Creative Writing Workshop Application Instructions–Winter 2027
Admission to all upper-division English Creative Writing workshops is by application ONLY. Please read and follow the posted application instructions carefully.
Students do not need to complete an “A” workshop before completing a “B” workshop, and may apply for the level they feel best suits their writing abilities. Not certain which level is most appropriate? Students may apply to both the “A” and “B” workshops in the genres of their choice, and our creative writing faculty will determine placement.
Please note: students may take only one course 136(A/B) or one course 137(A/B) per quarter.
Introduction to Creative Writing
English 20W / Prof. Torres
Designed to introduce fundamentals of creative writing and writing workshop experience. Emphasis on poetry, fiction, drama, or creative nonfiction depending on wishes of instructor(s) during any given term. Readings from assigned texts, weekly writing assignments (multiple drafts and revisions), and final portfolio required.
Enrollment by department consent. To submit an enrollment request, please click here. The enrollment request window will be open from 8 am on November 12 – 11:59 pm on November 19.
Students who are interested in taking English 20W in lieu of English 4W while working on their major preparatory requirements should contact a Dept. of English advisor.
Creative Writing: Advanced Poetry
English 136B.1 / Prof. D’Aguiar
Course Description:
To be a writer you have to be a reader. That is so obvious a foundation for teaching poetry that it almost goes without saying. The big difference in a creative writing course is the focus on reading as a writer in order to write as a reader. I include the scribal, auditory and visual arts in this formation of a writing persona. Students write one poem each week and read and discuss set texts. Students complete a final portfolio of their poems, revised as a result of the workshop process of discussion and feedback.
How to Apply:
Students submit four of their original poems (Word Doc) along with two paragraphs about their recent reading of published poetry.
The subject line of your message should be your last name followed by the course number (example: Oliver 136B.1) and it should be sent to freddaguiar@ucla.edu AND creativewriting@english.ucla.edu.
SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2026
Acceptance Notifications:
Accepted students will be notified by e-mail.
Due to the volume of submissions, the professor is unable to provide feedback or suggestions regarding the students’ submitted work.
Creative Writing: Advanced Poetry
English 136B.2 / Prof. Wilson
Course Description:
In this advanced poetry workshop, you’ll write a new poem each week, and can expect many of the same experiences you’d have in any other writing course: discussion of exemplary published work, group work, and peer critique.
How to Apply:
Please submit a single PDF titleEnrollment is by instructor consent. If admitted, you must attend the first class. To apply for the course, submit by e-mail attachment (in one document) three to five of your best poems. In the body of the e-mail, provide your name, UID number, major, class level, and a brief note (no more than 250 words) about your experiences with poetry, literary poets who interest and/or influence you, any other creative writing courses you may have taken (none required!), and any other creative writing courses to which you are applying this quarter.
The subject line of your message should be your last name followed by the course number (example: Oliver 136B.2) and it should be sent to rwilson@english.ucla.edu AND creativewriting@english.ucla.edu.
SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2026
Acceptance Notifications:
Accepted students will be notified by e-mail.
Due to the volume of submissions, the professor is unable to provide feedback or suggestions regarding the students’ submitted work.
Creative Writing: Intermediate Prose (Short Fiction)
English 137A / Visiting Author M. Rahmani
Not open for credit to students who have previously completed ENGL 137A or ENGL 137B.
Course Description:
ESLit Fiction Workshop – Reversing the typical shame around so-called “ESL” speakers, this course explores the rich history of modern and contemporary Anglophone literature written by authors who learned English as a second language or within a bi/multilingual context. This rigorous reading list is then used as a springboard for cultivating diverse voices and stories in the classroom as we workshop student fiction. The course’s seminar and workshop portions complement each other.
Learning Goals:
Learn how to balance line- and big-picture edits from draft to draft.
Learn to analyze how modern political structures like the nation-state have shaped culture.
Hone critical thinking skills.
Learn to close read a literary work, whether published or drafted (a.k.a., a peer’s).
Learn how to read a work of fiction for its individual merits, and how to discern a work’s intended genre and form.
Learn how to critique fiction, whether your own or others’, in ways that develop rather than destroy.
Learn how to formulate productive feedback.
How to Apply:
Please submit a single PDF containing 1) 150-250 word response to the prompt below and 2) list of your prior creative writing classes (none required) including the professor and term, followed by 3) a fiction sample of 3-5 pages double spaced. Use the following specifications for the PDF and email:
Paragraph one: Describe your interest in this subject matter, that is, “ESLit” as defined above (and not fiction writing in general).
In list form: Cite any creative writing courses you have taken (none required,) including the professor and term.
Fiction sample: 3-5 pages double-spaced.
Please submit your packet via this webform.
SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2026
Acceptance notifications:
Accepted students will be notified by e-mail.
Due to the volume of submissions, the professor is unable to provide feedback or suggestions regarding the students’ submitted work.
Creative Writing: Advanced Prose (Short Fiction)
English 137B.1 / Prof. Simpson
Course Description:
This class is an intensive workshop on the reading and writing of short literary fiction.
We will consider the short story form, studying one or more great short stories weekly, which the students will be expected to read three times and annotate in an effort to grasp its mechanics and magic.
The goals of the class are:
1) to turn every student in the class into a lifelong reader FOR PLEASURE
2) to help the students develop a regular practice reading and writing
3) to foster and recognize each student’s specific talent and train her/his/their technical skills.
We’ll work the development of a sound critical faculty. Emphasis will be on developing the student writer’s voice.
NOTE: On week 9 (March 4th), we’ll have the opportunity to meet writer Isabella Hammad, talk with her about her writing and hear her read. These events will take place after our class, into the evening. Please clear your calendars to accommodate this rare visit.
How to Apply:
Please submit no more than 5 (double-spaced) pages of your fiction and list any workshops you’ve taken in the past. Please list your three favorite short stories and their authors. Also, please tell me your class standing (sophomore, junior, etc.)
If you are applying to more than one workshops and have preferences, please indicate those preferences.
The subject line of your message should be your last name followed by the course number (example: McDonald 137B.1) and it should be sent to monasimpson@mac.com AND creativewriting@english.ucla.edu.
SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2026
Acceptance notifications:
Accepted students will be notified by e-mail.
Due to the volume of submissions, the professor is unable to provide feedback or suggestions regarding the students’ submitted work.
Creative Writing: Advanced Prose (Short Fiction)
English 137B.2 / Prof. Torres
Course Description:
This class is an intensive workshop on the reading and writing of short fiction. We will consider the short story form, closely reading classics and contemporary short stories. Students will write both shorter weekly stories and two longer stories. The teacher’s primary goal in the class is to help the students develop a daily practice of writing and to foster and train their ability to recognize what’s best in their work. We’ll also discuss revision and the development of a sound critical faculty.
How to Apply:
To be considered for the class, please submit five pages (double spaced) of fiction. A Word document or PDF is preferable. In the body of the email, tell me what workshops you’ve taken in the past. Also, please list three pieces of creative writing you’ve recently read that have moved you.
The subject line of your message should be your last name followed by the course number (example: Rodriguez 137B.2) and it should be sent to jtorres7@ucla.edu and creativewriting@english.ucla.edu.
SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2026
Acceptance Notifications:
Accepted students will be notified by e-mail.
Due to the volume of submissions, the professor is unable to provide feedback or suggestions regarding the students’ submitted work.
Topics in Creative Writing—That Time I Got Reincarnated as a UCLA Creative Writing Seminar Season 2 (Isekai x Experiment)
English M138.1 / Prof. Snelson
Course Description:
In this seminar, students will produce experimental approaches to popular variants of isekai genres in web novels, comics/manga, anime, visual novels, video games, films, and other media. We’ll also draw inspiration from a broader global history of “other world” or “portal fantasy” narratives, ranging from historical novels like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll, 1865) to recent video games like the literal walking simulator Baby Steps (Bennett Foddy, 2025). Building from these traditions, the course explores isekai not only as a genre but as a set of formal devices: transformation, leveling, save points, world rules, and so forth. We’ll ask how stories change when protagonists are reborn as objects, interfaces, monsters, or institutions—and what it means to write from within worlds structured by gaming conventions like stats, menus, maps, and mods. In the other direction, we’ll ask: how can we think of isekai genres as experimental modes of video game criticism in its own right? Using a collective workshop format, students will engage in a series of creative experiments that may include web novels, memes, interactive narratives, TTRPGs, dating sims, comics, machinima, net art, and a range of collaborative hybrid forms that blur writing, play, and poetics. Studying the genre conventions of isekai in relation to literary history, contemporary media, fan cultures, and video games, we’ll develop our own experimental methods for writing ourselves beyond the looking glass. No previous training in another world required.
How to Apply:
Please submit a cover letter introducing yourself and a sample of your writing or creative work in any format (no more than five pages, links to online work in any genre encouraged). In your cover letter, please include the following: your student identification number, email address, year of graduation, and a brief statement that addresses your interest in the course and any relevant coursework and/or creative practices in or beyond the classroom. Finally, please list any works in the genre that inspire you!
The subject line of your message should be your last name followed by the course number (example: Kim M138.1.) Please email your submission in PDF dsnelson@humnet.ucla.edu AND creativewriting@english.ucla.edu. Please title your PDF starting with your last name, i.e. lastname_isekai_submission.pdf.
SUBMISSIONS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2026
Acceptance Notifications:
Accepted students will be notified by e-mail.
Due to the volume of submissions, the professor is unable to provide feedback or suggestions regarding the students’ submitted work.