application Form

ENGL 4460 (formerly ENGL 467) Journalism. Susan Dominus. ENGL 4460 Application Form

ENGL 4461 (formerly ENGL 480) Writing About Justice and Injustice. Sarah Stillman. ENGL 4461 Application Form

ENGL 4462 (formerly ENGL 473) The Journalism of Ideas. James Surowiecki. ENGL 4462 Application Form

ENGL 4464 (NEW) The Others: Writing Literary Conflict. Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah. ENGL 4464 Application Form

Independent Study

ENGL 3400 (formerly ENGL 487) Tutorial in Writing. Staff.  ENGL 3400 Application

ENGL 4400 (formerly ENGL 489) The Creative Writing Concentration Senior Project. Staff.  ENGL 4400 Application