If you have a creative spark and a passion for shaping the world with your words, you’ll find your niche as a writing major or minor. As a writing student, you’ll work with a faculty mentor to discern your writing strengths and interests as you develop a sophomore writing portfolio and an individualized senior writing portfolio. In addition to giving you practical experience in writing, editing, and publishing, our writing program offers courses in creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, playwriting, the English language, and more.
The flexibility of the writing program allows you to tailor the program to your own interests and professional goals through electives and extracurricular involvement. You can publish your writing in The Record, our distinguished student-run newspaper; Broadside, an outlet for short poems and prose; or Red Cents, an award-winning creative arts journal. For your senior project, you’ll write your own book manuscript. Many students also publish their own book with Pinchpenny Press, then hold a release party to sell it!
Goshen College writing students have interned with top-notch organizations like Sojourners magazine, Beacon Press, and The Lancaster News. A writing degree from GC shows future employers that you possess excellent writing and critical thinking abilities, essential for success in graduate school or the professional world.
Lauren Treiber, a 2014 graduate from Grand Rapids, Michigan, came to Goshen College to study peace. While a student, Lauren has formed friendships and learned lessons that will lead her towards a lifetime of peacemaking.
Armarlie Grier, a 2016 graduate of English writing from Rockford, Illinois, calls herself a xenophile—a person who is attracted to foreign cultures. That’s why she minored in international studies, philosophy and TESOL.
Nathan Vader graduated in 2013 with an English writing major and a theater and Bible, religion and philosophy minor. On the side, he edited for the campus newspaper, The Record, authored a book, acted and directed plays.
Kate Yoder studied English writing and art and enjoyed spending her time in the community garden close to campus, playing piano, editing for college publications and creating mixed media collages.
Ellah is an internationally-known author, broadcaster, editor and literary critic, and has become renowned especially for her work in Anglophone African literature. She won the 2016 Goshen College Culture For Service Award.