If you are a budding poet, novelist, dramatist, or creator of creative non-fiction, interested in honing your craft and discussing the writing life, consider including the following courses in your degree program.
Students without prerequisites can apply for most of our creative writing courses in English with a portfolio and a few other details (usually determined by the instructor teaching the course). The idea for this is that someone might actively be writing in the field that the course is about, but just not happen to have taken the courses. You may already be at the level and have the basic knowledge that other folks WITH the prerequisites have.
Does this sound like you? If so, read on!
- ENGL-1851H The Writing Life: An Introduction to Creative Writing
FA 2026 DUR (Instructor TBA)
FA 2026 PTBO (Aaron Kreuter)
No pre-requisite
- ENGL-2851H Introductory Prose Writing Workshop
FALL 2026 PTBO (Aaron Kreuter)
Pre-requisite: 4.0 university credits including ENGL 1851H or permission of the Instructor. Excludes ENGL-2859H.
- ENGL-2853H Introductory Poetry Writing Workshop
FA 2026 (Rob Winger)
Pre-requisite: 4.0 university credits including ENGL 1851H or permission of the Instructor. Excludes ENGL-2859H
Are you writing poetry regularly right now? And have you been doing so for a while? Do you have some sense of the basics of literary writing and beyond, there? The folks in the course will have taken the first-year course that introduces them to the basics of literary writing and hopefully will also be actively writing poems, so the idea, with this particular application process, is to be sure that someone without the prerequisite seems ready to be a part of the course to ensure a comfort level and to maximize on the possibility for success. If you're keen and are not new to writing poetry, your materials will be reviewed. Please be sure to have a back up plan since applying doesn't guarantee entry into the course.
If you wish to apply, you may submit a portfolio by sending the following to Rob Winger (robwinger@trentu.ca) ASAP:
- your best ten pages of your own, original poetry
- an explanation of why you want to take the course
- a brief explanation of at least two poets who have influenced your poetic practice
- a brief discussion of at least one full book of poetry that you've read in the last year
- a statement that describes any creative writing courses you may have taken in the past
- ENGL-2855H Intro to Creative Non-Fiction Writing Workshop
WI 2027 DUR (Instructor TBA)
Pre-requisite: 0.5 credit in ENGL. ENGL-1851H is strongly recommended. Offered only at Trent University Durham – GTA
. - ENGL 2857H: Introductory Scriptwriting Workshop
NOT OFFERED 2026-27
A broad introduction to the practice of writing scripts, this course asks students to learn the fundamentals of dramatic scripts and scriptwriting. Frequent writing and editing tasks are required, as is thoughtful engagement with assigned material and ongoing projects. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits including ENGL 1851H or permission of the Instructor.
- ENGL-2859H Introductory Creative Writing Workshop
FA 2026 DUR (Instructor TBA)
Pre-requisite: 0.5 ENGL credit. ENGL 1851H is strongly recommended. Offered only at Trent University Durham – GTA. Excludes ENGL 2851H, 2853H.
- ENGL-3850Y/3851H Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop
FA 2026 DUR (Instructor TBA)
WI 2027 PTBO (Aaron Kreuter)
Pre-requisite: 4.0 university credits including ENGL 2851H or 2859H or permission of the Instructor, possibly with portfolio submission. Students may take only one of ENGL 3850Y or 3851H for credit.
- ENGL-3853H Intermediate Poetry Writing Workshop
WI 2027 PTBO (Rob Winger)
Pre-requisite: ENGL 2853H or 2959H or permission of the Instructor, possibly with portfolio submission.
Are you writing poetry? Do you have some sense of the basics and beyond, there? Students in the course will have taken the second-year version and hopefully will also be actively writing poems, so the idea, with the application process, is to be sure that someone without the prerequisite seems ready to be a part of the course to ensure a comfort level and to maximize on the possibility for success. If you're keen and are not new to writing poetry, your materials will be reviewed. Please be sure to have a back up plan since applying doesn't guarantee entry into the course.
If you'd like me to look at portfolio, please send the following ASAP.
- your best ten pages of your own, original poetry
- an explanation of why you want to take the course
- a brief explanation of at least two poets who have influenced your poetic practice
- a brief discussion of at least one full book of poetry that you've read in the last year
- ENGL-3855H Creative Non-Fiction Workshop
WI 2027 DUR (Concetta Principe)
Prerequisite: ENGL 2855H or 6.0 university credits including one of ENGL 2851H, 2853H, or 2859H, or permission of the Instructor.
- ENGL-4850Y/4851H Advanced Seminar in Creative Writing
FA 2026 PTBO (Rob Winger)
Pre-requisite: 4.0 ENGL credits including 1.0 credit from ENGL 2851H, 2853H, 2855H, 2859H, 3850Y/3851H, 3853H, or 3855H or permission of the Instructor (details below). Students may take only one of ENGL 4850Y or 4851H for credit.
If you do not meet the pre-requisites and you still wish to apply for the course, please email an application to Rob Winger (robwinger@trentu.ca) as a single file attachment, either in .doc or .pdf format, ASAP.
Your package must include ALL of the following details (incomplete packages will NOT be considered):
1. Up to ten pages (double-spaced for prose, single-spaced for poetry) of your best, original literary writing (any genre is welcome – so long as you wrote the pages, you can include it, even if you wrote them for other courses and/or they have already been published)
2. A list of creative workshops that you have completed that includes course names, instructor names, semesters completed, and final grades received
3. A brief statement of why you want to enroll in ENGL4851H
4. A brief discussion of two contemporary writers who have influenced your writing, including mention of at least a couple of books by these writers.
- ENGL-4859H Publishing Workshop
WI 2027 PTBO (Rob Winger)
Registration for 4859H requires both 1.0 credit from ENGL 2851H, 2853H, 2855H, 2859H, 3851H, 3853H, 3855H, or 4851H and permission of the instructor based on student applications for enrollment in the course (see below). Please note, also, that student enrollment in ENGHL4859H may involve direct recommendations of well-organized, open-minded, fourth-year student editors by faculty who are teaching or have recently taught creative writing workshops at Trent.
If you have taken creative workshops at Trent, are in one of your final years of study, are a responsible team player able to meet tight deadlines, and are interested in taking this course, please add your name to the course waitlist via MyTrent and email Rob Winger in the Department of English – at robwinger@trentu.ca – in order to express your interest. Please note that, because of its demanding production schedule, this course requires completion of some very challenging deadlines, with pretty much no room for extensions.
In your email application, YOU MUST include ALL of the following items:
- a list of the specific creative writing courses you have completed at Trent (that includes instructors, years of instruction, and your final grades in each course);
- a summary of your formal experience and skill levels, if any, in substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading;
- a summary of your familiarity with writing, reading, and/or editing poetry, literary fiction, and/or creative non-fiction;
- a brief explanation of why you want to take this course.
Feel free to attach these descriptions as a separate Word or PDF document if you like; and please be sure that your application arrives by the start of fall classes.
For Winter 2027, the course will comprise hands-on training in literary editing that will require active involvement in selecting, editing, producing, and launching the 2027 edition of Chickenscratch: An Anthology of Student Writing. Registered students will be expected to work on the course, fyi, throughout the spring reading week of 2027. If you have any questions, please email Rob.
As a complement to your studies in creative writing, we recommend you study English literature from as wide a range of periods and places as possible. Have a look at the “Literature Through Time” plan of study; seek your influences!
Option in Creative Writing
All of the English Department’s creative writing courses are also part of the Option in Creative Writing, which is designed for students who have an interest in exploring and developing creative practice as a complement to their current disciplinary studies. The Option is designed for incremental development, aiming to give students an opportunity to study the theory and craft of writing and to apply what they learn in writing activities, assignments and workshops. Over the course of study, students will expand their writing repertoire, build writing communities, learn techniques for revising, and develop methods for generating ideas while building portfolios in prose fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and script-writing.
Students who have fulfilled the requirements for an Honours or a General degree in any subject may graduate with an Option in Creative Writing if they have successfully completed the 4.0 credits from the following courses, including courses from at least two different departments:
ENGL 1851H The Writing Life
CAST-INDG-WMST 2485H Indigenous Women's Creative Non-Fiction
CUST 2526H Narrative and Performance Workshop
CUST 2572H Performance and Protest Workshop
ENGL 2851H Introductory Prose Writing Workshop (Peterborough only)
ENGL 2853H Introductory Poetry Writing Workshop (Peterborough only)
ENGL 2855H Introduction to Creative Non-Fiction Writing Workshop (Durham only)
ENGL 2857H: Introductory Scriptwriting Workshop
ENGL 2859H Introductory Creative Writing Workshop (Durham only)
INDG 2480Y Indigenous Literature and Creative Writing
CUST 3139H Radio and Podcast Workshop
CUST 3175Y Theatre Workshop: Staging Ideas
ENGL 3850Y/3851H Intermediate Fiction Workshop
ENGL-3853H Intermediate Poetry Writing Workshop
ENGL 3855H Creative Non-Fiction Workshop
CUST 4173H: Workshop in Adaptation and Performance
ENGL 4850Y/4851H Advanced Creative Writing Seminar
ENGL-4859H Publishing Workshop
FREN 4201H: Création littéraire/ Creative Writing
INDG 4481H: Advanced Indigenous Literature and Creative Writing
With permission of the coordinator:
CUST 4041Y/4541H Internship in Media and Cultural Studies
CUST 4070Y Advanced Studies in Theatre and the Performing Arts
CUST 4900Y/4901H/4902H Reading Course
ENGL 4040Y/4041H Practicum
ENGL 4900Y/4901H/4902H Reading Course
INDG 4900Y/4901H/4902H Reading Course
Journalism and Creative Writing
If you think you might be interested in applying your writing skills to a career in journalism, consider developing career-based skills in journalism, social media and content creation with the new integrated degree/diploma program from Trent University Durham GTA and Durham College.