Creative Writing

Degree Type
Department English
Academic Division The College
Offerings
At W&L, creative writing is embedded in the study of literature. Students read widely; practice critical analysis; study the forms, modes and histories of literature in English; and develop their own writing through creative exercises and workshop critique. Small classes, dedicated faculty and a lively program of extracurricular offerings foster a supportive and challenging writing community.

Why Study Creative Writing at W&L?

Although the minor in creative writing is relatively new, Washington and Lee University has cultivated great student and faculty writing for decades through the English Department and the literary magazine. Distinguished alumni include Tom Wolfe, Marshall Boswell, Mark Richard, Christian Wiman, Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Rebecca Makkai, Matthew Neill Null and Suzanne LaFleur. Previous faculty members include Claudia Emerson, Dabney Stuart, Heather Ross Miller, Asali Solomon and Jasmin Darznik. English faculty who are creative writers include professors Gordon Ball, Laura Brodie, Freddy Fuentes, Chris Gavaler, Leah Green, Deborah Miranda, Bill Oliver, Beth Staples and Lesley Wheeler. 

The English Department offers a popular creative writing minor. Students do not need to be English majors to minor in creative writing; most major in other subjects.

Scholarships, Internships and Awards

The English Department offers a variety of scholarships as well as awards for both creative and critical writing. Shenandoah has published fiction, poetry and nonfiction from an astounding list of writers including Wallace Stevens, Flannery O’Connor, e. e. cummings, Rita Dove, Ha Jin and many others over its nearly 70-year history.

Students enrolled in the Shenandoah internship are not only afforded a unique opportunity to participate in literary history, but also to learn the art, craft and business of publishing. A look behind the scenes at a working magazine is a valuable experience for writers and non-writers alike, and promises the hands-on development of skills relevant to a variety of fields after graduation. Students practice and learn substantive literary editing, copyediting, professional communication, balancing a budget, how to design publicity material, strategies for social media management and website maintenance, to name a few, under the mentorship of a professional editor with many years of experience in both academia and publishing.

Genelle Gertz

Department Head
P: 540-458-8763
E: gertzg@wlu.edu

Sandra H. O'Connell

Administrative Assistant
P: 540-458-8756
E: oconnells@wlu.edu

Sample Courses

At W&L, we believe education and experience go hand-in-hand. You'll be encouraged to dive in, explore and discover connections that will broaden your perspective.
ARTS 215

Creating Comics

A course which is both a creative-writing and a studio-art course. Students study graphic narratives as an art form that combines image-making and storytelling, producing their own multi-page narratives through the "writing" of images. The course includes a theoretical overview of the comics form, using a range of works as practical models.

ENGL 207

Eco-Writing

An expeditionary course in environmental creative writing. We take weekly "expeditions" including creative writing hikes, a landscape painting exhibit, and a Buddhist monastery. We also research the science and social science of the ecosystems explored, as well as the language of those ecosystems.

ENGL 307

The Poetics of Food

This class visits fresh/local/wild food venues each week, where sensory explorations focus on all aspects of foraging, creating, adapting and eating food. Coursework includes guided writing exercises based on the landscape/geography of food both in the field and classroom, with in-depth readings that help us turn topics like food politics, food insecurity, sustainable agriculture and genetically modified foods into poetry.

ENGL 203-209

Topics in Creative Writing

Workshops, literary study and critical writing focused on a variety of creative writing topics across multiple courses. Topics include the practice of writing short fiction, the practice of writing poetry, playwriting and nonfiction.

Meet the Faculty

At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Genelle Gertz Professor of English and Chair, English Department
Gertz teaches courses on Milton, the Tudors and the Bible. She is currently working on methods of social network analysis as they apply to our understanding of the rise and fall of women mystics in English literary history.
Chris Gavaler Associate Professor of English
Gavaler teaches courses on creative writing, contemporary fiction and comics, which are also his main areas of research.
Deborah A. Miranda Thomas H. Broadus Professor of English
Miranda primarily teaches courses on creative writing (poetry and memoir) and contemporary American literature by authors from the margins of U.S. culture. Her research pertains to Native American and Chicana/o poetry and fiction, women’s literature and LGBTQ literature.
Lesley Wheeler Henry S. Fox Professor of English
Wheeler teaches courses in poetry, creative writing and speculative fiction. Her research interests include 20th- and 21st-century poetry in English, especially as it involves sound, gender, politics and world-building.
Beth A. Staples Visiting Assistant Professor and Editor, Shenandoah
Staples supervises internships in editing and publishing for Shenandoah, W&L’s literary magazine, and teaches creative writing courses and first-year writing seminars.