Creative Writing - Fiction

The Creative Writing Program is designed to help students develop their fiction writing ability. Degree candidates are expected to produce work of publishable quality during the course of study and complete a book-length manuscript. In addition to Story Workshop fiction and prose forms classes, the program offers courses in young adult fiction, science fiction, researching and writing historical fiction, creative non-fiction, adaptation of prose fiction to script, independent study in playwriting, and new historical approaches to the study of famous writers' writing processes.

The Columbia College Chicago fiction writing program's annual publication Hair Trigger has won first prize as the best college literary magazine in the country from three different organizations. The 1987 National Book Award winner for fiction is a graduate of the Columbia College Chicago Fiction Writing program. Intensive training in writing develops crucial problem-solving skills for a variety of careers such as advertising, magazine editing, scriptwriting, journalism, and other writing-related fields.

The Story Workshop approach in fiction writing allows the student to find and develop his or her own voice. Our graduates have published novels, shorts stories, plays, and screenplays. The talent for creative problem-solving that comes from learning how to successfully convey a story is imperative for a writer, and can be an asset in any career.

The Teaching of Writing
Teaching of Writing degree candidates are frequently employed teachers who want to develop their writing and teaching ability, as well as newcomers to the field. The program prepares its graduates to teach both expository and fiction writing at the college and secondary levels. Students explore the close relationship between their teaching ability and the development of their own writing.

The Story Workshop method is a uniquely successful approach to the teaching of writing, providing specific and flexible techniques in composition, creative writing, remediation, and writing laboratories.

Combined Degree Option
The department also offers a combined degree incorporating all aspects of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and the Master of Arts in the Teaching of Writing.

Generally, students are admitted to the MFA program and evaluated after their first year of study for acceptance into the MA as part of a combined degree.

Still have questions about the Graduate Creative Writing- Fiction program?  Visit the Creative Writing- Fiction Frequently Asked Questions page.

DEPARTMENTAL CONTACT INFORMATION
Acting Director of Graduate Program: Ann Hemenway - 312-344-7619
Chair: Randy Albers Ph.D - 312-344-7616
Office Information: 624 S. Michigan, Room 1200. Phone: 312-344-7611, Email: ahemenway@colum.edu