princeton phd creative writing

Department of English

Graduate Program Overview

Ph.D. Program in English at Princeton

The aim of the Princeton graduate program in English is to produce well-trained and field-transforming scholars, insightful and imaginative critics, and effective and creative teachers. The Ph.D. program is both rigorous and supportive. With two years of coursework and three years of research and teaching, all fully funded, it is possible to complete the degree in five years. We offer multiple funding opportunities for research fellowships in year six, should students need additional time for dissertation completion and for the academic job market, or for pursuing other career opportunities.

Princeton is a research institution with strengths across the disciplines, but it maintains a feeling of intimacy. In keeping with the goals of the University at large, the Department of English seeks to cultivate and sustain a  diverse , cosmopolitan, and lively intellectual community. Because this is a residential university, whose traditions emphasize teaching as well as research, the faculty is easily accessible to students and committed to their progress.

The  faculty  of the Department of English is notable for its world-renowned scholarly reputation, and commitment to teaching and close collaboration with colleagues and students. The faculty showcases wide-ranging interdisciplinary interests as well as a diverse range of critical approaches within the discipline. In addition to offering seminars in every major historical field of concentration, from medieval to contemporary literatures, we offer a wide range of theoretical specializations in fields such as feminist theory, gender and sexuality studies, psychoanalysis, Marxism, postcolonialism, environmental studies, political and social theory, and cultural studies. Students may also take courses in cognate departments such as comparative literature, classics, philosophy, linguistics, history, and art history.

Course of Study

The graduate program in English is a five-year program (with multiple opportunities for funding in year six) leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Students may not enroll for a Master of Arts degree. During the first two years, students prepare for the General Examination through work in seminars, and directed or independent reading. The third, fourth, and fifth years are devoted the writing of a dissertation, and to teaching in undergraduate courses. Through numerous funding opportunities, we are able to offer sixth-year students generous research support.

Although programs are flexible, during the first two years graduate students normally take an average of three courses per semester, to complete the required 12 courses by the end of the second year. The comprehensive General Examination is then taken at the beginning of the third year of study.

Students must also demonstrate a reading knowledge of two foreign languages before the completion of the General Examination.

Course Requirements

Graduate students are required to take a minimum of twelve courses over their first two years in the program, usually enrolling in three courses per semester.

Our distribution requirements are designed to acquaint each student with a diverse range of historical periods and thematic and methodological concerns. The Department values both historical expertise and theoretical inquiry, and assumes that our discipline includes the study of film, visual culture, and media studies.

Graduate Students in English must take courses in each of the following six areas:

• Medieval and Renaissance
• 18th Century and 19th Century
• Modern and Contemporary
• Race, Ethnicity, and Postcoloniality
• Gender and Sexuality

All distribution requirements must be taken for a letter grade. The six-course distribution requirement comprises 50% of the courses required for the degree, leaving sufficient room for intensive coursework in areas of specialization. 

While some graduate seminars may cover more than one field, students may not use one course to fulfill two or more distribution requirements at the same time. For example, a medieval course with a substantial commitment to theory may fulfill either the medieval and Renaissance or the theory requirements.

Each entering student is assigned a faculty advisor who works with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in planning course selection in the first and second years. After successfully submitting and presenting the dissertation proposal during the spring of the third year, students choose three faculty members to serve as their dissertation advisers.

Graduate Action Committee (GAC)

The Graduate Action Committee (GAC) is a representative group of graduate students in the Department that advocates for graduate student with faculty and administration. Among its primary goals are representing the concerns of the entire graduate student body, promoting intellectual and social interaction between faculty and graduate students, organizing an annual speaker series of distinguished academics, and improving the quality of graduate student life at Princeton. Every graduate student in the Department is welcome and encouraged to participate in GAC.

Working Group on Graduate Issues (WGGI)

The Working Group on Graduate Issues (WGGI) is a four- or five-person elected group of students who meet at several points during the academic year with the chair, director of graduate studies, and one additional faculty member to represent graduate student concerns.

In addition to participating in a variety of seminars and colloquia organized by the Department and other units at the University, graduate students are welcome to organize colloquia of their own. These may involve the discussion of an article or problem, the presentation of a paper, or a forum for debate.

Graduate students who have passed the General Examination are required to teach in undergraduate courses. While the minimum Department requirement is four hours, most students teach more than this. Students may conduct sections of large lecture courses, or direct precepts in upper-division courses. This teaching is supervised by experienced members of the faculty. The Department and University also offer, on an annual basis, a teacher training seminar and workshop. Advanced graduate students may co-design and co-teach courses with faculty through the  Collaborative Teaching Initiative . 

Library Collections

In addition to the general collections of Princeton’s libraries, Firestone Library has a number of special collections that are particularly rich in materials for study: one of the most important collections of medieval and renaissance manuscripts in the United States; works of the Restoration Period, with emphasis on drama; the theater collection, which contains materials for the study of theatrical history; extensive collections concerning the history and literature of the middle Atlantic and southern states; little poetry magazines; concrete and visual poetry; the Sinclair Hamilton Collection of American Illustrated books, 1670–1870; the Morris L. Parrish Collection of Victorian Novelists; the J. Harlin O’Connell Collection of the 1890's and the Gallatin Collection of Aubrey Beardsley; and the archives of major American publishing houses. The extensive Miriam Y. Holden Collection of Books on the History of Women is located adjacent to the Department’s literature collection in the Scribner Room.

Job Placement

We offer strong support and deep resources for students pursuing careers inside and outside academia. Our Job Placement and Career Resources page provides details, as well as information and statistics about recent academic appointments.

Admission  and Financial Aid

Competition for admission to the program is keen. About ten new students from a wide range of backgrounds are enrolled each year. The Department looks for candidates of outstanding ability and intellectual promise who have the potential to be lively, effective, and sympathetic scholars and teachers. Its judgments are based on letters of recommendation, transcripts, a personal statement, and a sample of the candidate’s academic writing. GRE scores are not required. Facility in foreign languages is also taken into account. To access the online application, please visit the  Graduate Admission Office .

All admitted students are fully funded. Fellowships are awarded by the Graduate School on the Department’s recommendation. Students are also eligible to apply for competitive external and internal fellowships, such as those offered by the Graduate School, the Center for Human Values, and the Center for the Study of Religion.

English Department

The Department offices, lecture halls, and seminar rooms are located in McCosh Hall. There are two libraries in McCosh Hall: the Thorp Library, home to the Bain-Swiggett Library of Contemporary Poetry, and the Hinds Library, the Department’s reading room and lounge. There is also a separate English Graduate Reading Room in Firestone Library, where reserve books for graduate seminars are kept on the shelves. It is adjacent to the Scribner Room, the Department's large non-circulating collection of books and journals.

The Graduate School provides University housing for about 65 percent of the graduate student body. New students have first priority. Although housing in the Princeton area is expensive, many graduate students find convenient and attractive private housing, sharing accommodations or investigating neighboring towns. There are also opportunities for graduate students to apply for resident positions in the undergraduate colleges.

Visiting Princeton

Applicants for admission are welcome to visit the campus at any time, and  tours  of the campus are available. Once the formal admissions period is over by the end of February, admitted students will be invited to campus and will have the opportunity to visit seminars, and meet with faculty and current graduate students.

Graduate School

General Information

Program offerings:, director of graduate studies:, graduate program administrator:.

The aim of the Princeton graduate program in English is to produce well-trained and field-transforming scholars, insightful and imaginative critics, and effective and creative teachers. With two years of coursework and three years of research and teaching, all fully funded, it is possible to complete the degree in five years. We offer multiple opportunities for a fully funded sixth-year, should students need additional time for dissertation completion.

In keeping with the goals of the University at large, the Department of English seeks to cultivate and sustain a diverse, cosmopolitan, and lively intellectual community. Because this is a residential university, whose traditions emphasize teaching as well as research, the faculty is easily accessible to students and committed to their progress.

The faculty of the Department of English is notable for its world-renowned scholarly reputation, and commitment to teaching and close collaboration with colleagues and students. The faculty showcases wide-ranging interdisciplinary interests as well as a diverse range of critical approaches. In addition to offering seminars in every major historical field of concentration, from medieval to contemporary literatures, we offer training in fields such as gender and sexuality studies, psychoanalysis, Marxism, American studies, African American studies, Latinx studies, Asian American studies, postcolonial studies, environmental humanities, digital humanities, political and social theory, book history, performance studies, film and media studies, and poetry and poetics. Students may also take courses in cognate departments such as comparative literature, classics, philosophy, linguistics, history, and art history.

Additional departmental requirements

Sample of critical writing, approximately 25 pages in length, preferably in the student’s proposed field of study. This sample must be a sustained piece of writing, not the total of several smaller works, and can be an excerpt from a larger work.

Program Offerings

Program offering: ph.d., program description.

The graduate program in English is a five-year program (with multiple opportunities for funding in the sixth year) leading to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. Students may not enroll for a Master of Arts degree. During the first two years, students prepare for the General Examination through work in seminars, and directed or independent reading. The third, fourth, and fifth years are devoted the writing of a dissertation, and to teaching in undergraduate courses. Through numerous funding opportunities, we are able to offer sixth-year students generous research support.

During the first two years of the program, graduate students normally take an average of three courses per semester, to complete the required 12 courses by the end of the second year. Each entering student is assigned a faculty adviser who works with the director of graduate studies to help plan course selection.

Our distribution requirements are designed to acquaint each student with a diverse range of historical periods and thematic and methodological concerns. The Department values both historical expertise and theoretical inquiry, and assumes that our discipline includes the study of film, visual culture, and media studies.

Graduate Students in English must take at least one course in each of the following six areas:

1. Medieval and Renaissance

2. 18th Century and 19th Century

3. Modern and Contemporary

5. Race, Ethnicity, and Postcoloniality

6. Gender and Sexuality

All distribution requirements must be taken for a letter grade. The six-course distribution requirement comprises 50% of the courses required for the degree, leaving sufficient room for intensive coursework in areas of specialization.

Although some graduate seminars may cover more than one field, students may not use one course to fulfill two or more distribution requirements. For example, a medieval course with a substantial commitment to theory may fulfill either the medieval and Renaissance or the theory requirements.

Language(s)

Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of two foreign languages as soon as possible after enrollment. The language requirement must be satisfied before the completion of the general examination.

General exam

The general examination, taken in October of the third year, is the main qualifying examination for the Ph.D. The purpose of this examination is to help students become strong job candidates with wide-ranging knowledge of two or more fields. The examination committee consists of three faculty members, who assist the student in preparing a reading list for the examination. Students elect to be examined either on two major fields, or one major and two minor fields. Students also decide, in consultation with their examination committee, which examination format is most appropriate for them: an eight-hour written examination, or a two- hour oral examination.

Qualifying for the M.A.

Students normally qualify for the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree on the way to the Ph.D. by completing the general examination. Students who leave the Ph.D. program for various reasons may also be awarded the M.A. by satisfactorily completing all required course work, the course distribution requirement, and the language requirement.

All graduate students who have passed the general examination are required to teach in undergraduate courses. Although the minimum Department requirement is four hours, most students teach more than this. The Department offers many opportunities for teaching experience in conjunction with its large and popular undergraduate program. Students may teach in the writing program, conduct sections of large lecture courses, or direct precepts in upper-division courses. This teaching is supervised by experienced members of the faculty. Additionally, several collaborative teaching opportunities with department faculty are available each year. The Department and University also offer, on an annual basis, teacher training seminars.

Post-Generals requirements

The third, fourth, and fifth years are devoted to teaching in undergraduate courses and to the writing of the dissertation. Through numerous funding opportunities, the Department offers sixth- year students generous support with time off from teaching to complete their dissertation. After completing the general examination, all students participate in a dissertation seminar led by a faculty member in which they draft a dissertation proposal. This dissertation proposal becomes the basis of a one-hour oral examination, after which students continue to work on the dissertation with the guidance of their faculty advisers. Upon successful submission of the dissertation proposal but no later than the beginning of the fourth year, each student chooses three Department faculty members who will serve as their dissertation advisers.

Dissertation and FPO

A final public oral examination is given after each candidate’s dissertation has been read and approved by their dissertation faculty advisers. The examination has two parts. The first consists of a twenty-minute lecture, covering the following topics: a justification of the subject treated; an account of possible methods of treating the subject and a justification of the method chosen; an account of any new contributions made; and a consideration of the possibility of future studies of the same kind, including an account of plans for future scholarship and publication. During the second part of the examination, the student answers a series of questions from advisers and other members of the audience. At the end of the FPO, faculty consult and offer feedback to the student.

• Simon E. Gikandi

Associate Chair

• Russ Leo (acting)
• Gayle Salamon

Director of Graduate Studies

• Joshua I. Kotin

Director of Undergraduate Studies

• Eduardo L. Cadava
• Andrew Cole
• Bradin T. Cormack
• Maria A. DiBattista
• Jill S. Dolan
• Jeff Dolven
• Diana J. Fuss
• William A. Gleason
• Gene Andrew Jarrett
• Claudia L. Johnson
• Meredith A. Martin
• Lee C. Mitchell
• Jeff Nunokawa
• Sarah Rivett
• Esther H. Schor
• D. Vance Smith
• Nigel Smith
• Robert E. Spoo
• Susan J. Wolfson

Associate Professor

• Zahid R. Chaudhary
• Sophie G. Gee
• Kinohi Nishikawa
• Tamsen O. Wolff
• Autumn M. Womack

Assistant Professor

• Monica Huerta
• Robbie Richardson

Lecturer with Rank of Professor

• Rhodri Lewis

Senior Lecturer

• Sarah M. Anderson
• Kristina Chesaniuk
• Spencer A. Strub

Visiting Professor

• Gauri Viswanathan

Visiting Lecturer

• Don Mee Choi

For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.

Permanent Courses

Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.

AAS 522 - Publishing Journal Articles in the Humanities and Social Sciences (also COM 522/ENG 504/GSS 503)

Aas 555 - toni morrison: texts and contexts (also eng 536), art 561 - painting and literature in nineteenth-century france and england (also eng 549/fre 561), com 532 - publishing articles in literature, art, and music studies journals (also art 531/eng 591/mus 533), com 535 - contemporary critical theories (also eng 538/ger 535), com 547 - the renaissance (also eng 530), com 553 - the eighteenth century in europe (also eng 546/gss 554), com 572 - introduction to critical theory (also eng 580/fre 555/ger 572), eng 511 - special studies in medieval literature, eng 514 - middle english religious literature, eng 522 - the renaissance in england, eng 523 - renaissance drama, eng 532 - early 17th century (also com 509), eng 543 - the 18th century, eng 545 - special studies in the 18th century, eng 550 - the romantic period, eng 553 - special studies in the nineteenth century, eng 555 - american literary traditions (also gss 555/las 505), eng 556 - african-american literature (also aas 556), eng 558 - american poetry, eng 559 - studies in the american novel, eng 563 - poetics, eng 565 - the victorian novel (also gss 565), eng 566 - studies in the english novel, eng 567 - special studies in modernism (also mod 569), eng 568 - criticism and theory (also ams 568/mod 568), eng 571 - literary and cultural theory (also aas 572/com 506), eng 572 - introduction to critical theory (also com 590/hum 572), eng 573 - problems in literary study (also com 596), eng 574 - literature and society, eng 581 - seminar in pedagogy, eng 582 - graduate writing seminar, env 596 - topics in environmental studies (also ams 596/eng 517/mod 596).

Undergraduate Announcement 2024 - 2025

Creative writing, general information, program offerings:, program offerings.

The Program in Creative Writing , part of the Lewis Center for the Arts,  with a minor in creative writing, like our present certificate students, will encounter a rigorous framework of courses. These courses are designed, first and foremost, to teach the students how to read like a writer, thoughtfully, artistically, curiously, with an open mind attuned to the nuances of any human situation. This skill is not only for students who plan to be professional writers, but most important, this is a skill we believe to be crucial for all students. The many courses offered by the creative writing department teach students how to structure a narrative and write it well; how to use lived experience in the compressed linguistic construct of a poem so that it provides a meaningful experience for a reader; how to think about, and undertake, the translation of a literary work into another literary work in another language; how to write and adapt literary narratives for a variety of screen media.

Goals for Student Learning

• The Art of Reading

A sophisticated reader of literature is one who reads with a discerning but not judgmental mind. Teaching the art of reading to our students is one of the most effective ways to prepare them to navigate a murky, complex and increasingly more contentious world.

• The Art of Writing

Whether the students work in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction or screenwriting, our goal is to teach students to write clearly and dynamically, to communicate complex ideas, and to distill experience into arts.

• The Art of Exploration

We encourage our students to expand their horizons by learning new approaches and trying new genres, whether a poet trying out digital storytelling, or a prose writer creating a novel in verse. We encourage our students to bring their writings out to the world and to bring the world into their writing.

• Public Service and Global Citizenship

A writer in today’s world is not a hermit writing from the top of a tower. Our minor program aims to promote the values inherent in the University’s unofficial motto, “In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity,” to draw from the model of Toni Morrison, and to cultivate a younger generation of writers who will be engaging with the public thoughtfully and meaningfully.

Prerequisites

For the minor program, our goal is to guide students through a course of study that begins with introductory courses, and then combines courses at advanced levels with cross-listed and approved courses offered by other units. The minor in creative writing includes a total of five courses. At least three of these must be CWR courses (cross-listed courses will also count). The final two courses can be CWR courses or, with the approval of the program director, up to two additional literature or comparative literature courses. To be eligible to apply for the minor, students must have taken the three creative writing courses by the end of their junior year. Senior year is focused on development of students' independent work.

As an example of a pathway through the minor, students typically enroll in two to three 200-level courses during their first and second years at Princeton. These include intro to fiction writing, intro to poetry, intro to translation and intro to screenwriting. Students who have taken two 200-level courses are allowed to register for 300- and 400-level courses, including advanced fiction writing, advanced poetry writing, advanced translation and advanced screenwriting.

Admission to the Program

In the spring semester of junior year, students apply to be admitted to the creative writing program for independent work during their senior year.

Program of Study

Students admitted to the minor program will have one year of one-on-one thesis work with an established poet or prose writer. This independent work includes weekly or biweekly conferences with the thesis advisers for two semesters. Under the direction of the thesis advisers, the students will produce a full-length collection of poetry, a collection of short stories or a finished novel manuscript. Each final thesis is read by another writer, who provides a thoughtful and detailed commentary, which gives a snapshot of the student’s career and offers future direction. This independent thesis work has long been a treasured tradition of the creative writing program, and we believe that the conversion to the minor program will more accurately reflect the amount of work both the students and the advisers have put in during their senior year. Apart from independent work, the students will also participate in two public readings — a reading of their work-in-progress with their peers alongside a published writer, and a thesis reading, a celebration of their final theses. An unofficial monthly lunch meeting for the thesis cohort, directed by an appointed faculty member, will serve as a support group.

Executive Committee

• Elena Araoz, Theater, LCA
• Tina M. Campt, Art and Archaeology
• Jane F. Cox, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Katie Farris, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Tina Fehlandt, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Martha Friedman, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Judith Hamera, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Christopher J. Harris, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Aleksandar Hemon, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Brian E. Herrera, Lewis Center for the Arts
• A.M. Homes, Creative Writing, LCA
• Ilya Kaminsky, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Deana Lawson, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Rebecca J. Lazier, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Yiyun Li, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Pamela E. Lins, Visual Arts, LCA
• Susan S. Marshall, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Moon Molson, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Paul B. Muldoon, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Nicolás Pereda, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Kirstin Valdez Quade, Lewis Center for the Arts
• David W. Reinfurt, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Joe Scanlan, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Patricia Smith, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Lloyd Suh, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Jeffrey Whetstone, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Rhaisa Williams, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Stacy E. Wolf, Lewis Center for the Arts
• Aleksandar Hemon
• Ilya Kaminsky
• Paul B. Muldoon
• Patricia Smith

Associate Professor

• Katie Farris
• Kirstin Valdez Quade

Professor Emeritus (teaching)

• Joyce Carol Oates

Professor of the Practice

• Michael C. Dickman
• Zoe K. Heller
• Sheila Kohler
• Jack Livings
• Jenny McPhee
• Lynn Melnick
• Susanna Moore
• Kathleen Ossip
• Lynn S. Strong

Visiting Associate Professor

• Monica Youn

For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.

CWR 201 - Creative Writing (Poetry) Fall LA

Cwr 202 - creative writing (poetry) spring la, cwr 203 - creative writing (fiction) fall la, cwr 204 - creative writing (fiction) spring la, cwr 205 - creative writing (literary translation) (also com 249/tra 204) fall la, cwr 206 - creative writing (literary translation) (also com 215/tra 206) spring la, cwr 301 - advanced creative writing (poetry) fall la, cwr 302 - advanced creative writing (poetry) spring la, cwr 303 - advanced creative writing (fiction) fall la, cwr 304 - advanced creative writing (fiction) spring la, cwr 305 - advanced creative writing (literary translation) (also com 355/tra 305) fall la, cwr 306 - advanced creative writing (literary translation) (also com 356/tra 314) spring la, cwr 345 - special topics in creative writing (also ams 345/gss 383) not offered this year la, cwr 401 - advanced creative writing tutorial not offered this year la, cwr 402 - advanced creative writing tutorial not offered this year la, cwr 403 - special topics in screenwriting (also vis 406) not offered this year la, jrn 240 - creative nonfiction (also cwr 240) spring la, thr 205 - introductory playwriting (also cwr 210) fall la, thr 305 - playwriting ii: intermediate playwriting (also cwr 309) spring la.

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• Grad Programs

Creative Writing

Degree Information

Questions to ask yourself when choosing a degree program, career overview, career/licensing requirements, salary information, related links, view all creative writing schools by program.

American Literature

Comparative Literature

English Composition

English Literature

Technical Writing

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SAMPLE CURRICULUM

Creative Non-Fiction

History Of The English Language

History Of The Essay

Modern Fiction And Poetry

Non-Fiction

Theory Of Composition

Theory Of Literature

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Career Compass Explore career paths and connect with alumni who can help you along the way

• Creative Writing

Typically works of fiction, creative writing spans different genres and styles and can include short stories, novels, poetry, plays and scripts. Creative writing can be any type of written work that is not technical or analytical.

The skills you develop through practice and critique of your written work can prepare you for many career paths that require creativity and storytelling. In addition to writers, the literary and publishing industry needs people in business positions, such as agents, editors and marketers. 

Writing for publications, volunteering and getting involved with student groups that focus on fiction are important ways to gain experience. Start to build a portfolio of your written work — including related coursework and any of your work that has been published — so you are prepared to demonstrate your skills and accomplishments. 

Seeking out alumni who work in an area of interest to you is a great way to learn about their career journey and get advice. Conducting industry research to determine your target organizations and then reviewing postings on their websites is the best way to find opportunities for internships or full-time work.

Because this field spans multiple types of organizations and roles, there is not a single hiring process or timeline. Many organizations typically hire close to the start date for the position. Identifying organizations of interest and then checking their websites regularly or speaking to alumni who work there will offer insights into their specific recruiting cycles.

Undergraduate student groups

• Arch and Arrow
• Ellipses Slam Team
• figments Magazine
• The Playwright's Guild
• Princeton Writes
• Tiger Magazine

Related undergraduate certificates:

• Applications of Computing

Related graduate certificates: 

• Media and Modernity
• Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
• Master of Arts in Writing (M.A.)
• Ph.D. in Creative Writing, Literature or English

Professional organizations and associations are membership-based groups comprised of people working in a similar field. They can be helpful resources for students to learn more about a field, develop connections and discover related opportunities. You can search for related organizations and associations using a  database provided by the Princeton University Library .

More Information

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Discovery: Research at Princeton

Findings, feature articles, books and awards from Princeton University researchers

Category: Creative Writing

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Paul muldoon receives her majesty’s gold medal for poetry.

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New arts complex opens

By Staff The new 22-acre Lewis Arts complex includes spaces for the creation and performance of dance, theater, music and more. The new multi-building Lewis Arts complex on the south edge of campus significantly expands Continue Reading →

Eight win Guggenheim Fellowships

PHOTO CREDITS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: TOP ROW: JOHN LUCAS, RICHARD SODEN, PETER HURLEY, HANNAH DUNPHY BOTTOM ROW: DAVID BROWN, NINA KATCHADOURIAN, DENISE APPLEWHITE, JILL DOLAN Eight Princeton faculty members have received 2017 Guggenheim Fellowships Continue Reading →

Tracy K. Smith named U.S. Poet Laureate

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JHUMPA LAHIRI awarded National Humanities Medal

Jhumpa Lahiri, whose novels and short stories explore the immigrant experience, family, love, language and cultural identity, was named a recipient of the 2014 National Humanities Medal. The medal was conferred by President Barack Obama Continue Reading →

A. M. Homes wins Women’s Prize for Fiction

The 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction was awarded to A.M. Homes, a lecturer in creative writing and the Lewis Center for the Arts, for her novel May We Be Forgiven. The £30,000 ($46,000) prize rewards Continue Reading →

Three win Guggenheim Fellowships

Three professors have received 2013 Guggenheim Fellowships for demonstrated excellence in scholarship or creative work. D. Graham Burnett, professor of history; Deana Lawson, lecturer in visual arts and the Lewis Center for the Arts; and Continue Reading →

Meme by Susan Wheeler

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Princeton Writing Program

Graduate Writing Courses

Half-term courses on scientific writing for graduate students and postdocs at any stage of their careers to develop the practices that support scientific communication through cogent and rigorous written analysis.

A half-term course on writing for publication in the qualitative Social Sciences and Humanities for graduate students at any stage of their careers to develop the practices necessary for a productive, sustainable approach to research and success in their academic professions.

Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication (PTIC)

Creative writing (literary translation) (la).

Students will choose, early in the semester, one author to focus on in fiction, poetry, or drama, with the goal of arriving at a 10-15 page sample, with commentary, of the author's work. All work will be translated into English and discussed in a workshop format. Weekly readings will focus on the comparison of pre-existing translations as well as commentaries on the art and practice of literary translation.

Creative Writing

Class of 2028

Welcome, Class of 2028! We can’t wait to see you in workshops in the Program in Creative Writing. Every fall, we reserve 3 of 10 sought-after spaces in each introductory workshop for first-year students like you so that you can immerse yourself right away in the craft of creative writing by taking a small class  with some of the most acclaimed writers in the world.

Michael Dickman, Katie Farris, Aleksandar Hemon, A.M. Homes, Ilya Kaminsky, Jack Livings, Jenny McPhee, Lynn Melnick, Joyce Carol Oates, Ed Park, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Patricia Smith, Lynn Steger Strong, Lloyd Suh, and Monica Youn are among the award-winning faculty teaching workshops open to first-year students. Graduating Princeton seniors often tell us they regret not taking creative writing courses sooner in their undergraduate careers. Don’t delay what may be the best classroom experience you have at Princeton!

Introductory CWR courses are open enrollment but fill quickly. Advanced classes require departmental permission to enroll. View all CWR courses

If you’ve always wanted to study creative writing but have never written creatively before, just jump in and try it out: introductory classes are designed for motivated beginners.

Questions about CWR?

Contact Program Manager Erin West, [email protected] .

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Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

creative writing

Writing lessons from my creative writing workshop.

This semester, I took my first fiction workshop in Princeton’s Creative Writing Program. I had taken two poetry courses in previous semesters and wanted to try something new. (Pro-tip: if you haven’t yet taken a CWR course, definitely consider applying for one before graduating).

Creative writing is, in many ways, a break from academic writing. It does not center on data, analysis, or argumentation. Instead, workshops focus on developing compelling images, characters, stories. Creative writing also has access to a wider variety of forms than academic writing, which tends to adhere to a narrow set of relatively conservative styles.

However, some of my workshop instructor’s writing advice has translated well to my academic writing. After all, writing is writing, and many of the same challenges confront both creative and academic writers. Below I’ve collected five of her best pieces of writing advice:

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Post Princeton Life: Interview with Isabelle Laurenzi ’15

For this year’s Spring Seasonal Series, entitled Post-Princeton Life: The Experiences of  PCUR Alumni, each correspondent has selected a PCUR alum to interview about what they have been up to. We hope that these interviews will provide helpful insight into the many different paths Princeton students take after graduation. Here, Raya shares her interview.

Teaching, travel, Congress, the Writing Center, political theory, Yale! Former PCUR chief correspondent Isabelle Laurenzi graduated from Princeton in 2015 with a degree in Religion. She has since gone on to pursue an array of adventures and projects. Most recently, Isabelle completed her first year of a Ph.D. program at Yale in political theory. For our seasonal spring series, I caught up with Isabelle to learn more about her time at Princeton and explorations after. In our conversation, Isabelle and I connected over our shared interest in interdisciplinary studies and the joy of pursuing one’s interests through varied avenues.

Continue reading Post Princeton Life: Interview with Isabelle Laurenzi ’15

Writing for Fun? (Part 2): Journalism and Academic Writing

In my last post, I started an exploration of writing on campus to understand how students approach the writing process outside the classroom in their own work and in extracurriculars. In that post, I considered creative writing and the ways academic writing can present a similar opportunity for expression and creativity.

In this post, I interview Sam Shapiro ’21 who is a Features Editor and writer for the Daily Princetonian. In my interview with Sam, we discussed the differences and similarities between journalism and academic writing and how to bring the thrill one feels when chasing a story for a publication to a term paper in class. Continue reading Writing for Fun? (Part 2): Journalism and Academic Writing

Writing for Fun? Part 1: Creativity and Academic Writing

We are constantly writing––composing emails, blackboard posts, essays, and dean’s date papers. In this two-part series, I am interested in understanding the different forms of writing students explore on campus. Specifically, I interview students who write for campus publications to see how they approach the writing process in their extracurriculars.

In this post, I Interview Serena Alagappan ’20, the Editor-in-Chief and a writer for Nassau Weekly. Serena is a comparative literature major who, for three years now, has shared poetry, cultural critiques, profiles, and fiction through the Nass. In my interview with Serena, we discuss creative writing and the connection she has experienced between her academic and personal writing. Serena encourages students to explore writing through the Creative Writing program and shares advice on how students can carry over the freedom and expression of creative writing into more formal and rigid academic subjects.

Continue reading Writing for Fun? Part 1: Creativity and Academic Writing

Unconventional Research: World Building in Creative Writing

When one thinks about research, there are certain images that come to mind: a student hunched over an old book in an empty library, or a solitary scientist in a lab coat mixing chemicals or observing animals. Emily McLean ’20 has done her fair share of the first type, as a potential Anthropology major with a strong interest in American History.

Emily is also my suitemate, and one day I heard her talking about an unfamiliar, unexpected genre of research: the research required for successful world building–the creation of a believable reality–in creative writing. Continue reading Unconventional Research: World Building in Creative Writing

Writing a Creative Thesis: An Interview with Edric Huang ’18

A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Kristin Hauge about her independent work in the Music Department to highlight creative independent work in the arts. This week, I got in touch with Edric Huang, a senior in the Anthropology Department with certificates in Urban Studies and Creative Writing. Unlike most students on campus, he will be writing two theses this year. One is the classic research-based thesis that seniors in the sciences and humanities are familiar with, but the second will be a collection of poems for his Creative Writing Certificate. If you are unfamiliar with the kind of work that goes into creative theses, here’s what Edric had to share about his personal experience: Continue reading Writing a Creative Thesis: An Interview with Edric Huang ’18

Celebrating Senior Theses: An Interview with Claire Ashmead ‘17

In our spring series,  Senior Theses: A Celebration , we take a moment in the interlude between thesis deadlines and graduation to appreciate the diverse, personal, and impactful work of seniors’ capstone research projects.

Claire Ashmead completed two theses this spring: for her History concentration, a comparative study of McCarthyism and the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and, for her Creative Writing certificate, a novella entitled The Camel-Hair Coat . Here she reflects on writing and revising, family and loss, and the completion of her first book.  

What is your novella, The Camel-Hair Coat, about? It follows a girl, Daphne, who, four years ago, under mysterious circumstances, lost her mother in a terrible accident. Her intense grief over her mother’s death and profound yearning to know why her mother was taken away from her summons the ghost of her mother back from the dead. Daphne is faced with this choice: she can bring her mother back to reality, which she has wanted more desperately than she’s ever wanted anything before, but with terrible consequences for the rest of her family – her sister and grandmother. The price of bringing somebody back might be the exchange of other people you love, and even yourself. But if you really miss somebody – what wouldn’t you do?

How would you distill the book’s themes into a few words? Grief, wishes, and growing up.

What was the hardest part of writing the book? How much I had to revise. The book underwent a dramatic transformation, in part because I had two advisers: Joyce Carol Oates in the fall and then Jeffrey Eugenides in the spring. They’re completely different writers, which for me I think ended up being great: Joyce Carol Oates really tries to pull your creativity out of you, and she encouraged me to envision an alternative reality that ended up being a little confusing. Jeffrey Eugenides, on the other hand, is a very linear storyteller. When I gave him my draft, he told me he didn’t really understand what was going on, and that I needed to rewrite.

It was February, and I was hearing from my adviser that the 140 pages I’d generated needed to go. But in another sense that actually felt great.

At first that was very scary. It was February, and I was hearing from my adviser that the 140 pages I’d generated needed to go. But in another sense that actually felt great. I’d had the sneaking suspicion that the story needed a major change, and I wasn’t sure in what way. So I decided to structure it like a four-act play, where each act takes place in one day of one season. Once I had that structure, it was like, bingo! I know how this is going to develop.

In the second writing, I only kept maybe 3% of the words I’d previously written. But because I’d already created the spaces and characters in my head, writing the story the second time around actually took almost no effort, and required much less editing.

How did you juggle writing two separate theses? It was all about time management. I also really believe that just getting words on a page is so crucial. Often people feel like writing needs to be perfect when it comes out onto the page. My experience writing for Princeton Triangle Club has taught me that actually the hardest part is just starting, and as soon as you begin to write, your thoughts become clearer.

Also, the processes of the two theses were very different, which was helpful – if they were the same it probably would’ve been much more difficult for me to do the two. For my creative thesis, I wrote almost every day. With creative writing, I want to explore characters and change dialogue, so the earlier I get it out, the better. In history, it’s a very different beast: I like getting all of my secondary source reading and research done, getting it all into my head, and then putting it out onto the page. I would research for months and months, and then sit down and write a chapter in a day or two.

Describe your happy place as a writer. I have a two-room single in Edwards, so I have a room with my bed, and then another with a desk, facing the window. I wake up early, at 6 or 7 a.m., and would either go for a run or just go get coffee at Rojo’s, and then come to my desk in my little monastic sanctuary and write.

The first time I write something, I write in pen, by hand, on blank sheets of unlined paper. The great thing about writing by hand is that it’s physically exhausting, so you only say what you need to say, and the words you pick are more exact and intentional.

I’d sit down and write for about an hour and a half every morning, which would be about five double-spaced typed pages, sometimes more. The first sentence can sometimes be difficult, but as you start writing, you reenter the world. It’s like learning to ride a bike: you remember it, and you just push forward on the momentum of describing the scene.

The first sentence can sometimes be difficult, but as you start writing, you reenter the world. It’s like learning to ride a bike: you remember it, and you just push forward on the momentum of describing the scene.

Do you have a favorite section of the book? A lot of the book was plot that I just had to get through, and then there were a few scenes that made me feel that they were exactly why I wrote the book. Here are two paragraphs, after Daphne’s mother has come back and she is able to speak with her mother again.

Her mother took her hands. “At least you’ll have your father to walk you down the aisle. Mine was gone by the time I was your age. I missed him so much.”

“What’s it like?” Daphne asked. “Missing somebody?”

“You know, I’ve never thought about it.” Her mother frowned. “I’d say missing somebody is like remembering to pick up milk at the grocery store. Most of the time, you don’t think about it at all. And then all of a sudden the thought will just occur to you. I’ve got to pick up milk at the grocery store. And the thought will occur to you once a week, every month, every year, for forever. I’ve got to pick up milk at the grocery store. There, that’s it. I think about my father every day.”

If you’d like to read more of The Camel-Hair Coat, you can find it archived – with all senior theses – on the senior thesis digital archive , where it will be available starting after graduation on June 6 th , 2017.

— Zoe Sims, Natural Sciences Correspondent

The Imp Walks in the Door: Creativity in the Research Process

Staring at my computer screen, I blink. The black cursor, a vertical slit of a pupil, blinks back.

Uh-oh. I am trying to write the first essay for my environmental nonfiction class. But, sitting down to write, I can already feel the despondent haze of writer’s block descending. I swivel in my chair. I check my email but have no new messages. I type fdsajkl; on the first line of the page, and then delete it. What’s wrong with me? I think. Am I a writer or not?

Continue reading The Imp Walks in the Door: Creativity in the Research Process

A writer’s window: How poetry is changing how I see the world

In honor of National Poetry Month, my professor, Marie Howe, suggested writing a poem every day for the month of April. “Who’s up for it?” she asked our Advanced Poetry class . “It can be just a few lines. I’ll do it if you do it.”

I decided to write a poem right when I wake up each morning – figuring this is the only way I’d consistently get it done – and to forego my computer (and its associated, infinite distractions) in favor of a pencil and notebook. Every morning, I roll out of bed, perch myself on the wide windowsill of my ground-floor room, and write a poem.

I was shocked by how easily I could reshape my early-morning habits, and how much doing so affected the rest of my day. With this new routine has come a kind of freedom: my first thought of the day is no longer my calendar or breakfast or to-do list, but something creative and unlimited. I bring this creative lens with me through the rest of the day: watching milk gush over my cereal, stepping out into the April air, listening to a lecture about respiration across the animal kingdom. Continue reading A writer’s window: How poetry is changing how I see the world

One of the Best Classes at Princeton: Creative Writing 201

April 2, 2020.

One of my favorite classes at Princeton is “CWR201: Creative Writing – Poetry,” a class I’m taking with Professor Jenny Xie. As a computer science engineering student, I’m often deluged with problem sets and programming projects. However, I’ve always been a writer at heart. In high school, I was heavily involved in poetry, and I would often use writing to reflect and recoup.

I tried to continue my writing habits on campus, but, at times, I would struggle to find the time and headspace. I also wanted to push my work in new directions and challenge my writing paradigms.

CWR201, and Princeton’s Program in Creative Writing  in general, is excellent in this regard. Every Tuesday afternoon, in a brightly lit classroom overlooking Maya Lin’s new earthwork installation, I participate in a three-hour seminar alongside seven other students. I know three hours seems like a long time, trust me I had my reservations! But from Professor Xie’s opening words, I was totally absorbed. Students in every section of CWR201 work with and learn from distinguished poets: as an award-winning and published poet, Professor Xie brings valuable experience and wisdom for anyone interested in the poetry community. She also has a way with words that’s incredibly refreshing after so many hours of boiled-down technical terminology experienced in computer science classes.

Everyone in the class, too, has unique voices. We all came in with varying levels of experience with poetry, making our class atmosphere diverse and relaxed. Each week, we read deeply into a poetry packet organized around different themes, in addition to devoting time to workshopping each other’s poems.

Having a class where the only assignments are to read wonderful contemporary poetry and write your own, was exactly what I needed. I’ve been writing a lot more recently, creating words that I feel proud of. In the relentless forward movement of Princeton, it’s sometimes necessary to sit down and reflect. Throughout my ten weeks in class, I’ve found new ways of expressing myself, and through thoughtful workshop feedback from my professor and classmates, I’ve delved deeper into what I’ve written. One of my proudest moments this year was when I had my work from class published in The Nassau Weekly , one of Princeton’s main campus publications.  

Because CWR201 is graded on a Pass/D-Grade/Fail basis only, it’s a class where students are encouraged to take risks and push boundaries. It doesn’t demand much of your time, but you’ll find that the time you do spend yields so much. I’ve created poetry I’m proud of, made new friends and connected with a professor I truly respect. If that’s not what Princeton is about, then I don’t know what is.

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Undergraduate prizes awarded to six students for academic achievement

Princeton students honored at Opening Exercises gather with President Christopher L. Eisgruber (back row, left) and Dean of the College Michael D. Gordin (far right). The students are (front row, from left) Braeden Carroll, Caroline Zhao and Ram Narayanan, and (back row, from left), Connie Gong, Akshat Agarwal, and Ian Henriques.

Princeton University celebrated the academic accomplishments of its students with the awarding of undergraduate prizes to six students at Opening Exercises on Sunday, Sept. 1.

“I’m honored to be able to celebrate this year’s prize winners,” said Dean of the College Michael D. Gordin. “While Princeton is fortunate to be home to a good many students who are justly proud of their exceptional records of accomplishment, these prize winners stand out.

“In addition to achieving great strides academically, in their wide-ranging programs of study they boldly exemplify the heart of our liberal arts mission,” Gordin said. “My colleagues and I congratulate them warmly and are eager to follow their continued success.”

Freshman First Honor Prize

Ram Narayanan received the Freshman First Honor Prize, awarded each year in recognition of exceptional academic achievement as a first-year student.

Narayanan, of Scarsdale, New York, attended Horace Mann School in the Bronx. A member of New College West, he is considering majoring in physics and pursuing minors in computer science, materials science and engineering, and applied and computational mathematics. He is a recipient of the 2024 Manfred Pyka Memorial Physics Prize.

This summer, Narayanan was an intern in Princeton's ReMatch+ program, where he conducted materials research with Sanfeng Wu, assistant professor of physics. Narayanan also attended the Princeton Summer School on Condensed Matter Physics in collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Study.

He is a member of the Princeton Society of Physics Students, Princeton Students in Quantum, and a Community Action leader.

The George B. Wood Legacy Sophomore Prize

This year’s George B. Wood Legacy Sophomore Prize is shared by  Akshat Agarwal and  Braeden Carroll . The prize is awarded each year to members of the junior class in recognition of exceptional academic achievement during their sophomore year.

Agarwal, of Princeton, attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. A member of Yeh College, he is a mathematics major who is also pursuing minors in history, statistics and machine learning, and applied and computational mathematics. He has served as an undergraduate course assistant in mathematics and computer science.

Outside the classroom, Agarwal is president of the student-run group Business Today and managing director of Princeton Undergraduate Capital Partners, which helps students gain industry experience in venture capital. He is also a member of the Princeton International Relations Council.

This summer, he conducted machine learning research in the lab of Adji Bousso Dieng, assistant professor of computer science.

Carroll, of Kinnelon, New Jersey, attended Kinnelon High School there. A recipient of the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence for the 2022–23 academic year, he is a civil and environmental engineering major who is also pursuing a minor in finance. He is a member of Rockefeller College.

Outside the classroom, Carroll is a member of the Princeton lightweight rowing team. In 2023, he completed a High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) internship with the Blue Lab, led by Allison Carruth, professor of American studies and HMEI, investigating the long-term impacts of Super Typhoon Haiyan.

This summer, he conducted research with civil and environmental engineering professors Maria Garlock and Branko Glisic to help design a hybrid structure for Osaka, Japan, that can serve as both a bridge and a flood barrier. The project aims to create a structure that does not draw energy from the grid to operate.

The George B. Wood Legacy Junior Prize

This year’s George B. Wood Legacy Junior Prize is shared by  Connie Gong and Caroline Zhao . The prize is awarded to members of the senior class in recognition of exceptional academic achievement during their junior year.

Gong is from Belmont, California, where she attended Carlmont High School. A recipient of the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence for the 2021–22 academic year, she is a sociology major who is also pursuing minors in environmental studies, and statistics and machine learning. She is a member of Butler College.

Her senior thesis will focus on the attitudes of formerly incarcerated people towards prison labor on the “farm line” at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, widely known as Angola. Gong is conducting her research in partnership with the nonprofit Louisiana Parole Project. Her adviser is John Robinson III, assistant professor of sociology.

Gong is the co-president of the Princeton Conservation Society, a student-run group focused on the environment. She was previously a peer academic adviser for Butler College. She serves as an undergraduate course assistant in SML 201: Introduction to Data Science and is a head fellow at the Princeton Writing Center.

This summer, Gong interned at the Missouri State Public Defender’s Trial Division Office in St. Louis, supported by a Summer Social Impact Internship through the Center for Career Development. She has also interned internationally as a teaching assistant with the Northern Kenya Conservation Clubs through the High Meadows Environmental Institute.

Zhao, of Westfield, New Jersey, attended Union County Magnet High School in Scotch Plains. A two-time recipient of the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence, she is a chemical and biological engineering major who is also pursuing minors in finance and computer science. She is a member of Butler College.

Her senior thesis will focus on developing biological enzyme system models to investigate the use of cellulose as a sustainable biofuel. Her adviser is Jerelle Joseph, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering and bioengineering.

Outside the classroom, Zhao is president of both the Princeton Engineering Council and the Princeton Bridge Club, a coxswain for the Princeton lightweight rowing team, a SHARE Peer, and a student manager of the Ultraviolet Recording Studio in Bloomberg Hall.

Zhao has been a precept assistant in computer science and will serve as an undergraduate course assistant in economics this fall. She is also a volunteer with Princeton's Special Olympics Rowing program, a partnership between the Student Volunteers Council and Special Olympics.

She worked this summer at Bain Capital as a private equity summer analyst.

Class of 1939 Princeton  Scholar Award

Ian Henriques received the Class of 1939 Princeton Scholar Award, which is awarded each year to the undergraduate who, at the end of junior year, has achieved the highest academic standing for all preceding college work at the University.

Henriques, of Winter Springs, Florida, attended Seminole High School in Sanford. A two-time recipient of the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence, he is an electrical and computer engineering major who is also pursuing a minor in neuroscience. He received the Manfred Pyka Memorial Physics Prize in 2022.  Henriques is a member of Rockefeller College.

For his senior thesis, he plans to work with Niraj Jha, professor of electrical and computer engineering, with a focus on computer architecture and machine learning.

Outside of the classroom, Henriques is co-president of the Princeton University Robotics Club. In 2023, he co-led the winning team at Harvard University's PacBot Competition, in which students build robots to navigate a Pac-Man-inspired course. Princeton's Robotics Club earned the highest score in the competition's history and shared first place with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Henriques is also the co-leader of Princeton's Loaves and Fishes program with the Diocese of Trenton, which provides meals to homeless and low-income individuals. He has served as a teaching assistant for several engineering, physics and mathematics courses.

This summer, he interned at the AI chip technology firm Nvidia.

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Princeton University celebrated the accomplishments of its students with the awarding of four undergraduate prizes at Opening Exercises on Sunday, Sept. 8.

Princeton University celebrated the academic accomplishments of these exemplary student scholars at Opening Exercises on Sunday.