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Creative Writing
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Creative Writing
A day in the life
Outside the classroom
Poetry is finer and more philosophical than history; for poetry expresses the universal, and history only the particular. –Aristotle
Readings and writing and special events
Whether you're into poetry or prose, as a student in Dal’s Creative Writing program, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn about the writing process in classes and workshops. Halifax has a vibrant and growing writing community, so you’ll also be well situated to attend exciting literary events around town—from book launches to awards ceremonies.
- Join the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) and receive weekly newsletters highlighting literary events in Halifax and around Nova Scotia. The newsletter also lists publications' and journals' calls for submissions. You might just publish a short story you workshopped in class.
- Get hands-on experience editing a literary journal by joining the team behind Fathom, Dal’s undergraduate poetry and prose journal. Working with a faculty advisor, you’ll take part in the whole publication process—from calling for submissions, to editing, layout, and cover design. Then celebrate at the Fathom launch. The 2011 launch featured Alexander MacLeod, Scotiabank Giller-Prize nominee and 2011 winner of the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award at the Atlantic Book Awards.
- Submit your work to one of the English Department's many literary contests. You could win a cash prize.
Here are some of the local literary events happening in September:
- The Word on the Street: Free national book and magazine festival. Sunday, September 25, 2011, 11am to 5pm. Halifax Waterfront at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
- The WFNS Fall Gala: Saturday, September 24, 7pm. Pier 21, Halifax.
- BookCamp Halifax: the free “unconference” dedicated to books and the publishing industry. The Sobey Building, Saint Mary’s University. Saturday, September 24, 8:30am to 4:30pm.
Other events:
- The Shoestring Reading Series is 15 minutes of original reading presented by the Economy Shoe Shop in association with Sinc Ink. Readings happen most Tuesdays at 8 pm, at The Seahorse Tavern on Argyle Street (just next to the Shoe Shop), Halifax. Need more info? Call David Rimmington at (902) 488-9643.
- The Poetry Show on CKDU (88.1 FM in Halifax) airs 8:30pm to 9pm on Wednesdays; The Fine Print airs Tuesdays at 6 pm. Call (902) 494-6479 for details.
