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Creative Writing

Students who major in English with a creative writing concentration focus their studies in either poetry or fiction, but all will write in more than one genre before they graduate. Creative writing workshops, where students’ works are the main texts, form the bulk of the curriculum, particularly at the more advanced levels; it’s in this way that students develop not only their writing skills but also their critical reviewing and thinking skills.

Our graduates have gone on to many different careers — far from being a narrowly-focused degree, a major in creative writing serves a wide variety of careers well, including editing, publishing, advertising, marketing, public relations, teaching, law and more. Whatever field they choose, what’s common is that they do uncommonly well. (Just this past year, one of our graduates received mention in the famed Best American series.)

For requirements and electives, visit our undergraduate major requirements page.

For more information, contact our coordinator:

Professor Liam Callanan [email protected] Curtin Hall 593

Creative Writing Core Faculty

MFA Faculty & Staff

Amy Quan Barry , Lorraine Hansberry Professor of English, Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellowship Program (MFA: University of Michigan) is the author of the poetry collections Auction , Asylum ,  Controvertibles ,  Water Puppets , and  Loose Strife , as well as the novels  She Weeps Each Time You’re Born ,  We Ride Upon Sticks , which was awarded the American Library Association’s Alex Award, and the 2022 release  When I’m Gone, Look for Me in the East . Barry is one of a select group of writers to receive NEA fellowships in both poetry and fiction. She is Forward Theater’s first ever Writer-in-Residence, and her first play production, The Mytilenean Debate , was staged in spring 2022.

FACULTY EMERIT

Jesse Lee Kercheval , Zona Gale Professor of English Emerit (retired) was the founding director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing and Director of the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing from 1994–2010. She is the author of the 15 books of poetry, fiction and nonfiction in English. Her most recent title is the poetry collection, America That Island Off the Coast of France . Her translations of the Uruguayan poet Circe Maia have appeared in Agni , the Gettysburg Review , the American Poetry Review , jubilat and Pleiades among other magazines, and she is the editor of América Invertida: an Anthology of Younger Uruguayan Poets , published by the University of New Mexico Press. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Radcliffe Research and Study Center at Harvard.

Judith Claire Mitchell , Professor Emerit (retired) served for many years as Director of the Creative Writing Program. She is the author of the novels A Reunion of Ghosts (2015) and The Last Day of the War (2004). Her stories and poetry appear in anthologies and literary magazines such as Best of the Fiction Workshops , Shaping the Story , Behind the Short Story , Barnstorming , The Iowa Review , Prairie Schooner , StoryQuarterly , and others.

Lorrie Moore , Delmore Schwartz Professor Emerit in the Humanities (retired) is the author of the short story collections Self-Help , Like Life , Birds of America , Bark , and two volumes of  Collected Stories plus the novels Anagrams , Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? , and A Gate at the Stairs . Her work appears in The New Yorker , The New York Review of Books , The New York Times , Paris Review , and many other literary publications. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Lannan Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Ronald Wallace , Felix Pollak Professor Emerit of Poetry & Halls-Bascom Professor Emeritus of English (retired) is the founder of both the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Program in Creative Writing and the University of Wisconsin Press’s Wisconsin Poetry Series. He is the author of twelve books, the most recent of which is For a Limited Time Only . He has published poetry and stories in The New Yorker , The Atlantic , The Nation , Poetry , Paris Review , and many other literary publications.

How to Become a Writer in Wisconsin with a BFA, MFA or Similar Creative Writing Degree

Written by Catherine Dorian

Writers thrive when they have the freedom to discover and explore their inner voice. But writers also need community; we find inspiration and novelty in comradery with other storytellers, poets, and thinkers.

It’s no surprise that the Midwest has long been a region for creatives. Its sprawling fields, scattered lakes, wild woodlands, and combination of eclectic rural communities along with its vibrant cities meet the unique needs of the artistic mind. And in the state of Wisconsin, the pioneering writer has long been an integral contributor to the area’s culture.

Modern Literary Greats that Left Their Mark on Wisconsin

Modern writer of literary fiction Jane Hamilton, a recipient of the PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award for her novel The Book of Ruth, also started her career in Wisconsin. But Wisconsin doesn’t only cultivate nature-writers and small-town stories. Screenwriter, TV series writer, novelist, and social commentator John Ridley IV ( 12 Years a Slave, American Crime) spent most of his childhood outside Milwaukee.

Due to its longstanding community of writers, Wisconsin boasts a robust literary heritage. Though humble in spirit, the state embraces its culture for storytelling, thinking, and learning. Several English Departments across the University of Wisconsin system have developed their own literary publications and publishing houses, which offer a platform for the state’s diverse talent. The Sheepshead Review of the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and the Midwest Review have both featured some of America’s premier short story and nonfiction essay authors, including Dennis Day and Pardeep Toor.

Between its workshops, literary publications, and indie publishing houses, Wisconsin proves itself to be a space for writers to learn and to grow, whether you’re an aspiring undergrad looking for a BA or BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) or are well on your way with your sights set on an MA or Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing. And as a writer, you know that learning and growth are at the heart of our craft.

Wisconsin’s Creative Writing Classes, Courses, and Workshops Can Prepare You for a Creative Writing Degree

Any writer will tell you that success comes from consistency and your own hunger for challenge. Enter contests, submit your work for publishing, subject your prose to scrutiny—it’s all part of the process for building your portfolio of work.

Wisconsin’s writers and writing teachers already offer several workshops, conferences, and classes that will give you the formative experience that can help you succeed when you’re enrolled in an intensive residency or bachelor’s degree.

Wisconsinites are eager to support the state’s writers and build a vibrant community to sustain its literary legacy. Jodie Mortag, Assistant Professor of Writing at Lakeland University, hosts the annual Great Lakes Writers Festival, where writers across all genres, ages, and regions of the Midwest gather for free workshops and networking events. You read that right: free. Jodie even provides a special event for high school writers. The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters also offers a robust catalogue of workshops taught by local writers, including the intensive “Write Your Novel in Eight Weeks” and courses specifically for naturalists, nonfiction writers, and poets.

When it comes to writing, Wisconsinites are also good at finding their people. Red Oak Writing offers retreats and roundtables for young, emerging writers who benefit from building a support network. Wisconsin has its own chapter of Romance Writers of America, and they offer workshops in various areas around the state. The aspiring crime novelist or murder mystery fanatic can even attend the Writer’s Police Academy, a training on true crime, done by law enforcement officers and forensic scientists who know their genre in real life.

Getting involved in the writing community is also about getting involved in the literary community. The Wisconsin Book Festival, offered through the Madison Public Library Foundation, hosts free events that feature public authors and conversations year-round—and the conference has featured an impressive catalogue of prize-winning authors (Jane Smiley, Stacey Abrams, and Mark Bittman, just to name a few!).

Besides attending workshops and conferences, Wisconsin writers are also dedicated to grassroots efforts that build communities of writers. If you’re looking for a writing group in your area of the state, check out the Wisconsin Writers Association. On their website, you can make your own profile and look for one of their registered writing groups—or you can start your own. They also keep an updated list of all the state’s workshops and conferences. You can consider them your database for writing in the state, especially if you’re just getting started.

Between its opportunities for publication and for learning from and with writers across all levels of experience, Wisconsin proves itself to be a hub of inspiration and vibrant culture for writers. You can amass a plethora of skills and tips by immersing yourself in the writing community.

If attending workshops and taking courses helps you find other writers and practice your skill, you’ll find a special sense of intimacy and support in any of the rigorous creative writing programs offered at Wisconsin’s colleges and universities.

Writing Colleges in Wisconsin Offering Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Creative Writing Provide a Path to Becoming a Writer

Of course, earning a bachelor’s or master’s degree in creative writing can help you hone your skills and join a community of fellow artists. If you’re in Wisconsin, you have several options for college-level programs, all of which will challenge you with instruction on narrative technique and workshops where you’ll learn to improve your work based on feedback.

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Other Bachelor’s Degrees in Creative Writing in Wisconsin

Beloit college.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Accreditation: HLC

Degree: Bachelor – BA

Private School

• English-Creative Writing

Cardinal Stritch University

HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT

• Creative Writing (Writing, Cultural Studies)

Lakeland University

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND FINE ARTS

Degree: Bachelor – BFA

• Creative Writing

Northland College

St. Norbert College

DIVISION OF HUMANITIES

• English-Creative Writing emphasis

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Degree: Bachelor – BFA, BA

Public School

• BFA - Writing and Applied Arts
• BA - English-Creative Writing emphasis

University of Wisconsin-Madison

COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE

• English-Creative Writing track

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Other Master’s Degrees in Creative Writing in Wisconsin

Degree:  Master – MFA