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Creative Writing

Creative expression is an art, a talent, and a skill – at ONU, you’ll develop all of these. You’ll discover ways to turn your imagination and your passion for the English language into a career that brings you a lifetime of fulfillment.

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Arts & Sciences School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Unleash your literary potential

Programs like English and Creative Writing open up a whole new world for students. Tap through this carousel and click on the captions to explore the real-world impact our students, faculty, and alumni are making every day.

Beyond Writing

Brian Lutz posing in front of book collection

Banned books course scrutinizing literary censorship and civic engagement

Students posing with banned books

Mallory Orick - World Explorer

Mallory with a koala bear

Chrysania Goldy - Inauguration Poet

Chrysania Goldy at Inauguration

Senior Capstones Rediscovered

Alum opens up his rediscovered capstone project

Professor Jen Pullen advances magic fantasy fiction

Jen Pullen with her book

Here, you’ll join a close-knit family of English language lovers. From the time you arrive on campus until you graduate, you’ll be guided by the same faculty advisor. You’ll enjoy small class sizes and amazing friendships with your fellow English majors. Our dedicated professors will get to know you. They will support you in your coursework, creative endeavors, internships, and post-graduate or career preparations. They will become personally invested in your success and will open doors for you. 

As a creative writing major, you’ll take liberal arts courses and write across a wide range of genres like poetry, fiction, drama, and creative nonfiction. In your fiction writing classes, you can write the kind of fiction you want to write, including the ability to focus on developing your craft in science fiction, fantasy, or horror. You'll learn from the author of the first textbook ever published on writing fantasy fiction.

You’ll also get the chance to write and to work on University publications, including Polaris, ONU’s undergraduate literary magazine and the Northern Review, ONU’s digital newspaper.

Our small setting equals big opportunity. From attending professional conferences to taking a master class with a professional writer or editor, from our study abroad and internship experiences to career-exploration courses like Words at Work and Writing for Publication, you’ll discover countless opportunities to expand your horizons and build your résumé. 

Upon graduation, you’ll have everything you need for success – advanced writing skills, a portfolio of work, savvy “real-world” skills like teamwork, leadership, and confidence. You’ll be ready to flex your creative muscles wherever your career takes you!

CREATIVE WRITING COURSES, CURRICULUM & PROGRAM RESOURCES

Consider combining a creative writing major with a major/minor in another area of interest. Take courses like: Literature and the Environment, Creative Writing Workshop, Teaching Writing, Young Adult (YA) Literature, Screenwriting, Writing for Advocacy and Action, and Writing for Publication.

  • Four-Year Curriculum
  • Talent Awards
  • Learning Outcomes
  • Faculty
Polar Bears Badge

Solid Outcomes

Gain knowledge and a skill set that is valuable in every industry.

  • 100% placement rate in graduate school/law school within 6 months of graduation
  • 82% placement rate in full-time employment within 6 months of graduation
  • Top 200 program for creative students according to Creative Colleges: A Guide for Students, Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers
  • Top 12 ONU is ranked in the top 12 small colleges in the Midwest by the Wall Street Journal

What will I learn as a Creative Writing student?

- Editing, revising, and publication techniques
- Writing for the page, stage, and screen
- Critical and creative thinking skills
- Peer workshopping skills
- Literary analysis and interpretation
- Communication and collaboration skills

creative writing student

Ignite your passion

We built internships into our curriculum to give you the opportunity to forge professional connections and enhance your resume. As a creative writing major, you will gain experience at an internship, on a campus publication, in the classroom, or through a study abroad. Not only will you earn college credit, you will gain knowledge that will set you apart from the rest.

Pella Corporation
Marathon Oil
Cuyahoga Juvenile Court
ArtSpace/Lima
Findlay Courier
Bluffton Icon
The Roger’s Company
Whirlpool Corporation

Careers you can get with a creative writing degree:

- Novelist, Poet, or Screenwriter
- Teacher or Professor
- Editor or Publisher
- Librarian or Archivist
- Producer or Content Creator
- Executive Leadership

Reading Series - interact with published writers

Personally meet and converse with renowned and up-and-coming writers by the time you graduate! Since 2012, our Reading Series has brought several professional authors to campus every year. These writers represent a wide variety of styles and genres, including poetry, fiction, science fiction, screenwriting and memoir. Our small size means you get face-to-face time with these writers. They will give you advice on how to improve your writing and tell you what it takes to succeed in the real world. Other schools don't offer this opportunity at the undergraduate level.

Tobias Buckell "The Tangled Lands" Accolades: World Fantasy Award 2019, NYTimes bestselling writer

The Tangled Lands by Tobias Bucknell book cover

Leyna Krow Im Fine But You Appear to Be Sinking Leyna's short story "Sinkhole" has been purchased by Jordan Peele to be made into a film

creative writing I’m Fine But You Appear to Be Sinking cover

Sue Burke "Semiosis" Accolades: SFFWorld: Best of the Decade list 2011-2020, Arthur C. Clarke Award 2018 shortlist, John W. Campbell Memorial Award finalist, Forbes Best Science Fiction Books of 2018, Vulture – 10 Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2018

Semiosis by Sue Burke

Madeline ffitch "Stay and Fight" Accolades include: Finalist, Pen/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, Finalist: LA Times Book Prize for Fiction, Finalist: Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, Finalist Washington State Book Awards

Stay and Fight by Madeline ffitch book cover

Mindy McGinnis “Heroine”

creative writing heroine cover

Rebecca Morgan Frank “Sometimes We’re All Living in a Foreign Country”

creative writing Sometimes We’re All Living in a Foreign Country cover

Elissa Washuta “My Body is a Book of Rules"

creative writing My Body is a Book of Rules cover

Virginia Konchan “The End of the Spectacle”

creative writing The End of the Spectacle cover

Ghassan Zeineddine "Dearborn"

Dearborn book cover
English is a perfect pathway for multi-passionate individuals, because it gives them the chance to combine their interests to find the best possible job for their individual skill set. I know my hard work in English will land me exactly where I need to be.
Lauren Childs, Creative Writing Major
transfer students campus
language arts education Polaris magazine class

Experience the world of publishing

Polaris Literary Magazine is a professional literary journal with a national and international reach. You could help produce Polaris working in a paid staff position.

Polaris has repeatedly received Best in Show at the National College Media Convention, outperforming similar magazines at Texas A&M, the University of Hawaii, and the University of North Carolina. Approaching its 70th anniversary, Polaris is one of the oldest student-managed literary magazines in the United States. And unlike many other literary magazines, Polaris offers paid editorial positions exclusively for students.
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Collaborate with professors

A family atmosphere and professors who care: that’s what you’ll find in the halls of Dukes Memorial. Professors will collaborate with you on ambitious and creative projects.

creative writing poet reading
creative writing English class
Khaty Xiong reading
creative writing Polaris class
Students listen to a reading at Ohio northern university
creative writing class
creative writing dukes building exterior
Students listen to a reading at Ohio northern university

Students learning the art of papermaking

Students learning the art of papermaking
  • Immerse yourself in a different culture; it will make you a better writer. Our Study Abroad program has affiliations with several universities in foreign countries. Our students have studied abroad in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, in recent years.

     

  • Sharpen your writing and editing skills by working for an ONU print or online publications such as Northern Review (ONU’s digital newspaper) or  Polaris (ONU’s undergraduate literary magazine). You’ll develop professional skills and a portfolio of writing samples. Learn more about Northern Review and the value of rural journalism through this video produced by communications student Evelyn Megery`26.

  • Do you tell your friends about your favorite books? Do you enjoy sipping coffee in a bookstore? Do you love talking about the Oxford comma? Would you have fun at a national conference filled with English majors? If you answered yes to any of the above, then Sigma Tau Delta – ONU’s chapter of the international English honorary society – is for you.

    Sigma Tau Delta--#1 in Ohio. For five years in a row, Ohio Northern has led the state in the number of students attending the Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society conference. Why? Because our professors work with you one-on-one to shape your creative or critical ideas, sharpen them through individualized workshops, and offer expert guidance to help you succeed in nationwide competitions.

  • We offer a variety of for-credit internships and/or student employment opportunities through ONU’s Heterick Memorial Library, ONU’s Taggart Law Library, and the Ada Public Library. Summer internships can be arranged with a local library with approval of the librarian and the department chair.

Allison Young
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I knew I wanted to do something with writing and storytelling, but my experience with ONU has really solidified what that might actually look like in practice. My experience at ONU has helped me to discover just how many different careers there are for writers, and how one might go about pursuing them.
Allison Young, creative writing and professional writing major

End game: a fulfilling creative writing career

A creative writing major opens many doors and will give you the skillset and resilience to pursue either a traditional or creative employment path. Creative writing alumni are employed by well-known corporations, start-ups, non-profits. They excel in professions such as education, law, and librarianship.

Creative writing alumni currently work for well-known employers including:

American Honda Company
AV Club (pop culture writing for the pop obsessed)
Marathon Oil
October Research, LLC (a law firm that specializes in real estate transactions and home ownership)
Pella Corporation
Riot Games (developer of League of Legends)
Subterranean Press
Cincinnati Enquirer
Toledo Blade
The Walt Disney Company
Whirlpool Corporation
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (an international law firm ranked among the top-20 in innovation)
WLIO-TV


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  • Walt Disney World employs ONU engineers
  • manufacturing technology Whirlpool logo
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  • Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP logo
  • WLIO-TV logo
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Creative Writing at onu

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