Creative Writing
Program Overview
This is a project-based program in which you meet the learning outcomes by working through your own manuscript.
No courses available
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
Reflect on editorial feedback to determine core strengths and weaknesses of one’s own work.
Self-evaluate written work focusing on key elements of creative writing such as character, dialogue, plot, theme, setting, imagery and structure/form.
Apply techniques and strategies acquired through editorial feedback, self-evaluation, reading and self-directed learning to revise and improve one’s own writing.
Employ conventions of grammar, punctuation, spelling and other aspects of technical style within the context of narrative/poetic traditions to write in a clear and professional manner.
Revise and improve elements of literary style such as detail, diction, syntax, active voice, rhythm and tone to sustain reader engagement at the level of the sentence/line.
Manage point of view and associated issues of narrative/poetic voice such as the sociocultural identity and reliability of the narrator/speaker to create a consistent, convincing reading experience.
Employ a variety of research methods to support authentic, convincing writing in narrative/poetic forms.
Explore techniques and strategies used in published works to assess for application to one’s own writing.
Identify prevailing genres, forms and submission requirements present in the publishing industry and literary community to discover professional options for writers.
The Humber Advantage
The Toronto Star Short Story Contest offers you the chance to see your story published in the largest newspaper and on one of the most-visited websites in Canada, and to study with some of the best creative writing teachers in the country.
The first-place winner receives $5,000, plus their choice of the tuition fee for either the Humber School for Writers creative writing graduate certificate program (domestic students only; must complete application process and meet admission requirements; approximate value of $3,670) or the summer workshop in creative writing (approximate value of $1,450). The second-place winner receives a cash prize of $2,000 and the third-place winner gets $1,000.
The contest is open to all Ontario residents 16 years of age or older. Entrants can write on any topic they want. Stories must be original, previously unpublished and no longer than 2,500 words. Entries are limited to one for each person.
Watch the "Power Up Your Credential!" Info Session to learn more about the Creative Writing program.
Learn from industry professionals while earning your credential online!
Apply early to increase your chance of being paired with your preferred mentor.
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions section or read more on How to Apply.
Since 1992, the School for Writers has offered an immersive, focused workshop to jump start your creative writing. Mornings are spent in classes with one of Humber’s esteemed writing advisors, and afternoons are devoted to craft and industry talks by faculty, publishing experts and special guests. Whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced writer, there’s something for you in this six-day workshop! In 2019, the Workshop in Creative Writing runs from July 7 to 12 at Humber's Lakeshore Campus.
Workshop Rebate
The Creative Writing by Correspondence Program is a complement to the Humber Summer Workshop in Creative Writing, the two together comprising a flexible and affordable alternative to a standard low-residency MFA.
Winter 2019 through Fall 2021 Humber School for Writers alumni are eligible for a 15% discount.
“Humber School for Writers was one of my first experiences with writing workshops. I was amazed by how my work jumped to a new level in such a short period of time due to the generosity, experience, and intelligence of my peers and mentors. I said I’d do it again, and I did! Two summers in a row.”
- Madhur Anand, Author, A New Index for Predicting Catastrophes
Graduates Offered Advanced Standing in University of Gloucestershire Distance MA in Creative Writing
Humber Creative Writing by Correspondence graduates can work towards a master’s degree from the comfort of their own homes! Thanks to a new arrangement, graduates are eligible for advanced standing in the highly regarded University of Gloucestershire (U.K.) distance MA Creative Writing program. Furthermore, this pathway may lead to a PhD for those who qualify.
Scholarship Support for Aspiring Authors
All scholarships are available to Canadian residents only, and Appel scholarships are available to Ontario residents only. Scholarship applications become available in August and December. Information on how to apply can be found at the link below.
If you are awarded a scholarship, payment will come some weeks after the program begins. You must make payment up front and be reimbursed later.
Expert Faculty
David Bezmozgis
David Bezmozgis is an award-winning writer and filmmaker. He is the author of the story collections Immigrant City and Natasha and Other Stories and the novels The Betrayers and The Free World.
David’s stories have appeared in numerous publications including The New Yorker, Harper's, Zoetrope All-Story, and The Walrus.
His books have been nominated for the Scotiabank/Giller Prize, The Governor General's Literary Award, the Trillium Book Award, and won the Amazon.ca First Novel Award and the National Jewish Book Award.
In the summer of 2010, David was included in The New Yorker's 20 Under 40 issue, celebrating the twenty most promising fiction writers under the age of forty.
A graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts, David's first feature film, Victoria Day, premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. His second feature was an adaptation of his story "Natasha."
David is a professor and the creative director of the Humber School for Writers where he also hosts the writing podcast Love & Defiance.
Kathy Friedman
New to Humber College, Kathy Friedman has been teaching creative writing for nearly a decade in the University of Guelph’s Open Learning program, and through community organizations such as CAMH, The 519, NISA/Northern Institute for Social Action, Workman Arts, Progress Place, and the Toronto Public Library.
Kathy’s debut collection of short stories, All the Shining People (House of Anansi), was published in 2022. She has been a finalist for the Writers’ Trust Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers, and her work has appeared in publications such as Grain, Geist, PRISM international, The New Quarterly, Humber Literary Review, and Canadian Notes & Queries. She holds an MFA and a BFA in creative writing and is currently at work on a collection of essays about travel, music, and mental health.
Kathy is also a freelance editor and the co-founder and artistic director of InkWell Workshops, which delivers free literary programming to people with mental health and addiction issues. She has published four literary anthologies with in-house imprint InkWell Books, and she edited a fifth InkWell anthology called Brilliance Is the Clothing I Wear (Dundurn Press, 2021).
Alissa York
Alissa York has been mentoring writers for over a decade, and has been full-time faculty at the Humber School for Writers since 2017. Her internationally acclaimed novels include Effigy (shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize), Fauna and, most recently, The Naturalist (winner of the Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction). Stories from Alissa's short fiction collection, Any Given Power, have won the Journey Prize and the Bronwen Wallace Award. Her essays and articles have appeared in The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, Brick magazine and elsewhere. In 2018, she won the Writers' Trust Engel Findley Award for a Writer in Mid-Career. Having lived all over Canada, Alissa now makes her home in Toronto.
Your Career
The main goal of the program is to improve your writing, and publication is a possibility for some. Graduates of this program may use their writing and editing skills in a wide variety of careers and professions in addition to writing books. Some of our graduates write for newspapers, magazines, television and other media. More than 300 Humber School for Writers alumni have published books and Dr. Vincent Lam, who won the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his literary debut Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, is just one of our distinguished former students. Other alumni have also been on the bestseller lists in Canada: Suzanne Desrochers for Bride of New France, Cathy Marie Buchanan for The Painted Girls, Shari Lapena for The Couple Next Door and Eva Stachniak for The Chosen Maiden.
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Program Availability
| START DATE | LOCATION | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
| September 2023 | Online | Open |
| January 2024 | Online | Open |
| START DATE | LOCATION | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
| September 2023 | Online | Open |
| January 2024 | Online | Opening Soon |
Humber Students Benefit from Five Centres of Innovation (COIs)
The Humber Centres of Innovation Network demonstrates our strong commitment to providing an experiential learning environment for students. Students and faculty work with industry partners on real-world challenges to prepare them to become the innovative and strategic problem-solvers of tomorrow. Come to Humber and experience interdisciplinary learning across five COIs.
About the COIsNews Feed
Senior Dean Update: Media & Creative Arts Anti-Racism Action Plan
Fri, October 15, 2021
In June 2020, I committed the FMCA to seven action items to address the attitudes, behaviours and structures that act as barriers for students from Indigenous and equity-deserving communities.
Update: Humber Music Solidarity One Year On
Fri, October 15, 2021
In June 2020, Humber Music faculty pledged to address systemic racism and gender discrimination in the music programs by working with students, alumni, administrators, and industry experts
A Message from the Senior Dean: Music Degree Update
Tue, April 27, 2021
Over the past few months, the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts began a review of our Bachelor of Music program delivery.
Grad Feature: Cassandra DePetrillo
Wed, April 07, 2021
Cassandra DePetrillo has been working in the film and television industry since she graduated from the Film and Television Production program in 2011.
Grad Feature: Anne Logan
Wed, April 07, 2021
Anne Logan graduated from the Creative Book Publishing program in 2008 and has been involved in the Canadian book industry for the past 12 years.
Grad Feature: Katie Versluis
Wed, April 07, 2021
2015 grad Katie Versluis is a sales manager at NetGalley.
A Q&A with Kait Rak
Wed, January 27, 2021
Kait Rak graduated from Humber’s Photography program in 2013.
No news at this time.
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On October 21, 2019, the Provincial Government of Ontario announced the renaming of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU). Both names may appear on this website.
