Enhance Your Education

Distinctive Programs in Creative Writing

As a creative writing student at Knox, you'll have plenty of opportunities to expand your education beyond your classroom learning, such as working on a collection of short stories or other creative pieces as part of an Honors project, getting a feel for your future career through an internship, or taking advantage of one of Knox's many off-campus study programs, like the Chicago Semester in the Arts.

Student Research and Creative Projects
Knox is a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research. In fact, more than 90% of all Knox students complete an independent research or creative project by the time they graduate. Many students' projects are supported by an unusually rich array of Knox College funding programs that together provide students more than $200,000 each year in support of their work. These sources include: Richter Memorial Scholars Program, Ford Foundation Research Fellows Program, Ronald E. McNair Fellows Program and departmentally supported independent studies. In addition, special fellowships awarded to Knox through national competitions and through the research grants of Knox faculty make Knox a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research. Examples of some recent student research projects include:

• "Cultural Creative Writing: An Experiential Learning Project in Kenya," Monica Schroeder '07, creative writing major.
• "Russian History and Literature," Miranda Steffens '07, creative writing major.
• "Tolstoy's War and Peace," Sarah Wylder '07, creative writing major.
• "Zines: Transition from Sub-Culture to Dominant-Culture Medium and Their Role in a Technology-Driven World," Katherine Garklavs '06, creative writing and German major.
• "Exploring Curricula for Teaching Beginning Poetry Writing and the Fundamentals of the Beginning Workshop," Brendan Todt '06, creative writing major, independent study/senior research funded by Richter program.
• "Teaching Poetry Composition," Brendan Todt '06, creative writing major.

College Honors
Outstanding students have the opportunity to take College Honors during their senior year, completing an extended research project or creative endeavor, with an oral defense before a faculty committee that includes a visiting scholar. Some examples of recent College Honors in creative writing include:

• Fiction: "People Things: A Body of Fiction," Erik Steven Hane '12.
• Fiction: "Zen Umbrella," Margaret Mercedes Hayertz '12.
• Nonfiction: "In Passing: A Collection of Generally Gendered Anecdotes," Michael Cassio Fingold Martinez '12.
• Poetry: "Confessions in Living Color(ed): The Creation of a Choreopoem," Monica Rachel Prince '12.
• "What We Found There: Stories from Snowfall, Alabama," Anthony Samuel Martone '11.
• "Creativity in Life: Art and Ingenuity in D.C.'s Homelessness Community," Adam Al Sirgany '11.
• "From West of Normal," Sarah Elizabeth Benkin '09.
• Creative Writing and French: "Double Image: A Study in Self-Translation," Malissa Marie Kent '07.
• Poetry: "A Tempestuous Noise," Christopher W.D. Astwood '07.

Off-Campus Programs
Knox offers you plenty of opportunities to begin exploring the world while still a student. Almost 50% of Knox students participate in one of the many off-campus study options and consider their studies abroad to be the highlight of their college experiences. Programs of interest to students in writing and literature include:

• London and Durham Programs
• London and Florence Program
• Chicago Semester in the Arts
• Newberry Library Program in the Humanities
• Chicago Urban Studies Semester
• Study abroad in Asia and Latin America
• Green Oaks Term

Internships
As a creative writing student at Knox, you'll have the opportunity to expand your education -- to get that valuable "real world" experience you hear so much about -- by completing an internship. Internships provide an opportunity to explore and test career options, to gain experiences and skills needed to succeed as a professional, to build a resume, to network and make critical connections, and to experience a work environment. More and more employers are looking for college graduates with career-related experience. Knox's Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development specializes in helping you find an internship that best matches your goals and interests. Some examples of recent internships in creative writing include:

• Intern, University of Denver-Publishing Institute. Marnie Shure '11.
• Creative Writer Intern at Upshot, Chicago, IL, Summer 2002. Mayank Anand '02.