uw tacoma creative writing

Writing Studies

• Technical Communication minor

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The Major in Writing Studies enables students to learn to write effectively in a range of genres, and to think critically and creatively, with a well-rounded liberal arts education in the sciences and the humanities. Three tracks: Creative Writing, Technical Communication, and Rhetoric, Writing, and Social Change. 

The Writing Studies major requires 65 credits if choosing the Technical Communication track, or 60 credits if choosing either the Creative Writing track or Rhetoric, Writing, and Social Change track. 

The Creative Writing track offers the opportunity for focused study of literary and popular forms of creative writing with supportive faculty who publish in these genres and provides a strong base for students wishing to pursue a Master of Fine Arts. Our creative writing track takes a distinctive interdisciplinary approach to creative writing: students choose classes in more than one genre (poetry, nonfiction, and fiction), a wide range of literature courses from multiple perspectives, as well as professional/technical writing courses that can prepare them for writing jobs in a variety of fields. In addition, the creative writing track reflects the curricular guidelines of the Association of Writing Programs (AWP), the national professional organization in creative writing. Students can gain professional experience as editors and writers of Tahoma West, UW Tacoma’s student-run literary and arts magazine, as well as the school newspaper, The Ledger. Students also have opportunities to engage in the vibrant literary community of the Puget Sound and are encouraged to apply for internships at local arts and publishing organizations. 

In the technical communication track, students learn to communicate complex information in a way that is concise, usable, and compelling. Coursework in the technical communication track is grounding in the human-centered design process. Students learn how to identify the needs of an audience, design through an iterative process and make changes based on applied research. Students take a variety of courses on writing, research, and technical topics. Courses emphasize real world design projects and students develop skills in collaborative problem solving and creativity. Students completing the Technical Communication track are well positioned for careers in technical and professional communication, user experience, usability, web design, and other fields where communicating scientific and technical topics plays a central role, across a variety of industries, for governments, and for non-profits. Students are encouraged to gain professional experience by completing internships and working with community partners. 

Begins Autumn 2023

The Rhetoric, Writing, and Social Change track explores writing as civic action. Working with community partners in the city of Tacoma and beyond, students will engage ethically in multimodal composition for public audiences with an aim to bring about social change.  Students will examine how power shapes writing contexts and develop their own sense of agency within the local and global communities to which they belong. Through co-learning experiences, writers participate in civic engagement, resistance, grassroots activism, and community organizing. Grounded in the interdisciplinary orientation of the faculty in Writing Studies, this track centers anti-racist pedagogy, critical methodologies in Rhetoric and Composition, and problem-posing skills that will prepare students for professional and real-world scenarios.

Completion Requirements  

To be eligible for graduation with the Bachelor of Arts degree, students enrolled in the program must meet the UW Tacoma scholastic standards (2.0 UW GPA), credits required (minimum 180) and the final-year residency requirement and complete the following program requirements: 

• Complete all general education requirements not met with transfer courses. See advisor for details. 
• Complete a minimum of 45 credits of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences course work. Some majors or concentrations may require more. 
• Complete a minimum of 45 credits of upper-division course work, including transfer courses and UW Tacoma courses. 
• Complete 5 credits of (C) Composition designated course with a minimum 2.0 grade.  
• Complete the requirements for a major (minors are optional). 
• No more than 15 elective credits can be taken for a Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory grade. See advisor for details. 
• Complete at least 45 of last 60 credits in residence at the University of Washington Tacoma. 
• 45 upper-division credits and 45 credits of SIAS courses are required for graduation from SIAS. 
• Meet with an advisor to complete a graduation application no later than the second week of the quarter in which the student plans to graduate.

Creative Writing Track Requirements: 60 Credits

• TWRT 200 Introduction to Creative Writing (5)
• TLIT 101 Understanding Literature (5)

Choose 20 credits, see Writing Studies website for approved list of Creative Writing Electives. At least 10 credits of Creative Writing Electives must be 400 level. 

Choose at least 5 credits from the following list:

• TWRT 270 Poetry Writing 
• TWRT 280 Fiction Writing 
• TWRT 287 Creative Nonfiction Writing  
• TWRT 372 Writing Eco-poetry
• TWRT 382 Writing Popular Fiction
• TWRT 389 Nature Writing

Choose at least 5 credits from the list above or the following:

• TWRT 274 Spoken Word Poetry
• TWRT 333 Writing Through Comics
• TWRT 364 Food Writing for Cultural Exploration
• TWRT 384 Writing Historical Fiction 

Choose at least 10 credits from the following list:

• TWRT 470 Advanced Poetry Writing (repeatable once)
• TWRT 480 Advanced Fiction Writing (repeatable once)
• TWRT 487 Advanced Creative Nonfiction Writing (repeatable once)
• TWRT 499 Advanced Topics in Creative Writing (maximum credits - 15)  

Choose 15 credits, see Writing Studies website for approved list of Literature Electives.

Choose 5 credits from the following list:

• T LIT 390 Varieties of Literary Criticism

Choose 10 credits of upper division coursework outside of American literature from the following list: 

• TLAX 476 Latin American Women Writers 
• TLIT 335 Middle Eastern American Literature
• TLIT 343 Shakespeare
• TLIT 351 Ancient Greek Tragedy 
• TLIT 352 Medieval Quests 
• TLIT 371 The World Stage
• TLIT 380 Myth and Literary Sagas in Creative Expression
• TLIT 406 Children's and Young Adult Literature
• TLIT 481 Postcolonial Fiction
• TLIT 487 African Folklore and Literature
• TWOMN 434 Women's Voices: Transnational Testimonials

Choose the final 5 credits from the list above OR any 300-400 level TLIT course.  

Choose 15 credits, see Writing Studies website for approved list of Writing Electives.

• TWRT 291 Technical Communication in the Workplace
• TWRT 292 Power, Privilege, and Bias in Technology Design
• TWRT 320 Rhetoric, Public Life, and Civic Engagement 
• TWRT 330 Written and Visual Rhetoric 
• WRT 331 Writing in the Natural Sciences
• WRT 340 Asian American Rhetorics, Literacies, and Activism 
• WRT 350 Principles of User-Centered Design
• TWRT 353 User Experience Writing
• TWRT 355 Usability Testing Research
• TWRT 360 Playwriting
• TWRT 365 Literary Editing and Publishing
•  TWRT 388 Writing for Social Change 
• TWRT 391 Advanced Technical Communication
• TWRT 420 Rhetoric and the City: Composing Urban Landscapes
•  TWRT 450 Principles of Accessible Design
• TWRT 440 Cross-Cultural Communication Design
• TWRT 464 Teaching Writing
• TWRT 492 Special Topics in Rhetoric and Composition
• TCOM 348 Non-fiction Writing for Television
• TCOM 387 Writing for Public Relations
• TCOM 484 Opinion Writing for the Mass Media
• TCOM 486 Feature Writing for Print Media
• TFILM 350 Screenwriting
• TIAS 491 Professional Portfolio Design

Technical Communication Track Requirements: 65 Credits

One required course

• TWRT 291 Technical Communication in the Workplace (5)

Choose 5 credits from the following list. These courses can only be taken for credit once, as either Track Foundational Courses or Electives:

• TWRT 331 Writing in the Natural Sciences (5)
• TWRT 350 Principles of User Centered Design (5)
• TWRT 391 Advanced Technical Communication (5)
• TCOM 320 Principles of Web Design (5)  

Choose 20 credits, see Writing Studies website for approved list of Technical Communication Electives.

• TWRT 330 Written and Visual Rhetoric
• TWRT 331 Writing in the Natural Sciences
• TWRT 350 Principles of User Centered Design
• TWRT 355 Usability Testing and Research
• TWRT 450 Principles of Accessible Design
• TCOM 220 Social Media
• TCOM 320 Principles of Web Design
• TCOM 350 Editing and Design for Print Media
• TCOM 420 Advanced Web Design
• TIAS 491 Professional Portfolio Design  

Choose 35 credits, see Writing Studies website for approved list of Creative, Scientific, and Technical Topics Electives.

• TWRT 200 Introduction to Creative writing
• TWRT 201 Creative Writing in the Global Context
• TWRT 280 Introduction to Fiction Writing
• TWRT 287 Creative Nonfiction Writing
• TWRT 320 Rhetoric, Public Life, and Civic Engagement
• TWRT 340 Asian American Rhetorics, Literacies, and Activism
• TWRT 362 Writing and War
• TWRT 372 Writing Eco-Poetry
• TWRT 384 Writing Historical Fiction
• TWRT 388 Writing for Social Change
• TWRT 470 Advanced Poetry Writing
• TWRT 480 Advanced Fiction Writing
• TWRT 487 Advanced Creative Nonfiction Writing
• TWRT 499 Advanced Topics in Creative Writing
• TCOM 275 Writing, Reporting and Editing for the Mass Media
• TCOM 349 News Writing
• TCOM 482 Investigative Reporting
• TCSS 142 Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
• TESC 201 The Science of Environmental Sustainability
• TEST 332 A Natural History of Garbage
• TEST 335 Environmental Impact Analysis
• T GEOS 241 Oceanography
• T GEOS 243 Geography of the Physical Environment
•  T GEOS 341 Climate Change
• T INFO 210 Foundations of Information Management 
• T INFO 220 Foundations of Human Computer Interaction for Information Technology and Systems
•  T INFO 230 Web Design and Programming
• T INFO 310 Foundations of Information Assurance
• T INFO 370 Managing Technical Teams
• T INST 207 Living and Working in the Virtual World
• T INST 312 Computer Networks and the Internet
• T INST 401 Technology in the Service of Society
• T INST 475 Entrepreneurship in Computing and Software Systems
• T WOMN 211 Women in Science

Rhetoric, Writing, and Social Change Track Requirements: 60 Credits

Two required courses

• TWRT 211 Argument and Research (5)
• TWRT 388 Writing for Social Change (5)  

Choose 25 credits, see Writing Studies website for approved list of Rhetoric and Writing Electives. These courses can only be taken for credit once, as either Rhetoric and Writing Electives or Social Change Electives. 

• TWRT 320 Rhetoric, Public Life, and Civic Engagement  
• TWRT 330 Written and Visual Rhetoric  
• TWRT 333 Writing Through Comics  
• TWRT 340 Asian American Rhetorics, Literacies, and Activism 
• TWRT 353 UX Writing  
• TWRT 364 Food Writing for Cultural Exploration 
• TWRT 420 Rhetoric and the City: Composing Urban Landscapes 
• TWRT 440 Cross Cultural Communication Design  
• TNPRFT 451 Essentials of Grant Writing   
• TWRT 492 Special Topics in Rhetoric and Composition     

Choose 25 credits, see Writing Studies website for approved list of Social Change Electives. These courses can only be taken for credit once, as either Rhetoric and Writing Electives or Social Change Electives. 

• TWRT 291 Technical Communication in the Workplace  
• TWRT 292 Power, Privilege, and Bias in Technology Design  
• TWRT 331 Writing in the Natural Sciences  
• TWRT 350 Principles of User Centered Design  
• TWRT 355 Usability Testing and Research  
• TWRT 391 Advanced Technical Communication  
• TWRT 450 Principles of Accessible Design  
• TWRT 389 Nature Writing  
• TWRT 492 Special Topics in Rhetoric and Composition   
• TCOM 250 Media Activism   
• TCOM 310 Contemporary Environmental Issues and the Media   
• TCOM 387 Writing for Public Relations   
• TCOM 484 Opinion Writing for Mass Media   
• TEGL 306 Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific 
• TEGL 401 Critical and Indigenous Methodologies  
• TEGL 419 African American Culture and Consciousness    
• TEGL 435 Migration in the Modern World  
• TEGL 380 Gender and Sexuality Across Cultural and Historical Context  
• TLAX 380 Latinx Sexualities  
• TLAX 333 U.S. Latino Histories  
• TLAX 356 Latinx Urban Communities   
• TLAX 476 Latin American Women Writers   
• TSOC 254 Race and Ethnicity in the United States 
• TSOC 335 Social Class and Inequality  
• TSOC 365 Advanced Sociological Theories of Race and Ethnicity 
• TSOC 434 Women Race and Class   
• TSOC 436 History of Social Welfare Policy in the United States  
• TSOC 437 Immigration Today  
• TSOC 465 Asian and Asian American Laborers in the U.S.  
• TSOC 455 The Sociology of Gender 
• TWOMN 434 Women’s Voices: Transnational Testimonials
• TWOMN 455 Contemporary Theories in Gender and Sexuality Studies
• TEDUC 301 Community Education: Learning Beyond the Classroom  
• TEDUC 310 Racism in Schools in the U.S: Critical Race Theory and the Maintenance of Societal Inequality  
• TEDUC 471 Diversity and Equity in Schools and Curriculum  
• TEDUC 474 Native American Education Narratives and Centering Tribal Sovereignty  
• TARTS 395 Community-Based Arts Practice  
• TARTS Eco-Art: Art Created in Response to the Environmental Crisis  
• TARTS 405 Cultural Identity and Art  
• TARTS 410 Community and the Public Arts  
• TFILM 434 Disability in Film  
• TFILM 438 Gender and Sexuality in Film  
• TURB 312 Race and Poverty in Urban America   
• TUDE 310 Social Production of Space   
• TURB 480 Housing in the United States   
• TSUD 475 Community and Economy  
• TLIT 237 Introduction to Literature and Environment 
• TLIT 320 African American Literature from Slavery to the Present   
• TLIT 324 African American Women’s Literature   
• TLIT 425 Literature and the Harlem Renaissance 
• TLIT 431 Contemporary Native American Women’s Literature 
• TLIT 432 American Indian Literature 
• TPSYCH 312 Mental Illness Across Cultures  
• TPSYCH 345 Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination  
• TPSYCH 441 Diversity and Health Psychology 
• TPSYCH 455 Immigrant Youth Development  
• TESC 301 Sustainability in Action  
• TESC 345 Pollution and Public Policy  
• TSOC 270 Introduction to Asian American Sociological and Interdisciplinary  
• TPOLS 317 The Politics of Race and Ethnicity in the United States 
• TPOLS 343 Community and Labor Organizing 
• TPOLS 410 Labor Rights and Human Rights  
• TECON 360 Poverty in Developing Countries 
• TLAW 452 Race, Ethnicity, and the Law  
• TLAW 465 Law and Public Policy in the United States  
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UW TACOMA DIVISION OF CULTURE, ART AND COMM WRITING INSTRUCTION

• Spring Quarter 2024
• Summer Quarter 2024
• Autumn Quarter 2024

TWRT 101 Writing Ready (2) Provides a foundation in college-level writing before enrolling in Introduction to Academic Writing and the first-year program. Introduces reading and composing skills needed for successful writing in academic settings, including close readings, critical thinking, and writing in response to others' ideas. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 101

TWRT 111 Discourse Foundations (2, max. 8) Helps improve academic writing skills by focusing on students' own writing practices. Teaches reading skills to comprehend and analyze complex texts, review and analyze grammar structures as they appear in academic writing, and build advanced vocabulary. Prerequisite: either TWRT 120, TWRT 121, or TCORE 101; must be taken concurrently . Credit/no-credit only. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 111

TWRT 120 Academic Writing I (5) Introduces principles of argument, critical thinking, reflection, analytical reading, writing, and research practices needed for academic writing. Covers skills for managing the writing process and how to transfer learning to other disciplinary contexts for writing as part of first of a two-course sequence. Prerequisite: completion of Tacoma Writing Selection survey. Credit/no-credit only. Offered: AW. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 120

TWRT 121 Academic Writing II (5) C Reinforces and engages more deeply with principles of argument, critical thinking, reflection, analytical reading, writing, and research practices needed for academic writing. Covers skills for managing the writing process and how to transfer learning to other disciplinary contexts for writing as second part of a two-course sequence. Prerequisite: TWRT 120. Offered: WSp. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 121

TWRT 200 Introduction to Creative Writing (5) A&H Introduces several genres and explores the creative writing process and terminology of imaginative expression. Cannot be taken for credit if credit received for TWRT 201. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 200

TWRT 201 Creative Writing in the Global Context (5) A&H Introduces fundamentals of Prose and Poetry writing and explores the creative writing process and terminology of imaginative expression within international contexts. Emphasizes the importance of local and global audiences in shaping literary arts through Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) projects in partnership with students and faculty at international universities. Cannot be taken for credit if credit received for TWRT 200. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 201

TWRT 211 Argument and Research in Writing (5) C Focuses on writing critical analyses of texts in the arts and sciences. Emphasizes close reading, critical thinking, and developing well-supported arguments as well as advanced library research skills. Stresses managing the writing process so that good work can be produced within given time constraints. Prepares students for upper-division writing tasks. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 211

TWRT 270 Poetry Writing (5) A&H Introduces students to the craft and process of poetry writing from initial draft to advanced revision. Explores current writing styles, poetic forms, and various aesthetic issues. Students discuss craft, assigned writings, and share work with other class members. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 270

TWRT 274 Spoken Word Poetry (5) A&H, DIV Introduces students to creating spoken word performances and studying spoken word and slam poetry by analyzing its composition, performance, and social and historical contexts. Develops critical studies relevant to the U.S. rooted in social theories of race, gender, ethnicity and disability, and concepts related to inequality and exclusion. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 274

TWRT 280 Fiction Writing (5) A&H Introduces the process and techniques of fiction writing. Readings familiarize students with various writing styles and strategies of other writers. Students discuss craft, the assigned readings, and share work with other class members. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 280

TWRT 287 Creative Nonfiction Writing (5) A&H Builds narrative and descriptive skills in several genres of creative nonfiction, including the personal essay, feature articles for general trade magazines, or the literary essay. Includes reading of models and writers' workshops to provide feedback on drafts. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 287

TWRT 291 Technical Communication in the Workplace (5) C Teaches objective-oriented and audience-centered communication for the workplace, while focusing on key genres of technical communication - reports, proposals, manual, and document design - essential for success in the professional world. Prerequisite: a minimum grade of 2.0 in either T CORE 101, TWRT 112, TWRT 121, or TWRT 211. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 291

TWRT 292 Power, Privilege, and Bias in Technology Design (3) DIV Explores how design and technology are shaped by social, political, cultural and material forces and can create barriers and contribute to social change, inequality and equity. Examines technology as a tool of oppression or liberation in regards to identity categories and difference--ability, ethnicity, race, age, class, gender, and sexuality. Prerequisite: Either TCORE 101, TWRT 112, TWRT 121, TWRT 211, ENGL 131, or ENGL 141. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 292

TWRT 320 Rhetoric, Public Life, and Civic Engagement (5) Introduces rhetorical criticism by examining how particular rhetorical theories and traditions have been applied to specific social issues. Explores the development of rhetoric, as both a theory and a practice, and how those at the margins of the Western rhetorical tradition have worked to expand its purview. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 320

TWRT 330 Written and Visual Rhetoric (5) A&H Explores the principles and practices of written and visual rhetoric to learn to employ both effectively in print-based and electronic texts. Prerequisite: minimum grade of 2.0 in TWRT 211. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 330

TWRT 331 Writing in the Natural Sciences (5) A&H, C Studies communications and rhetorical principles for sharing scientific knowledge in professional meetings with other scientists and with general audiences. Focuses on three most common genes: scientific paper (including literature review and abstract writing), research proposal, and scientific poster. Prerequisite: a minimum grade 2.0 in either TWRT 211 or TWRT 291. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 331

TWRT 333 Writing Through Comics (5) A&H Introduces a critical perspective on comics and builds skills in creative writing and rhetoric studies. Focuses on theory and craft, providing a lens for interpretation and application, employing workshops for students to create (and revise) their own comics. Prerequisite: minimum 2.0 grade in either T CORE 101, TWRT 112, TWRT 121, TWRT 211 or ENGL 131. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 333

TWRT 340 Asian American Rhetorics, Literacies, and Activism (5) DIV Explores rhetorical and literacy practices of diverse Asian Americans and analyzes the role of language in Asian American activism across time and space. Develops skills in rhetorical analysis and multimodal composition. Prerequisite: a minimum grade of 2.0 in either T CORE 101, TWRT 112, TWRT 121, TWRT 211, ENGL 121, ENGL 131, ENGL 141, or ENGL 182; recommended: TWRT 211 or T SOC 270. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 340

TWRT 350 Principles of User Centered Design (5) SSc Explores the philosophy and process for developing solutions to design problems, including technical systems such as software applications and communication projects such as websites. Develops skills to identify and solve design problems through research, testing, and analysis. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 350

TWRT 353 User Experience Writing (5) Explores the concept of writing as a design practice and process used to solve problems for users through a human-centered design process. Develops skills to research and write for inclusive user experiences, including the ability to understand and address implicit bias through strategic use of tone, voice, and language. Prerequisite: either T CORE 101, TWRT 121, TWRT 211, or TWRT 291. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 353

TWRT 355 Usability Testing and Research (5) SSc Explores the concept of usability and research methods related to the evaluation of information and communication products as part of the user-centered design process. Develops skills to design and conduct usability studies, analyze results, and make recommendations. Prerequisite: TWRT 291. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 355

TWRT 360 PLAYWRITING (5) A&H Introduces foundational skills in playwriting and writing for the stage including reading of scripts and analyses of produced plays to develop awareness of the playwright's process and position in theater productions. Employs workshops to provide feedback on drafts as students write and refine scripts. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 360

TWRT 362 Writing and War (5) A&H/SSc Introduces students to the practice of multi-genre creative writing in the context of war. Emphasizes the writing of witness and explores the cultural impact of violent conflict in poetry and prose. Discusses writing as an act of peace and requires students to develop creative writing techniques in multiple genres. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 362

TWRT 364 Food Writing for Cultural Exploration (5) A&H, DIV Examines the construction of cultural identity through the craft and structure of writing food-focused narratives. Using Latinx and Ethnic American interdisciplinary texts, students will evaluate the intersectional nature of race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomics in food traditions. These texts will be used as models for the creation of original content in poetry and prose. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 364

TWRT 365 Literary Editing and Publishing (5) A&H Explores practices of literary editing, magazine design, and literary small press publishing. Readings examine history, aesthetics, funding, promotion, layout, and other issues faced by literary journals in print and in emerging online media. Student assignments reflect practices of literary editors. Credit/no-credit only. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 365

TWRT 372 Writing Eco-Poetry (5) A&H Introduces the practice of poetry writing within the context of nature and eco-writing. Develops skills to read, analyze, and respond to seminal works of nature poems, eco-poems, and critical essays from Romanticism to contemporary poetry, then create, workshop, and revise original nature and eco-poems. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 372

TWRT 382 WRITING POPULAR FICTION (5) A&H Teaches students to write popular fiction. Explores questions of narrative, characterization, action, form, formula, and code in popular genres. Uses primary and secondary texts to study mystery, romance, spy thriller, western, horror, and science fiction. Emphasizes peer review, revision, assessment, and reflection as methods of producing excellent written work. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 382

TWRT 384 WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION (5) A&H Builds upon foundations skills in fiction writing and introduces elements essential to writing historical fiction, including research. Includes readings from creative and historical texts and employs workshops to provide feedback on drafts as students write and revise their own short stories. Prerequisite: either TWRT 200, TWRT 280, TWRT 380, or TWRT 382. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 384

TWRT 388 Writing for Social Change (5) A&H Examines the rhetorical force of various forms of communication within specific social, political, and cultural contexts. Building on research and writing completed in other courses, students compose a project demonstrating their learning and which is intended for public audiences. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 388

TWRT 389 Nature Writing (5) A&H Introduces students to the skills of creative non-fiction writing within the context of nature and environmental writing. Students read, analyze, and respond to seminal works of nature essays and environmental essays, as well as eco-critical writing, then create, workshop, and revise their own original nature and environmental essays. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 389

TWRT 391 Advanced Technical Communication (5) A&H Explores Technical Communication concepts and skills to inform the creation of information across a variety of genres. Focuses on researching, creating, and delivering information through written and oral communication forms used in professional and technical settings. Prerequisite: TWRT 291 View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 391

TWRT 420 Rhetoric and the City: Composing Urban Landscapes (5) SSc Examines cites through an interdisciplinary lens, as texts that can be read, revised, and re-written as/through symbolic action. After reading and discussing critical theory about space and place, students conduct place-based research in preparation to compose critical essays, narratives, and visuals depicting specific experiences related to the city. Prerequisite: either T CORE 101, TWRT 112, TWRT 121, TWRT 211, ENGL 131, or ENGL 141; recommended: TWRT 320, TWRT 330, TWRT 340, or TWRT 388. Offered: Sp. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 420

TWRT 440 Cross-Cultural Communication Design (5) SSc Examines issues that affect communication from global and local perspectives including the role culture and technology play in human interactions. Discusses the research and practices that writers and designers need to consider when internationalizing and localizing information products. Explores techniques and skills to develop effective communication products. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 440

TWRT 450 Principles of Accessible Design (5) SSc Explores accessibility barriers, standards, and guidelines for designing products and processes such as self-service kiosks and websites. Develops skills to solve accessibility problems through video ethnographies of barriers, apply automated and adaptive technology tools for testing and analyze data for devising solutions. Prerequisite: either TWRT 291, TWRT 350, TWRT 355, TWRT 440, TCOM 320, or TCOM 420. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 450

TWRT 464 Teaching Writing (5) A&H Studies theories and practices of writing education and the history and challenges of writing assessment. Explores learning communities. Emphasizes pedagogical questions of social class, ethnicity, multilingualism, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and nationality. Prerequisite: minimum grade of 2.0 in either TWRT 211 or TWRT 272. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 464

TWRT 470 Advanced Poetry Writing (5, max. 10) A&H Builds upon foundational skills in writing both traditional and contemporary poetry. Includes reading of models and writers' workshops to provide feedback on drafts. Students develop a portfolio of polished writing by the end of the course. Prerequisite: minimum grade of 2.0 in either TWRT 270 or TWRT 372. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 470

TWRT 480 Advanced Fiction Writing (5, max. 10) A&H Builds upon foundational skills in fiction writing such as dialog, narration, theme, language, and character. Includes reading of models and writers' workshops to provide feedback on drafts. Students develop a portfolio of polished writing by the end of the course. Prerequisite: minimum grade of 2.0 in either TWRT 280, TWRT 380, TWRT 382, or TWRT 384. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 480

TWRT 487 Advanced Creative Nonfiction (5, max. 10) A&H Builds on beginning creative nonfiction skills in several genres: personal or lyric essay, literary journalism, the nonfiction "short", or prose poetry. Includes reading of models and writers' workshops to provide feedback on drafts. Students develop a portfolio of polished writing by the end of the course. Prerequisite: TWRT 287 or TWRT 389. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 487

TWRT 492 Special Topics in Rhetoric and Composition (5, max. 10) SSc Introduces students to current and emergent conversations in the fields of/at the intersection of rhetoric, composition, literacy studies, and technical communication. The content of specific sections to be determined by individual faculty in Writing Studies in reflection of their research and scholarly interests. Sections may also reflect new directions in research methods and pedagogical approaches. Prerequisite: either T CORE 101, TWRT 112, TWRT 121, TWRT 211, ENGL 131, or ENGL 141. ; recommended: TWRT 320, TWRT 330, TWRT 340, or TWRT 388. Offered: Sp. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 492

TWRT 499 Advanced Topics in Creative Writing (1-5, max. 15) A&H Builds on beginning creative writing skills. Includes reading of models and writers' workshops to provide feedback on drafts. Students work on developing a portfolio of published writing. Prerequisite: either TWRT 270, TWRT 280, or TWRT 287. View course details in MyPlan: TWRT 499

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Writing Center (Tacoma)

The writing center staff has professional staff members and student consultants representing a variety of majors. Graduate students or undergrads working on upper-level assignments, applications, personal statements, creative writing, or disciplinary citation styles may find it helpful to work with someone with a similar background.

Graduate students can also access the Grad Writing schedule to work with a professional staff member or student consultant with graduate writing experience.

Multilingual writers can work with any consultant. English Learner Specialist,  Kelvin Keown , especially enjoys working with multilingual writers.

Mmore about the Writing Center

• Programs & Courses
• Entire Site
• Writing Courses

Write With Confidence

Honing your writing craft will help you produce the kind of crisp, engaging writing that captures the attention and imagination of readers. Whether you’re looking to sharpen your overall writing chops or focus on a particular type of writing, we offer a variety of programs to help you refine your skills and accomplish your goals.

General Writing Courses

Business writing: reports, proposals & documents.

Learn how to write a variety of long-form business documents. Adopt best practices for clear, concise and effective writing. 

Foundations of UX Writing

Learn how to write human-centered copy that places users at the core of your work. Determine the voice and tone of content to meet the needs of the user and the organization.

Self-Publishing: Bringing Your Book to Market

Learn the business fundamentals of self-publishing and gain the skills and knowledge you need to transform your manuscript into a self-published book.

The Art of Writing

Explore the essential principles and practices for developing your narrative voice and creating writing worth reading.

Fiction Writing Courses

Fiction writing: character.

Learn to create authentic characters and discover how they impact staging, drama and dialogue.

Fiction Writing: Craft

Explore the key elements of storytelling craft and learn techniques for making your prose come alive.

Fiction Writing: The Novel

Gain valuable insights into the process or writing and revising your novel or short story collection.

Creative Writing Courses

Women's personal essay writing: a workshop.

Learn the essential elements and key techniques for developing a compelling personal essay. By the end of the course, you'll have developed two workshopped essays that are ready for submission. 

Writing Children’s Literature: Picture Books

Explore the picture book format and get insider knowledge for developing your own work.

Other Writing Programs

Grant writing & management strategies.

Learn to research and write a competitive grant proposal. Discover funding opportunities and learn how to manage a winning grant through reporting, stewardship and more.

Professional Technical Writing

Explore the fundamental concepts and practical applications of technical writing. Learn the styles, formats and requirements for different kinds of technical communication.

Regulatory Medical Writing

Learn how to write regulatory documents and summarize clinical trial data. Gain experience crafting documents for regulatory submission and become familiar with the prescribed formats.

Explore More Programs

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English - Creative Writing

College of Arts & Sciences

The English Creative Writing concentration prepares students not only to be more effective communicators and artists, but also creative problem solvers and more nuanced critical thinkers. By situating small, student-oriented writing workshops alongside literary models, creative writing classes enhance the broader study of literature and critical theory, helping students gain a greater understanding of the social and cultural forces informing their work. A student completing the program is more able to situate themselves in a larger aesthetic and social context and make more meaningful, informed decisions about their own artistic practice. In addition, through the intense practice of creative writing, students are able to see the world more clearly, in a more nuanced and meaningful manner, and apply these skills to a wide variety of work and life situations.

Major category : Capacity-constrained

Curricular options : Creative Writing

Topic(s) : Arts, Humanities and Design

Applicant type

Freshmen can apply to the UW to begin autumn quarter or winter quarter (U.S. applicants only)

Read more about applying to the UW as a freshman , including details for programs that provide high school students with college credit (like Running Start).

Quarters of general admission to UW : autumn / winter (U.S. applicants only) / spring / summer

Preparation for the major is a factor in transfer admission.

• Use the information below to help you prepare for this degree
• Visit MyPlan to run a degree audit.
• Use the UW Equivalency Guide to find out how courses taken at a Washington state community or technical college will transfer to the UW.
• UW college and school graduation requirements

Department admission information

Departmental application deadline : Must enroll at the UW before applying to the major. Please contact the department for details about the application process.

Read more about applying to the UW as a transfer student .

Courses required for the major:

Creative Writing option

• Admission to the English major
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 in all English coursework
• Minimum 2.0 GPA in ENGL 202
• ENGL 283 (beginning verse) and ENGL 284 (beginning short story) or transfer equivalents.
• Submission of an unofficial transcript and a writing sample of 3–5 poems and 5–10 pages of fiction (preferably a complete story) to the Creative Writing office (B-25 Padelford) during the first three weeks of autumn and spring quarters.

Courses recommended for the major:

ENGL 202 is usually taken after transfer to the UW. Spaces are reserved for new transfer students in autumn, winter and spring in this pair of courses.

Entering transfer information:

Total undergraduates: 56 Total from Washington community colleges: 10

Entering transfer GPA (from WA community colleges):

3.75 – 4.00: 5 3.50 – 3.74: 3.25 – 3.49: 3.00 – 3.24: 2.75 – 2.99: 2.50 – 2.74: 2.49 and below:

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The English Major: Creative Writing Option

Note!  The requirements below took effect in Summer 2022 .  If you declared your major before then, please see the old requirements .  If you have questions about which version of the major applies to you, please contact HAS .

The Creative Writing Concentration prepares students not only to be more effective communicators and artists, but also creative problem solvers and more nuanced critical thinkers. By situating small, student-oriented writing workshops alongside literary models, Creative Writing classes enhance the broader study of literature and critical theory, helping students gain a greater understanding of the social and cultural forces informing their work. A student completing the program is more able to situate themselves in a larger aesthetic and social context and make more meaningful, informed decisions about their own artistic practice. In addition, through the intense practice of creative writing, students are able to see the world more clearly, in a more nuanced and meaningful manner, and apply these skills to a wide variety of work and life situations.

This page describes the English Major Concentration in Creative Writing. For the major's other option, see English Language, Literature, and Culture ,.

Students enrolled in the Creative Writing Concentration will complete a major consisting of 65 ENGL credits, at least 30 of which must be completed in residence at the University of Washington. A maximum of 20 credits in 200-level courses may count toward the English major, and may be used to fulfill the distribution requirements.

Creative writing students’ coursework is distributed as follows:

• ENGL 202: Introduction to English Language and Literature
• A sequence of creative writing workshops: ENGL 283: Beginning Verse Writing, ENGL 284: Beginning Short Story Writing, ENGL 383: The Craft of Verse, and ENGL 384: The Craft of Prose
• 15 credits in Historical Depth
• 15 credits in Power and Difference
• Two 400-level Creative Writing seminars ( Please see the  400-level Creative Writing workshop registration instruction page  for instructions on registering for these courses)

Please note: Creative writing students do *not* need to complete either ENGL 302 (satisfied by 383 & 384) or the senior capstone (satisfied by two 400-level CW classes), required for the major in Language, Literature, and Culture. All creative writing courses satisfy the Genre, Method, and Language distribution area, so Creative Writing students do not need to complete this area separately.

Applying to Creative Writing:

Applicants to the Creative Writing option must have already declared, or be eligible to declare, the English: Language and Literature major .

Applications for the Creative Writing option are accepted in autumn, winter, and spring quarters only, and should be submitted through this online application form   by the third Friday of the quarter at 4:00pm . Applications to creative writing are not accepted in summer quarter.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to apply for the Creative Writing option, you must

• have already declared, or be ready to declare, the English major program ;
• have completed ENGL 202, 283 (beginning verse writing) and ENGL 284 (beginning short story writing) or transfer equivalents.

Application Procedure:

Please submit online ONE complete attachment that includes the items below, by 4:00pm on the third Friday of autumn, winter, or spring quarter (no applications accepted in summer):

1. Undergraduate Creative Writing Option Application (PDF)

RIGHT-click the above link and save it as a PDF to your computer. Fill out the form using Acrobat Reader. Save your changes. Then combine it with the following materials:

Transcripts for all college work completed, both at the UW and elsewhere (these are additional sets of transcripts, separate from the transcripts you will have supplied as part of your application for the major):

• Unofficial UW Transcript : Even if this is your first quarter after transferring to the UW, you should submit an unofficial UW transcript, available through the MyUW system ;
• Complete set of Unofficial transcripts from all schools from which you have transfer credit : We need the information contained in the complete transcript from each transfer school; the transfer summary on a UW unofficial transcript is not sufficient. Photocopies of transcripts are acceptable.

2. A Writing Sample of 3-5 poems and 5-10 pages of fiction (preferably a complete story). Fiction should be double-spaced, with 12pt font (Times New Roman) and 1" margins:

• Review writing sample guidelines and be sure to submit literary fiction and poetry
• Be sure to proofread carefully.

Admission decisions are based primarily on the potential a student exhibits in his or her writing sample - grades and GPAs are usually not at issue. Admission decisions are sent to applicants by e-mail, normally within two weeks of the application deadline.

Completion of the requirements above does not guarantee admission.

Students who are denied admission to the Creative Writing option will continue to be English majors, and may complete the requirements for the literature BA in English. They may apply for the Creative Writing option one additional time, but if they are denied admission then, they must complete the literature major or elect another major in another department.

Distribution Areas:

The majority of English courses are distributed among three overlapping areas: Historical Depth, Power & Difference, and Genre, Method, and Language. Creative Writing students are required to complete 15 credits in two of these areas, Historical Depth and Power & Difference, with the remainder of their coursework focusing on Creative Writing workshops. 

Some courses can count towards both "Historical Depth" or "Power & Difference"; however, each course can ultimately only be used to fulfill one requirement. For example, ENGL 351 is listed under both “Historical Depth” and “Power and Difference" but it will only count in one of those categories in a student's degree progress. The student may choose (and can change their mind, shuffling courses as long as they are enrolled).  Students noticing issues with how these classes are applying to the distribution areas in their degree audit can contact an advisor at   Humanities Academic Services Center  (HAS), A-2-B Padelford Hall  for support. 

Descriptions of each area, along with the courses fulfilling it, are available below. 

Historical Depth:

People have been speaking, reading, and writing in English for more than a thousand years, producing literature that is at once timeless and deeply informed by the time in which it was written. Cultural artifacts from the English-speaking world have shaped, and been shaped by, social movements and historical conditions around the globe, as has the language itself. With this in mind, English majors are required to take 15 credits focused on materials produced before 1945, with at least 5 of those credits focused on materials produced before 1700. Distributing coursework in this way helps students to understand the depth, richness, and variability of English literature, language, and culture across time, and dramatizes how the ways we organize history affect the stories we tell about it. These courses open up past worlds that are in some ways totally alien and in others very similar to our own, revealing that what seems real and true to us can radically alter over time. Entering into these past realities offers a new perspective on the present and develops our capacity to imagine alternative futures.

Historical Depth Courses:

• ENGL 210 Medieval and Early Modern Literature, 400 to 1600
• ENGL 211 Literature, 1500-1800
• ENGL 225 Shakespeare
• ENGL 310 The Bible as Literature
• ENGL 320 English Literature: The Middle Ages
• ENGL 321 Chaucer
• ENGL 322 Medieval & Early Modern Literatures of Encounter (P&D)
• ENGL 323 Shakespeare to 1603
• ENGL 324 Shakespeare after 1603
• ENGL 325 Early Modern English Literature
• ENGL 326 Milton (GML)
• ENGL 351: Writing in the Contact Zone: North America 1492 - 1800 (P&D)
• ENGL 376: Introduction to Middle English Language (HD)
• ENGL 422 Arthurian Legends (GML)
• ENGL 212 Literature, 1700-1900
• ENGL 300: Reading Major Texts (can also count as pre-1700 depending on texts)
• ENGL 303 History of Literary Criticism and Theory I (GML)
• ENGL 312 Jewish Literature: Biblical to Modern (P&D)
• ENGL 314: Transatlantic Literature and Culture (P&D)
• ENGL 315: Literary Modernism (GML)
• ENGL 327 Narratives of Bondage & Freedom (P&D)
• ENGL 328 Eighteenth Century Literature & Culture
• ENGL 329 Rise of the English Novel (GML)
• ENGL 330 English Literature: The Romantic Age
• ENGL 331 Globalization & Nationalism in the Age of Empire (P&D)
• ENGL 332 Nineteenth Century Poetry (GML)
• ENGL 333 Nineteenth Century Novel (GML)
• ENGL 335 English Literature: The Victorian Age
• ENGL 336 English Literature: Early Twentieth Century
• ENGL 337 The Modern Novel (GML)
• ENGL 338 Modern Poetry (GML)
• ENGL 352 Literatures of the United States to 1865 (P&D)
• ENGL 353 American Literature: Later Nineteenth Century
• ENGL 354 American Literature: Early Twentieth Century
• ENGL 373: History of the English Language (GML)
• ENGL 380: Special Topics in History
• ENGL 385: Global Modernism (P&D)

Power and Difference:

Literature, language, and culture have been shaped by and in turn shape systems of power. Such systems include capitalism, colonialism, imperialism, and hierarchies of race, status, caste, sex, gender, and sexuality. Over time, systems of power elevate some voices and stories and marginalize and silence others. English majors are required to take at least 15 credits focused on how systems of power operate in and through literature, language, and culture. These courses explore the evolving relationship of literature, language, and culture to structures of violence and dispossession and center critical perspectives that have been marginalized or silenced. They embrace alternative ways of learning about the past and present, and the impress of the former on the latter. They highlight the complex, sometimes contradictory ways in which literature and culture mediate systems of power. In so doing, Power and Difference courses foster our imagination of more just and equitable futures.

Power and Difference Courses:

• ENGL 207: Introduction to Cultural Studies (GML)
• ENGL 208: Data and Narrative (GML)
• ENGL 256: Introduction to Queer Cultural Studies (DIV) (GML)
• ENGL 257: Introduction to Asian American Literature (DIV)
• ENGL 258: Introduction to African American Literature (DIV)
• ENGL 259: Literature and Social Difference (DIV)
• ENGL 265: Introduction to Environmental Humanities (DIV, GML)
• ENGL 307: Cultural Studies
• ENGL 308: Marxism and Literary Theory
• ENGL 311: Modern Jewish Literature in Translation
• ENGL 312: Jewish Literature: Biblical to Modern (HD)
• ENGL 314: Transatlantic Literature and Culture (HD)
• ENGL 316: Postcolonial Literature and Culture (DIV)
• ENGL 317: Literature of the Americas (DIV)
• ENGL 318: Black Literary Genres (DIV, GML)
• ENGL 319: African Literatures (DIV)
• ENGL 322 Medieval & Early Modern Literatures of Encounter (HD)
• ENGL 327 Narratives of Bondage & Freedom (HD)
• ENGL 331 Globalization & Nationalism in the Age of Empire (HD)
• ENGL 339: Globalization & Contemporary World Literature (GML)
• ENGL 340: Irish Literature (P&D)
• ENGL 349: Science Fiction & Fantasy
• ENGL 351: Writing in the Contact Zone: North America 1492 - 1800 (HD)
• ENGL 352: American Literatures to 1865 (HD)
• ENGL 355: Contemporary American Literature
• ENGL 357: Jewish American Literature and Culture (DIV)
• ENGL 358: African American Literature (DIV)
• ENGL 359: Contemporary American Indian Literature (DIV)
• ENGL 361: American Political Culture After 1865 (DIV)
• ENGL 362: Latino Literary Genres (DIV, GML)
• ENGL 364: Literature & Medicine
• ENGL 365: Literature & Environment (GML, DIV)
• ENGL 366: Literature & Law
• ENGL 367: Gender Studies in Literature (DIV)
• ENGL 368: Women Writers (DIV)
• ENGL 372: World Englishes (DIV) (GML)
• ENGL 379: Special Topics in Power & Difference
• ENGL 385: Global Modernism (HD)
• ENGL 386: Asian American Literature (DIV)
• ENGL 466: Queer and LGBT Literature (DIV)
• ENGL 478: Language and Social Policy (DIV) (GML)
• ENGL 479: Language Variation and Language Policy in North America (DIV, GML)
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Creative writing.

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Search form, sarah a. chavez, ph.d..

Introduction

Sarah A. Chavez graduated in 2014 with her PhD in Creative Writing and Interdisciplinary Certification in Ethnic Studies. Her dissertation focused on the performance of intersectionality, specifically between Chicanidad, socio-economic stasis and movement/working class identity, and gender identities. Focusing on the creation of poetry and creative nonfiction that negotiates the emotional life of these embodied experiences and critical writing that interrogates existing and future representations of performance in literature and popular culture, her work looks to celebrate inclusive ethnic/racial identities while also questioning the historical construction of identities that have been used both to coalesce group membership, as well as exclude.

Using the guiding principles of interdisciplinarity, Dr. Chavez's creative and critical work is particularly interested in multi-genre platforms, hybrid genres, and contemporary uses of established poetic form. Her story-telling-focused poetry and prose has been published both individually, as well as collected. Her current writing projects utilize oral tradition story-telling techniques, lyricism, and fragmentation.

Current Research

Current collections in progress: Halfbreed Helene Navigates the Whole -- a collection of poems which follows the experiences of a queer working-class mestiza attempting to fit into a binary world structure.

When Turtle First Began to Carry the Earth - a collection of origin story poems borrowing from the Indigenous North American myths of the turtle who carried the world. These narrative poems are told from the point of view of Turtle and posits the possibility of experiences if Turtle had agency during the 21st century.

Future projects consist of creative nonfiction focused on food as cultural connection, an anthology of mestizaje-focused essays, and possible article project(s) on the comfort of watching superhero films and television as a form of familial connection.

Affiliations

Macondo Writers Workshop Latin@s United in the South Sound (LUSS) The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Modern Language Association (MLA) National Women’s Studies Association Popular Culture Association/ Association of American Culture Latino Studies Minor, Faculty Faculty Council, CAC Representative

Scholarly Interests

Dr. Chavez's scholarly/creative research interests: identity performance, specifically in regards to socio-economic class, race/ethnicity, and gender; constructions of Latinidad, construction and representation of queerness; food culture and cultural representation, reclamation, and reconstruction through food; health narratives in Chicanx cultural representations; mestizaje and cultural belonging

Creative interests in form: the epistle, narrative poetry & lyric storytelling, the elegy, Americanization of form

TWRT 200: Introduction to Creative Writing TWRT 270: Poetry Writing TWRT 364: Cultural Food Writing TWRT 365: Literary Editing and Publishing TWRT 487: Advanced Creative Nonfiction TWRT 499: Advanced Topics in Creative Writing—Poetry of Witness TCORE 101: Introduction to Academic Writing TLAX 290: Latinx Social Movements

Academic Service

Sundress Publications, Board Member Poetry Coordinator, Best of the Net Anthology. March 2017-present. Latinx Festival 2020 Planning Committee Judge for Louder Than A Bomb competitions in Tacoma, WA.

Honors and Awards

Latinx Faculty Recognition, 2020 Marshall University Annual Woman of Color Award (faculty), 2017 2016 Top Ten "New" Latino Authors to Watch (and Read). LatinoStories.com Nomination for Best of the Net 2016

 Hands That Break & Scar . Sundress Publications, September 2017.

All Day, Talking . Dancing Girl Press, September 2014.

“Grandma Chavez’s Mexican Arroz.” Cookbook Recipes: The Sundress Blog. December 2, 2018.

"Mexican Americans and American Mexicans: An Etymology." Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction (special race issue). Issue 53, Fall 2016.

“Ms. Poetry: Performance of the Female Body at the Front of the Room.” VIDA Exclusive. April 2016.

"Working Class Poetry." The Sundress Blog. October 10, 2014.

“Oppositional Identities and the Mestiz@ Writer.” Community Boundaries and Border Crossings by Ethnic Women Writers: Critical Essays. Ed. Kristen Lillvis, Molly Fuller, and Robert Miltner. Lexington Books. December 2016.

"Halfbreed Helene Makes Her Funeral Playlist." Hotel Amerika, Summer 2020.

"Halfbreed Helene's Mother Says Not to Call Herself That." Diode, Winter 2020.

“Halfbreed Helene Realizes Her Color Sadness Is A Color Privilege.” Fresno Writers for Migrant Justice: Bilingual Chapbook. Summer 2019.

“Halfbreed Helene Watches T.V.,” “Halfbreed Helene Thinks of Nothing,” and “Halfbreed Helene Lists the 25 Reasons She Can Never Become A Better _________.” Five:2:One #sideshow. August 2019.

“Dear Carole, You’d be impressed by all that I can do drunk” and “Dear Carole, There is no one with whom to have secrets.” IDK Magazine, Issue 5. February 2019.

“Dear Carole, you would like it here” Tributaries, The New Nature Series: The Fourth River. August 2018.

“Dear Carole, In my dream last night” and “Dear Carole, I just filed my taxes.” Pretty Owl Poetry. Spring 2018.

"Selections from All Day, Talking, Hands That Break & Scar, and “When Turtle Carried the Earth” series. Xicana: Mexican-American Authors of the 21st Century. Ed. ire’ne lara silva. University of Arizona Press. Forthcoming 2018.

“Dear Carole, Dermatologists call the body a ‘trunk.’” Atticus Review, January 2018.

“When Turtle Carried the Earth” Part III. Voices on Unity: Coming Together, Falling Apart. Ed. Cat Pleska. Mountain State Press, forthcoming January 2018.

The challenge of being a creative person once you’ve created a person

A very tired parent’s tips for writing a book while also doing all the other things.

Eight or nine years ago, an old friend called seeking advice. She was trying to write a novel, but she was also a new mom with a full-time job, and she was exhausted. I, who had breezily published a couple of books by then, offered my best wisdom. You have to push through, I told her sternly. You have to take your own writing seriously, or nobody else will. Set aside two hours every night. Put on the coffee and push through the exhaustion. You can and will do it.

Years passed. Then I, too, had a baby. Then I, too, set out to write a book while also being a mother with a full-time job. And somewhere in the middle of this endeavor, I called my friend and asked whether my advice had been as bad as I was beginning to sense it had been. No, she told me cheerfully, it had actually been much worse. The callousness of it had shocked her, she said, until she decided that I simply hadn’t known any better and that, when I did, I would apologize.

God, I’m so sorry.

My first post-baby book came out today, and I have been thinking, almost nonstop, about the relationship between creativity and motherhood. I used to love reading articles with titles such as “The daily routines of 10 famous artists,” until I realized that Leo Tolstoy may have finished his masterpieces by locking his study doors to ensure uninterrupted productivity, but, like, what were his 13 children doing while he was in there? Did anyone check in on Mrs. Tolstoy? For the women I know, there is no setting aside a few hours at the end of the workday. The end of the workday is the beginning of the parent day. The end of the parent day is never, because 2-year-olds wake cheerfully at 5 a.m., and strep throat comes for us all.

Where, in this schedule, was the life of the mind? TikTok would not stop showing me videos of mothers showing off their “realistic beauty routines,” but what I really wanted were realistic creativity routines: the mothers who didn’t give a crap about heatless curlers, but had somehow composed a cello sonata while working five days a week as a dental hygienist.

In my bleariest days of early parenthood, I met a woman at the playground who had just finished doing something extraordinary (Triathlon? Solo art exhibit?), and when the rest of us asked her how she’d found the time, she shrugged and said, modestly, “Oh, you know.” But the point was that we didn’t know, and we were desperate for her to tell us. (Live-in grandparents? Adderall?)

The bigger point is that we weren’t really trying to figure out how to compete in triathlons. We were trying to figure out how to be people.

When you have a baby or a toddler, reminding yourself that you are a full person with your own dreams and needs can feel both completely vital and completely impossible. But being a full person is a sacred legacy to give to a child. My own mother is a folk artist. When I was growing up, she made Ukrainian eggs in the frigid concrete sunroom, a space heater at her feet, and her works were shown and sold at galleries around the Midwest. I knew then, and I know now, that my mother would die and kill for me. But I also knew that she loved other things, too. She had loved those things before she ever knew me. She had secrets and wisdom to pass on.

Her work had nothing to do with me, yet it was a gift. It paid for my brother and me to go to summer camp. It went on display at the Art Institute of Chicago, and we visited it, as well as the Seurats and the Hoppers, and ate granola bars. When my mother dies, I will carefully unwrap the tissue paper surrounding the astonishing works of art she gave to me over the years, and I will sob.

I want that for my own daughter. I want her to know that motherhood doesn’t have to atrophy personhood; it can expand it.

And in wanting that, desperately, I came up with a routine that allowed me to maintain a grip on the parts of me that were me before I was a mother. A realistic creativity routine, if you will.

I write between the hours of 10 p.m. and midnight, unless it turns out that I write between the hours of 2 a.m. and 4. I write 300 to 400 words every time I am on the Metro; I write 30 to 40 words each time I pick my daughter up from day care, in the three-minute gap between when I ring the outer bell and when a teacher’s aide comes to let me inside. I write badly. I write very, very badly, vaguely remembering a quote I’d once heard attributed to author Jodi Picoult, about how you can always edit a bad page, but you can never edit a blank page.

Does it look like the routines of Tolstoy, or Virginia Woolf, or anyone else I may have once read about in an article about the routines of famous artists? It does not. But the bad pages get edited, and then they get good.

Pursuing creativity as a working mom means, in other words, letting go of any romantic notions of what creativity means or looks like.

It means not waiting for inspiration to strike, but instead striking inspiration, bludgeoning it upside the head and wrestling it to the ground. Inspiration is a luxury, and once you realize that, you can also understand that the ability to create something through sheer force of will — without inspiration, without routine, without time — is a far more creative act than relying on a muse.

If my old friend called me now, I think that is what I would say to her. That, and:

You will not be Mark Twain, summoned by a horn when it’s time to eat the dinner someone else has prepared. You will not be going on Tchaikovsky’s vigorous two-hour walks through the countryside or spending the morning shopping for inspiring objects like Andy Warhol.

But you will create something. Not by pushing through the exhaustion so much as living alongside it, and then peering beyond it, and then stopping, and then starting, and then having superhuman discipline, and then eating a whole package of Oreos, and then finishing something beautiful at 2 a.m. and sneaking into your child’s room to see another beautiful thing, and then thinking about how the things that make us the most tired are the things that give us reason to create at all.