Creative Writing

"The writing community at Ohio Northern is vital, in every sense of the word. The skills and knowledge I developed during my time writing at ONU—the opportunity to take workshops running the gamut from creative non-fiction to screenwriting, the fully student-managed publications, the truly outstanding talent, scope and drive of my peers, and the brilliant professors who took me seriously as a writer before anyone else did—it all exceeds what is offered by other undergraduate programs. In fact, I firmly believe that students learn more about the art and craft of creative writing at ONU than they might at many graduate programs across the country. I can’t say enough about it."
—Andrew Merecickey, '10, MFA in Creative Writing at UNLV

Selected Creative Writing Alumni:

Merrill Miller (Creative Writing ’11), M.A. in Literature, Carnegie Mellon University
Khaty Xiong (Creative Writing ’11), MFA in Creative Writing, University of Montana
Ashley Alexander (Creative Writing ’11), MFA in Creative Writing, Emerson University
Andrew Leavitt (Creative Writing '11), MFA in Creative Writing, Naropa University, Low-Residency
Brian Hohmeier, (Creative Writing '10), Fuller Seminary
Sam Lachey, (Creative Writing '10), MFA in Creative Writing, Suffolk University
Nate Arida, (Creative Writing '09), MFA in Creative Writing, Witchita State University

Program Description:

Did you know? The Creative Writing Department provides hands-on editing and production experience working on Polaris, the ONU journal of literature and the arts; emedia, the English Department online publication; and other department and University publications.

Creative writing, one of the five majors offered in the ONU Department of English, combines liberal-arts studies with a focus on creative expression (fiction, poetry, plays and screenplays) to enable students to develop their creative and intellectual capabilities to prepare for a variety of professional employment opportunities. Besides encouraging students to sharpen their abilities within their choice of genres, the major is designed to develop critical thinking and communication, organization, interpersonal, computer and research skills in a context of multicultural awareness. The program includes academic courses with literary models to stimulate writing, workshops, individual mentoring and advice on publishing venues. It also promotes diversity in student course selection, not only within the department but also in other disciplines, ensuring flexibility in academic study and career preparation as a complement to conceiving and completing creative works.

Distinctive Features:

Seminar classes and writing workshops in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, and drama
Career development preparation and support
Original student creative, research or literary work as a senior capstone project
Faculty-student trip for conferences, such as AWP and Sigma Tau Delta, and special events
Assistance and experience submitting creative work to journals and Web sites
Recent visiting writers include Chris Abani, Rebecca Lindenberg, Michael Martone, John Updike, Ely Shipley, Joyce Carol Oates, Edward Albee, Timothy O'Keefe, Nikkie Giovanni, Ursula Hegi, Jaswinder Bolina, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Albert Goldbarth, Tom C. Hunley, and Elizabeth Kolbert