Department of English, Communications and Media announces new creative writing and publishing major

The Department of English, Communications and Media is excited to announce a new major in creative writing and publishing for undergraduate students at Salve Regina. It will be offered alongside the popular minor in creative writing.
“The new major is particularly exciting, because it relies on strengths we already have with our communications, literature and creative writing programs,” said Dr. Matthew Ramsey, associate professor and chairman of the department. “It features courses from all of these areas, and it speaks to what many of our students have been asking for.”
The creative writing and publishing major offers flexibility and choice, built around foundation courses like Intro to Creative Writing, Elements of Craft, and Publishing and Editing, as well as courses in social media, marketing and graphic and visual arts.
Students interested in a major in creative writing and publishing will engage with a variety of mediums to develop their craft in their choice of fiction, poetry, and special topics such as screenwriting and feature writing, as well as genre favorites like fantasy, sci-fi and slam poetry.

The major in creative writing and publishing offers students the opportunity to participate in projects like Instapoetry and slam poetry, as pictured in the these two photos.
The curriculum combines workshop experiences to hone critique and improve a writer’s craft while exposing students to current trends in the writing world, and the senior thesis also gives students the opportunity to work on a larger piece of original writing or collection of smaller works. The major is also an interdisciplinary major that makes a nice pairing with other majors and minors.
“Majoring in creative writing and publishing allows students to become very strong writers capable of producing work in many genres — poetry, fiction, podcasting, screenwriting, social media, feature writing and analytical writing,” described Dr. Ramsey. “It allows majors to choose their own path, to create a curriculum that speaks to their interests and future career opportunities.”
The Department of English, Communications and Media have alumni that work at prestigious places like The Paris Review, MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group, Penguin Books and American Salon Magazine. Many more alumni are pursuing advanced degrees in creative writing and publishing, including many who return to campus for The Newport MFA in creative writing that Salve Regina offers, founded by New York Times bestselling author Ann Hood.
For a full listing of coursework that is required for the major in creative writing and publishing, visit the major’s webpage.
Featured photo is of Jen McClanaghan, associate professor and writer in residence, teaching a writing course.