Creative Writing & Journalism Courses

Spring 2024 Courses for Yale College Students

A current (and continually updated) listing of all English course offerings is available on Yale Course Search (YCS).

Some courses will require an application in advance; a list will be posted here by Monday, October 16. Those applications will be due by noon on November 1. Applicants will be notified of decisions by November 9. When registration period begins, admitted students must add the course to their Registration Worksheet and request Instructor Permission in YCS. Instructors will approve admitted student requests in YCS; approved students must then return to YCS to Confirm Changes and complete registration in the course. Admitted students who do not complete registration in the course by December 1 may have their places filled from the waiting list. Applicants who submit after the November 1 deadline may be accepted to the waiting list.

Online Application Tip: log into your Microsoft account using your Yale email address and password. Please note that if you are trying to access the form while logged into any email on your browser that is not your Yale one, the page will not load.

Where no application is required in advance, students may enroll during registration period by submitting an instructor permission request through YCS or by enrolling on a first-come-first-served basis, depending on the course. Please check the course sites on Canvas for further information; these can be accessed through YCS by clicking on the Syllabus link in the course window.

Proposals for independent study courses are due at noon on November 6. Students will be notified by 5:00 pm on November 13 whether the proposal has been approved or revisions are required.

Introductory Creative Writing Courses

ENGL 123 Introduction to Creative Writing. Richard Deming and Derek Green.

ENGL 404 The Craft of Fiction. Adam Sexton.

ENGL 406 The Craft of Poetry. Maggie Millner.

Professional Writing/Production Courses

These courses do not count toward the Creative Writing Concentration.

ENGL 413 Literary Production: Prose. James Surowiecki.

ENGL 421 Styles of Academic and Professional Prose. Lincoln Caplan, Randi Epstein, Kate Bolick, Pamela Newton, Adam Sexton, and Kim Shirkhani. See expanded individual section descriptions here.

Intermediate Creative Writing Courses

ENGL 407 Fiction Writing. Marie-Helene Bertino. Download the application for ENGL 407 here.

ENGL 416 Writing from the Archive: Imagining the Real. Adina Hoffman

ENGL 423 Writing about the Performing Arts. Margaret Spillane.

ENGL 425 Writing the Television Drama. Derek Green.

ENGL 428 Young Adult Writing. Jake Halpern. Log into the application for ENGL 428 here.

ENGL 429 Writing Humor. Ryan Wepler. Log into the application for ENGL 429 here.

ENGL 436 Narrative Podcasts. Aaron Tracy.

ENGL 438 Writing Fiction from the Archives. Anthony Marra.

ENGL 439 Speculative Fiction Workshop. Marie-Helene Bertino. Download the application for ENGL 439 here.

ENGL 450 Daily Themes. Andrew Ehrgood. Download the application for ENGL 450 here.

LITR 346/LITR 456 The Practice of Literary Translation. Peter Cole. See Canvas site for further instruction.

Advanced Creative Writing and Journalism Courses

ENGL 453 Playwriting. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Download the application for ENGL 453 here.

ENGL 455 Writing about Oneself. Anne Fadiman. Download the application for ENGL 455 here.

ENGL 460 Advanced Poetry Writing. Cynthia Zarin. Download the application for ENGL 460 here.

ENGL 461 The Art and Craft of Television Drama. Aaron Tracy. Download the application for ENGL 461 here.

ENGL 462 Writing Screenplay Adaptations. Donald Margulies. Download the application for ENGL 462 here.

ENGL 464 Breathing Poetry into the Archives. Natalie Diaz. Download the application for ENGL 464 here.

ENGL 465 Advanced Fiction Writing. Amity Gaige. Download the application for ENGL 465 here.

ENGL 467 Journalism. Susan Dominus. Download the application for ENGL 467 here.

ENGL 478 Writing about Place. Cynthia Zarin. Download the application for ENGL 478 here.

ENGL 480 Writing About Justice and Injustice. Sarah Stillman. Download the application for ENGL 480 here.

THST 322/ENGL 481 Adanced Playwriting. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Complete the application for THST 322 here by noon on November 3.

Independent Study

ENGL 487 Tutorial in Writing. Staff. Download the application for ENGL 487 here.

ENGL 489 The Creative Writing Concentration Senior Project. Staff. Download the application for ENGL 489  here .

Questions? Contact Erica Sayers or Jane Bordiere.