Frequently Asked Questions about the Creative Writing Minor
Q: Do I need any background or experience to take CRWR 218 (the introductory course in poetry and fiction writing)?
A: No. CRWR 218 has no prerequisites and assumes no experience on the part of students. It's a good course for total beginners as well as students who have written in one genre but not the other; it also, of course, welcomes those who have tried both and want to develop further as writers.
Q: Do I have to officially declare the minor?
A: No. But it is to your advantage to do so. Declaring the minor gives you preference in admission to creative writing classes, secures a minor advisor for you, and enables us to keep you informed of literary events on campus. To declare the minor, make your intentions known to Professor Susan Perabo (perabo@dickinson.edu) or Professor Adrienne Su (sua@dickinson.edu).
Q: How often will the required courses be offered?
A: Several sections of CRWR 218 are offered every semester. CRWR 317 and CRWR 319 are offered once every semester. CRWR 219 is generally available every semester. Always check the current course schedule, however, for possible changes in a given year.
Q: I took an advanced creative writing workshop and loved it so much, I want to take the same course again. Can I do that?
A: Yes! We constantly change the literature content of CRWR 317 and 319, and the student writing under discussion is always new, so you can repeat these courses as many times as your schedule, and space in the workshop, allow.
Q: What does "CRWR 219: Topics in Creative Writing" mean?
A: CRWR 219 is a creative writing workshop in a genre other than fiction and/or poetry. Recent offerings include Creative Nonfiction, Memoir, Screenwriting, and Creative Nonfiction: Writing about Food.
Q: Do I have to be an English major to do the Creative Writing minor?
A: No. The minor is open to all students, regardless of major.
Q: Can Creative Writing courses double-count for the English major and/or distribution requirements?
A: CRWR 218 counts as an elective in the English major. It also fulfills the Arts requirement for graduation. Certain versions of CRWR 219 count toward other programs; check Banner and talk with your advisor to confirm what counts for an individual course.
Q: Does CRWR 218 meet the Writing-Intensive requirement for graduation?
A: No.
Q: What about study abroad? Can I transfer classes from other institutions?
A: Yes. But courses taken at other institutions, abroad or domestically, must be approved in advance by Professor Su or Professor Perabo. In every case, the final determination of credit is the decision of the faculty, so be sure to secure approval before you take the course.
Q: Can I take CRWR 218 and CRWR 317 or 319 in the same genre simultaneously?
A: No.
Q: Can I take CRWR 317 or 319 even if I’m not completing the minor in Creative Writing?
A: Yes, provided there is room in the class (declared minors have priority) and you have taken the prerequisite (CRWR 218).
Q: If I took a creative writing course in high school, and/or have done a lot of creative writing on my own outside the classroom, can I skip 218 and go directly into the advanced workshops?
A: No. You must take 218 prior to 317/319, regardless of your previous experience in creative writing. Instruction in the advanced workshops builds directly on the instruction the introductory workshop.
Q: I have a score of 4 or 5 on the AP English: Literature exam. Can I count that as my literature course for the minor?
A: Yes, but we strongly recommend taking literature alongside your creative writing workshops when you can, to make you the best possible writer.
Q: Does the Creative Writing department offer prizes and awards?
A: Yes, the Creative Writing department awards the Moorehead-Timberlake Prize each spring to the student judged to have written the best short story, poem, play or piece of creative non-fiction.
Each spring, the department runs the . This contest is open to all currently enrolled Dickinson students and will be judged by poet, scholar, and the author of Lineage of Rain (Haymarket Books, 2021) Janel Pineda '18 (she/her). She was born and raised in Los Angeles within a family of Salvadoran migrants, her writing explores intergenerational narratives, liberated futurities, systemic critique, and the legacies of the United States–funded Salvadoran Civil War.
The winner will receive $100 and a one-year membership to the Academy. Winning entries will also be considered for publication by the Academy.
ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE POETRY PRIZE - SPRING 2025 WINNER
The winner of the spring 2025 Academy of American Poets University & College Poetry Prize is Vanessa Abraham ’25 for her poem “Ultrasound: My Body in the Yellow Breeches Creek.” Honorable Mention goes to Jenna McCullouch ’27 for her poem “80 Proof.” The judge was Janel Pineda '18. Congratulations to Vanessa and Jenna! You can read their poems here (scroll to bottom).
The winning poet in this annual contest receives $100 and a one-year membership to the Academy of American Poets. The winning poem is also published on the Academy’s website, and winners 23 years of age or younger are considered for the $1,000 Aliki Perroti and Seth Frank Most Promising Young Poet Award.
More information about the history of this prize and a list of prominent poets who won it in their early years is available .
VANESSA ABRAHAM '25
Ultrasound: My Body in the Yellow Breeches Creek
after George David Clark
Breech baby, born
into this water-world feet-first.
A creek is a cold womb:
shivering fetus suspended
in a limestone stream of amniotic fluid.
A bank cleaving
from land is an empty tomb—
Virginia, Ophelia.
Underbelly ultrasound:
a riverbed is still a place to rest
among half-smoked cigarettes
and decaying cans drained of Bud Light—
fool’s gold in the dying
summer sunlight.
Against the jagged river rock,
I scraped my knees
and skinned my shins;
a child comes of age
in watershed time.
At the bottom of this creek
is my first kiss, spit mixing
in my sandy brown stomach,
silt deposits of seventeen years
swept along with forgotten shoes,
plastic bottles, Lay’s packaging,
cast-offs of the living things.
Last night, I dreamt I drowned
in the Yellow Breeches,
swollen belly of adolescence
lost under those rusty bridges.
Let my memories decompose
among the leeches.
JENNA McCULLOCH '27
80 Proof
The fly-trap feeling of your amber
love Tastes more like vinegar in the
morning. I make eyes at my almost
empty glass
While you redress and collect all your
things, Still trying to tempt me.
A red-fingered sky peeks past the
curtains To warn the sailors and the
cheating lovers. I am neither, I have to
remind myself,
But you often befriend such
characters, And I am no better.
As the birds begin to chant their dirges,
You linger, wanting one last kiss from
me, But I know your lips will taste
acidic, And I prefer you smooth and
bittersweet. I kiss you anyway.
It is easy to clean, clean up your mess,
Start laundry, and put away the
dishes, But I need to get clean.