-
Seth Abramson
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Creative Writing (Minor)
Creative Writing (Minor)

Focused on interdisciplinarity and multimedia literary art, for those wishing to become “creatives” in the digital age
What is the creative writing minor?
The creative writing minor is a course of study tailored to the interests of individual creative writers,with an additional focus, in all classes, on oral and written persuasion, imaginative and critical thinking, and collaboration with creative peers. The aim of the minor is to help students develop a unique approach to language that results in memorable, publishable work. Students are free to author work in any of 36 genres of creative writing, and are encouraged to innovate, experiment and cross genre lines at will.
Why study creative writing at UNH Manchester?
UNH Manchester’s creative writing program is especially focused on interdisciplinarity and multimedia literary art, making it well-suited to those wishing to become “creatives” in the digital age. Even students who do not intend to publish their work will find that the skills developed through the minor—including literacies in everything from print to virtual reality, visual narrative, and augmented virtuality—are useful in any profession where creativity and entrepreneurial ingenuity are valued.Classes in this minor prize innovation, experimentation, individuality and creative daring across genres and media, and emphasize collaboration and conceptual reasoning far more than is common in many creative writing courses. The director of the creative writing minor, Professor Seth Abramson, is the author of many books of cross-genre creative writing.
Potential career areas
- Business
- Communications
- Government consulting
- Law
- Publishing
- Research
- Teaching
- Writing
Curriculum & Requirements
The Creative Writing Minor is a course of study tailored to the interests of individual creative writers, with an additional focus, in all classes, on oral and written persuasion, imaginative and critical thinking, and collaboration with creative peers. The aim of the Minor is to help students develop a unique approach to language that results in memorable, publishable work. Students are free to author work in any of 36 genres of creative writing, and are encouraged to innovate, experiment, and cross genre lines at will. Because our program is especially focused on interdisciplinarity and multimedia literary art, it is well-suited to those wishing to become “creatives” in the digital age. Even students who do not intend to publish their work will find that the skills developed through the Minor—including literacies in everything from print to virtual reality, from visual narrative to augmented virtuality—are useful in any profession where creativity and entrepreneurial ingenuity are valued.
Classes in the Creative Writing Minor prize innovation, experimentation, individuality, and creative daring across genres and media, and emphasize collaboration and conceptual reasoning far more than is common in many creative writing courses. A central presumption of the Creative Writing Minor is that the most engaging literary art is reflexive—meaning that not only is there a philosophy of language animating it, but also that its author has drawn from all his or her non-literary interests in developing that philosophy. For this reason, undergraduates in STEM programs are particularly encouraged to study in the Minor; they bring the way they speak, write, and reason in their non-creative writing courses into all of the workshops and theory seminars in this plan of study as well.
The director of the Creative Writing minor, Professor Seth Abramson, is the author of many books of cross-genre creative writing and the series editor for Best American Experimental Writing, an annual anthology of experimental poetry and prose published annually by Wesleyan University Press and sponsored by the Digital Language Arts program at University of New Hampshire.
Students must complete 20 credits with a minimum 2.0 grade-point average in these courses overall and with no individual grade lower than a C-. No more than 8 transfer credits will be accepted.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Workshop Course 1 | 4 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
ENGL 501 | Introduction to Creative Nonfiction | |
ENGL 503 | Persuasive Writing | |
ENGL 526 | Introduction to Fiction Writing | |
ENGL 527 | Introduction to Poetry Writing | |
ENGL 595 | Literary Topics (Digital Creative Writing) | |
ENGL 623 | Creative Nonfiction | |
ENGL 625 | Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop | |
ENGL 627 | Intermediate Poetry Writing Workshop | |
ENGL 694 | Special Topics in Creative Writing | |
ENGL 701 | Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop | |
CA 450 | Introduction to Public Speaking | |
CA 500 | Media Writing | |
CA 512 | Screenwriting | |
Literature & Theory Course 2 | 4 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
ENGL 693 | Special Topics in Literature | |
ENGL 711 | Editing | |
ENGL 787 | English Major Seminar | |
ENGL 795 | Independent Study | |
CA 610 | Communication Technologies and Culture | |
CA 612 | Narrative | |
CA 618 | Documentary | |
CA 795 | Independent Study | |
Select one additional Workshop or Literature & Theory Course (from above lists) | 4 | |
Select one Interdisciplinary "Breadth" Course 3 | 4 | |
UMIS 599 | Independent Study 4 | 4 |
Total Credits | 20 |
1 | Or any other ENGL or CA course declared a "Workshop" course for the Minor in the course catalog. |
2 | Or any other ENGL or CA course declared a "Literature & Theory" course for the Minor in the course catalog. |
3 | This course, chosen in consultation with the faculty advisor for the Minor, relates to an interest of the student outside creative writing that will inform the student's final project in the Minor. |
4 | This course will culminate in the creation of a significant and distinctive literary work. |
For more information, contact Seth Abramson, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences, at seth.abramson@unh.edu.