Creative Writing and Book Arts
Offered by: Languages, Literatures, Cultures, and Writing DepartmentIn the Creative Writing and Book Arts program, students will take a creative writing workshop and study the history, scholarship, and practices of traditional and contemporary artist books, culminating in a capstone class where students will produce an artist book containing their own writing. Students will gain direct, hands-on experience in book production—the editing, book design, and publication of their own writing.
Why Choose Creative Writing and Book Arts?
Students interested in the intersection of text and image in the digital age would benefit from taking the certificate in Creative Writing and Book Arts. Student have the opportunity to participate in the following student organizations to enhance the curriculum:
- SLAB
- The Roxy
- RockScissorsPaper
What Will You Learn?
- Students learn to develop strategies for researching and synthesizing research in creative image texts.
- Students learn about writing processes and methods specific to writing in various types of artist books.
- Students learn how to design and storyboard conventional length artist books.
- Students learn how to construct an artist book incorporating student-produced texts and images.
- Students learn the history of 20th- and 21st-century artist books and figure where their work fits in the history.
Combining this certificate with an Art (BFA) will help visual artists learn to write creatively to merge image and written text. Students combining this certificate with the minor in Gender Studies will learn how artist books can serve as political activity and commentary.
Career Opportunities
Students interested in writing professionally would benefit from earning a certificate in Creative Writing and Book Arts. Specifically, students with interests in editing, publishing, library science, visual art, creative writing, literature will find that the certificate enhances content in their disciplines.