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A Brief History of Creative Writing at Queen’s

Professor Carolyn Smart has nurtured young writing talent at Queen’s for over 20 years, while championing the creative arts throughout the Kingston community and beyond. During this time, she has mentored over 1,000 aspiring authors—many of whom have gone on to acclaimed writing careers—led countless writing workshops, and generated numerous opportunities for students to publish and present their writing on well-recognized platforms.

Professor Smart initiated and has edited each edition of the Lake Effect anthology as the capstone of our Creative Writing curriculum. Students in CWRI 496 participate in an intensive seminar on writing for publication, culminating in a class-produced anthology and public reading. Lake Effect 10, published in 2021, marks the 20^th anniversary of the Lake Effect project.

The Writer in Residence program would not be possible without Professor Smart’s drive, along with the support of successive Heads of the Department. The Writer in Residence program welcomes a renowned writer to the Queen’s community each year to participate in a range of literary events and offer advice and mentorship to Creative Writing students.

In 2009, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Queen’s hosted Kingston novelist and poet Helen Humphreys as Writer in Residence. In 2021, the Department of English is proud to welcome Professor Humphreys as an instructor for CWRI 295.

Read more about Carolyn Smart’s powerful legacy at Queen’s in the Queen’s University Alumni Review.

Creative Writing at Queen’s Now and in the Future

The Creative Writing program continues to expand and has been woven into the heart of the English Department’s identity and mission. Esteemed Anishinaabe poet, screenwriter, critic, and creative non-fiction writer Armand Garnet Ruffo joined the program in 2013.

Today we offer a scaffolded Creative Writing curriculum that builds student skill in a variety of genres and mediums. We also offer hybrid Creative Writing courses with both critical and creative components. Furthermore, in-class learning opportunities are supplemented by special events like the:

• The Annual Page Lecture Event which brings a renowned Canadian writer to campus to reflect on literary craft,
• The Scotiabank Giller Prize Event,
• one-on-one mentorship with a visiting Writer in Residence,
• an annual series of readings with writers from across Canada.

Learn more about our Creative Writing events.

Additionaly, Creative Writing courses count toward all English Plans, but students do not have to be registered in an English Plan to take these courses. Because most of our creative writing courses take an intensive workshop approach, they are limited-enrolment courses. Admission to some courses is by permission of the department, based on an assessment of a portfolio of samples of creative work.

Exciting developments to the Creative Writing program include:

• Professor Juliane Okot Bitek author of 100 Days joins the department to teach and supervise in Creative Writing and Black Studies
• Writer in Residence Omar El Akkad wins the 2021 Giller Prize for his novel What Strange Paradise 
• The development of a unique learning opportunity for graduating undergraduate students, culminating in an annual student-run Scotiabank Giller Prize Event.
• The Annual Readers’ Series, which brings writers to campus throughout the year
• Expansions to the Writer in Residence program, including the Welcome Reading Event
• The 10^th publication of Lake Effect anthologies
• The publication of The Lamp journal’s 10^th volume