If you have a creative spark and a passion for shaping the world with your words, you’ll find your niche as a writing major or minor. As a writing student, you’ll work with a faculty mentor to discern your writing strengths and interests as you develop a sophomore writing portfolio and an individualized senior writing portfolio. In addition to giving you practical experience in writing, editing, and publishing, our writing program offers courses in creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, playwriting, the English language, and more.
The flexibility of the writing program allows you to tailor the program to your own interests and professional goals through electives and extracurricular involvement. You can publish your writing in The Record, our distinguished student-run newspaper; Broadside, an outlet for short poems and prose; or Red Cents, an award-winning creative arts journal. For your senior project, you’ll write your own book manuscript. Many students also publish their own book with Pinchpenny Press, then hold a release party to sell it!
Goshen College writing students have interned with top-notch organizations like Sojourners magazine, Beacon Press, and The Lancaster News. A writing degree from GC shows future employers that you possess excellent writing and critical thinking abilities, essential for success in graduate school or the professional world.
Watch this video to learn more about the Goshen College English Department’s publishing opportunities
“The Continental Divide,” Bob Johnson’s debut collection of 14 stories, begins with an epigraph from Jeremiah: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
Goshen College graduate David Waltner-Toews ’71 was recently appointed to the Order of Canada, one of the highest honors given by the Canadian government for citizens who make extraordinary contributions to the country.
The Indiana Collegiate Press Association (ICPA) named The Record “Newspaper of the Year” for the fifth consecutive time in the college division, with strong photography and page design providing the margin in a close competition.
Red Cents won awards for best creative nonfiction essay and best short poem from the 2013 Indiana Collegiate Press Association
of English writing majors published books with Pinchpenny Press in 2014
of English alumni are satisfied or very satisfied with their undergraduate education
Number of campus publications to write for (Broadside, Red Cents, The Record, Goshen Commons)
Number of books published by Pinchpenny Press last year
Learn more about Goshen College's exceptional academic outcomes and national rankings.
Cora Broaddus, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, graduated from Goshen College with an English Writing degree.
Cora's storyNathan Vader graduated in 2013 with an English writing major and a theater and Bible, religion and philosophy minor. On the side, he edited for the campus newspaper, The Record, authored a book, acted and directed plays.
Nathan's storyKate Yoder studied English writing and art and enjoyed spending her time in the community garden close to campus, playing piano, editing for college publications and creating mixed media collages.
Kate's storyMary Roth, a 2013 graduate with an English writing major, was chosen as the 2013 Luci Shaw Fellow at Image, a quarterly journal of faith, literature and the arts in Seattle, Washington.
Mary's storyCourtney Templeton ’23 immersed herself in stories on TV and in movies, and is now making her career in film.
Courtney's storyCaleb Gingerich '23, a history and writing major, wants to learn as much as he can about the world.
Caleb's storyKortney Stern
Visiting Assistant Professor of English
