Program Overview
The English Department offers two majors/minors: English: Literature and English: Creative Writing.
English: Creative Writing models ways to move audiences with words. Since writing and reading are inextricably intertwined, students engage with some of the newest and oldest writers in English as they develop their own voices and hone their craft. In creative writing workshops, students explore multiple genres and approach each other’s work with insight and care.
In a world where communication skills are paramount, the career possibilities for English: Creative Writing majors reach every sector of the workforce. Our students pursue rewarding careers in education, publishing, journalism, business, libraries, the arts, and more. Our students also attend graduate programs in creative writing and write and publish books.
Program Highlights
Explore Writing Across Genres
Experiment with forms ranging from lyric essays and science fiction to sonnets, nature writing, and more.
Learn from Published Authors
Study with award-winning faculty who bring active experience in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry to the classroom.
Strengthen Your Craft Through Reading
Discover practical lessons about language, structure, and style by reading writers from the past and present alongside your own creative work.
Develop Your Distinctive Voice
Grow in a highly personalized program that supports your individual perspective and challenges you to define success on your own terms.
Spotlight
Lawrentian Spotlight
Alumni Perspective
“I think that is something I learned at Lawrence, or that I came to value at Lawrence. The privilege of intellectual freedom, the privilege to think about the things you want to think about, the privilege to pursue the lines of inquiry you want to pursue. For me, that line of inquiry is simply how to understand the human experience, how to convey human experience, how to bring the past to life in ways that possibly can help us to not repeat the same mistakes.”
Ellen Baker ’97
Novelist Round Pond
Maine
Types of Degrees
Students may pursue a Bachelor of Arts with a major or minor in English: Creative Writing. English: Creative Writing is a popular minor among students.
Advising
At Lawrence, academic advising helps you shape an educational experience that reflects your interests, goals, and aspirations. Your faculty advisor will support you as you plan your path, connect with campus resources and communities, and make informed decisions that prepare you for a meaningful and fulfilling future.
Get Started
Fill out the form below and a Lawrence University academic advisor will be in touch shortly!
Faculty
Engage deeply and collaboratively with professors who are experts in their field and committed to supporting your education.
Chairs
David E. McGlynn (He / Him)
Professor of English
I teach courses in creative writing, particularly fiction and nonfiction, as well as contemporary American literature. I'm the author of several books, including the novels, Everything We Could Do and Liberal…
View Full ProfileAll Faculty
Celia B. Barnes (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor of English
I teach courses in Restoration and eighteenth-century British literature. When I'm not geeking out on all things eighteenth-century, I love to cook–and I've been known to watch marathons of true-crime…
View Full Profile
Karen A. Hoffmann (She/her/hers)
Associate Professor of English
I teach courses in the English department and the Ethnic Studies program, such as Literature of the Harlem Renaissance, Toni Morrison, Expressions of Ethnicity: Ethnicity and the Arts, and Gender…
View Full Profile
Claire E. Kervin (she/her)
Adjunct Associate Professor of English and Director of Fellowships Advising
As a faculty member, I teach courses in the English and Environmental Studies departments on topics including unreliable narrators, multiethnic literature, and environmental justice. My research interests center on modern…
View Full Profile
Lena L. Khor (she/her)
Associate Professor of English
I love reading literature: It teaches, delights, and moves me. I enjoy sharing my love of literature with others through my research and teaching. My research areas are human rights…
View Full Profile David E. McGlynn (He / Him)
Professor of English
I teach courses in creative writing, particularly fiction and nonfiction, as well as contemporary American literature. I'm the author of several books, including the novels, Everything We Could Do and Liberal…
View Full Profile
Melissa H. Range (she/her)
Associate Professor of English
I teach courses in creative writing (poetry), nineteenth century American literature, and contemporary poetry, with particular emphasis on women writers and writers of color. I'm the author of two collections…
View Full Profile
Austin Segrest (he/him)
Associate Professor of English
charles.a.segrest@lawrence.edu
I teach classes in English and Creative Writing as well as First-Year Studies. My literary specialties are contemporary and 17th-century poetry. I also teach classes in Puritan New England literature.…
View Full Profile
Timothy A. Spurgin
Bonnie Glidden Buchanan Professor of English Literature and Associate Professor of English
timothy.a.spurgin@lawrence.edu
Dr. Timothy Spurgin is a distinguished faculty member at Lawrence University, holding the position of Bonnie Glidden Buchanan Professor of English Literature and Associate Professor of English. He has been…
View Full ProfileLearning Spaces
You can find Creative Writing students at Lawrence workshopping in a classroom in Main Hall, giving readings in the Wriston Art Galleries and at local cafés, collaborating with Conservatory musicians, publishing in local arts journals, and participating in literary doings in the artsy town of Appleton. A bit farther afield, students have opportunities to work with visiting writers at Björklunden, Lawrence’s retreat center on Lake Michigan. Students also work with visiting artists, scholars, and community leaders in the Humanities Center in Hall Commons, a state-of-the-art facility built in 2025.
