Our Mission

To help students of all backgrounds and ages to discover the power and enjoyment of writing creatively;

To introduce beginning writers to the skills and knowledge needed for writing the poetry, fiction, plays, and screenplays they hope and plan to write;

To prepare intermediate and advanced students to transfer to creative writing programs at four-year universities and to complete professional level creative writing projects;

To enhance the skills of practicing writers by providing instruction and critique by instructors who are themselves practicing writers;

To develop new courses, offered in a variety of formats, to serve the creative culture of the greater Austin Community

Department Profile

The department provides traditional 3-credit courses introductory classes in combined and single genre.

The department offers class in the fall, spring, and summer sessions. 

The department offers an associate's degree in creative writing.

The faculty in the department bring together a wide range of academic training and professional experience.   In 1998, Dorothy Barnett expanded the creative writing offerings in the English department, founded a separate department of creative writing, and was named department chair.   In Fall 2003, Lyman Grant became department chair.

Faculty

ACC's faculty are a group of writers and teachers dedicated to helping writers of various backgrounds and skills become more adept at the craft of writing. All of our faculty have advanced degrees in writing or literature and impressive publishing records. To learn more about individual faculty, please visit the Faculty page on this website.