Studying English and Creative Writing at Kenyon
Kenyon is known for its long-standing literary tradition, which is rooted in its history with the Kenyon Review — one of the nation’s most esteemed literary magazines — and its hallmark Department of English and Creative Writing.
Under the close guidance of English and creative writing faculty members who are renowned teachers and critically acclaimed writers and poets, students are exposed to diverse critical and creative approaches to the study of literature. Courses range from first-year seminars that explore thought-provoking themes from a variety of literary genres and historical periods, to advanced seminars and creative writing workshops.
-
84students serve as first readers for thousands of submissions to the Kenyon Review each year.
Learn more about the Kenyon Review Associates Program.
-
On the Page
Many students choose to complete the English major with an emphasis in creative writing.
-
$150Kfrom the Mellon Foundation seeded an expansion of Kenyon’s pioneering science-writing program.
-
Experience Exeter
For more than fifty years, Kenyon students have traveled to southwest England as part of the year-long Kenyon-Exeter Program.
Featured Courses
Introduction to Fiction Writing
Incorporating intensive reading and writing of short and flash fiction and exercises emphasizing various elements such as place, dialogue and character, this course introduces students to the elements of fiction writing in a workshop setting. Admission to this course is open and seats are reserved for students in each class year.
The History of the Book
Learn about the history of material texts and investigate the production of writing from scribal manuscripts to modern digital media, with a focus on the hand-press era (c.1450-1830). Become proficient in interpreting materials and using them to place texts in their historical context.
Toni Morrison
“Pleasurable” doesn’t seem like a word that would apply to the harrowing story of a mother who kills her child rather than allow her to be enslaved. Yet Morrison writes prose so beautiful one could describe reading such a story as, in some sense, pleasurable, even as this beauty deepens the power and pain of her words.
Literature, Medicine and Culture
Explore the political, ethical and cultural dimensions of representing illness and disability across different genres from novels to films. This course introduces students to the fields of health humanities and disability studies and equips them to assess and interpret different narrative forms centered on illness, disability and health.
60-Second Syllabus: Making a Life
First-year seminars prepare students for their academic future. Professor of English Sarah Heidt ’97 designed hers to prepare them for life. Examining works of literature from Shakespeare’s “King Lear” to Toni Morrison’s “Beloved,” students are thinking critically and creatively about what it means to make a good life — at Kenyon and beyond.
The thesis of the class, dubbed “Making a Life,” is simple: Literary reading and creative and critical writing can be important tools for personal introspection.
Lentz House
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio 43022