Creative Writing

Creative writers change the world—they investigate the people, places, and things in constant flux around them, seeing in these moments what is and what can be. They transform their observations and dreams into words, into worlds for others to enter.

We offer BA and MA degree programs that invite students to study poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction on and off the page, exploring these genres through reading, writing, performance, and interactive media.

Our students read and write the poetic, the realistic, the speculative, the practical. Through Meacham Writers’ Workshop, Sequoya Review, and the English Department’s Internship Program, our undergraduates engage with authors, editors, event coordinators, reviewers, publishers, and business professionals. We also have the Creative Writing Club, which is open to all UTC students, faculty, and staff.

Current Undergraduate Achievements

2023 SLF Undergraduate Writing Contest Winners

CNF 

 First Place: “Fragments” by  Jude Keef  UT Chattanooga 

Lit Mag 

Third Place: Sequoya Review Lucas Thompson, Editor UT Chattanooga

Alumni Achievements

Collectively, our graduates have written more than 50 books, earned America's most prestigious literary prizes, and developed content for major brands.

• Author, HarperCollins
• Author, Simon & Schuster
• Writer, Better Call Saul television series
• Winner, MacArthur Genius Award
• Fellow, National Endowment for the Arts
• Winner, Whiting Award
• Senior Writer, Mohawk Industries
• Copyeditor and Brand Manager, Bellhops
• Marketing Manager, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Senior Editor, Field & Stream
• Producer, Everything Is Stories podcast

Meacham Writers' Workshop

Through the Meacham Writers’ Workshop held every semester, students engage with visiting authors from across the country and world.

Interested students may also assist faculty coordinators as they plan and coordinate this exciting three-day event packed with author readings, community workshops, and social gatherings.

Publications

Sequoya Review, our award-winning, student-edited journal, features creative writing and visual art by UTC students. Sequoya Review provides our students with editing and publishing experience.

UTC faculty and students also edit and produce Assay, Catalpa, Poetry Miscellany, and Signal Mountain Review.

Internships

UTC’s creative writing students learn to adapt their skills to the workplace through the English Department’s Internship Program for juniors and seniors.