English & Creative Writing
From Pulitzer Prize winners Annie Dillard and Natasha Trethewey to bestselling author Lee Smith and Man Booker Prize recipient Kiran Desai, Hollins has long earned its place on the literary map. A remarkable number of nationally and internationally acclaimed writers have found their voices here and used them to their full potential.
At Hollins, you’ll join a new generation of authors in growing your craft and fostering a way of seeing and saying that is distinctively your own. With our multi-genre approach, you’ll develop a working knowledge in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that’s intertwined with the study of literature. And, you’ll be immersed in a diversity of writers, writing theories, and literary experiences on campus, led by a faculty whose publishing success surpasses that of any other liberal arts college.
A rich legacy. A supportive and encouraging environment. Focused exploration. This is the foundation for how students mature into authors at Hollins.
Tracks
English Literature
You’ll have free rein to choose your own areas of interest as an English major.
Creative Writing Major
Students will be challenged to improve their control of the English language and will be prepared for graduate study in literature, creative writing, and related fields, or for entering a career in which their communication skills will be prized.
Creative Writing Concentration
Hollins receives national recognition for our creative writing program and has a bright history of producing successful creative writing degree graduates.
Multicultural U.S. Literature Concentration
Explore and discover the diversity and multitude of identities within American culture.
Literature & Performance Concentration
Find the true meaning of art by learning to analyze the subtleties in what’s said and what’s meant.
Creative Writing Minor
The creative writing minor covers all the requirements for the major concentration without the need to satisfy the major requirements.
English Minor
This 20-credit minor focuses on British and American literature.
What You'll Learn
Combining Poetry and Science
When I recited a poem to finish a presentation in a zoology class, my professor was enthusiastic about my fusion of the two topics.
Courtney Flerlage, who is currently working as an English instructor in JacksonvilleA Remarkable Faculty
I had been looking at Hollins since high school – the English program was a huge pull for me. I had talked to and corresponded with some of the professors beforehand about the sorts of things I would be able to do if I were to go to Hollins. I found that everything they said is quite true as far as the strength of the English department. The caliber of professors here is quite wonderful.
Lindsey NarmourLiving and Writing Your Dream
Katie Clemons turned an obsession with personal essays into a business she calls Gadanke. She sells 34 different journals and 65 products, including pens, date stampers, and adornments, to encourage customers to write their own life stories. She runs her business in a building next to the airplane hangar she and her husband renovated in southern Montana. Their 720-square-foot home was featured in the HGTV series You Live In What?
