The faculty of the Center strongly believe that creative writing at the College should occur in the context of a liberal arts education. They hold that all students benefit from the discipline of writing out of their own and out of imagined experience, and from submitting that writing, in small classes, to the criticism of instructors and other student writers. Because they consider that creative writing is in significant part learned through creative reading, all faculty of the Center also teach courses in the reading of literature. The Center does not offer a major and does not invite students to formulate interdisciplinary majors in creative writing; it takes the most desirable education for those who may pursue careers as creative writers to be not a heavy concentration of creative writing courses, but rather a selection of such courses plus many courses in literature and other subjects that interest an individual student.

The Center does not offer courses independently: all of the course soffered are located in the various departments and count for the major requirements of the departments. In addition to the courses listed on this web page, students may arrange with any department faculty so willing - including those who are not members of the Center - to take special topics courses in creative writing and to undertake creative writing honors projects in the major departments.

Members of the Committee:

Director:	Writer-in-Residence Daniel Hall Creative Writing 211 Webster 542-8198 djhall@amherst.edu
	Professor Catherine Ciepiela Russian Department 205 Webster 542-2394 caciepiela@amherst.edu
	Professor Lawrence Douglas Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought Department 205 Clark House 542-7926 lrdouglas@amherst.edu
	Professor Judith Frank English Department 12 Johnson Chapel 542-2071 jefrank@amherst.edu
	Professor James Maraniss Spanish Department 10 Grosvenor House 542-2393 jemaraniss@amherst.edu
	Senior Lecturer Helen von Schmidt. English Department 19 Johnson Chapel 542-3248 hlvonschmidt@amherst.edu

Staff:

Academic Department Coordinator

Catherine Newman 212 Webster 413-542-8200 (phone) 413-542-8199 (fax) crnewman@amherst.edu

Mailing Address:

Amherst College Creative Writing Center
Webster 212
Amherst College
PO Box 5000
Amherst, MA 01002-5000

Please note: We are not involved in admissions decisions. Contact the Office of Admissions at 413-542-2328.

The main number for Amherst College is 413-542-2000.