Are you a student at Monmouth College, or a member of the Monmouth community, looking to become a more engaged literary citizen? At Monmouth, there are several options for writers and readers who wish to become better, more engaged, literary citizens.  

Creative Writing Courses: For students who wish to improve their writing and challenge themselves with new genres of writing, or simply gain appreciation for the type of work that goes into writing well, Monmouth College offers two creative writing courses:

ENGL 210: Intro to Creative Writing

In this course, students aim to develop reflective habits of reading and writing that will aid them in becoming more accomplished writers of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.  In addition to sharpening their writing skills, students learn how to support and critique their peers and other writers.  By the end of the term, students develop awareness of effective creative writing and of their own strengths and weaknesses as a writer in all three genres, as they produce a portfolio that provides evidence of their growth as writers.

ENGL 310: Advanced Creative Writing

An extension of Intro to Creative Writing, students in Advanced Creative Writing are given the opportunity to develop their capacities as reflective readers, considering what it means to read as a writer. Writers generate, draft and polish an extended piece of collection of prose, poetry or drama. The goals is to also become more careful readers of their peers’ work, offering constructive feedback in a workshop format  and to begin to understand and enter into the larger public life of creative writing by means of exposure to publishing outlets, editorial projects, attending public readings and submitting selected work for possible publication, and ultimately, to consider their roles as literary citizens. 

Coil 

For students interested in publishing their writing, Coil is a creative arts magazine that is published annually by the students of Monmouth College.  Students and faculty of the college may submit works of original literary or visual art, which are reviewed and chosen by a student editorial staff.  The publication is distributed each spring.

Annual Reading Series During the 2013-2014 academic school year at Monmouth College, we were lucky enough to have a record breaking number of visiting writers come to campus and read their work as a part of our readers’ series.

• Eric Rohman
• Candace Fleming
• Ted Sanders
• Matthew Minicucci
• Jensen Beach
• Erin Keane
• Robert Hellenga
• David McGlynn
• Tania Runyan
• Marci Rae Johnson

These readings are open to the public, and are promoted on the college website, social media pages affiliated with the college (Facebook, Twitter) and bulletin boards all over campus.