Jiménez-Porter Writers' House Academics

Undergraduate creative writers rarely have the time and resources needed to pursue their passion alongside their academic work. Open to all majors, the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House (JPWH) is a two-year living and learning program providing participants with hands-on experience in the field of creative writing, while allowing them to complete their degrees in any area of study. The program was conceived and developed primarily for returning UMD students, but will consider applications from academically talented incoming freshmen who have a solid focus on creative writing. Transfer students are also welcome to apply.

Writers’ House students engage in a rigorous course of study requiring them to create, submit and revise original work (shorts stories, poems, or scripts) in order to be submitted for possible publication. During the length of the program, participants engage in a variety of literary activities: one-on-one manuscript advising, colloquia, open mic series, the publication of Stylus (the University’s literary journal), and attending Writers’ Here and Now events (campus-wide visiting author series). Study abroad opportunities are also available. Additionally, outstanding students can acquire pedagogical experience by participating in a third-year with JPWH, comprised of an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant course in which they help teach a JPWH section while preparing their own teaching portfolio.

JPWH offers students the opportunity to live in a literary community, develop a writing portfolio of publishable quality, obtain experience organizing, staging, and performing in literary events, gain the knowledge required to publish a literary journal and attain significant experience in teaching creative writing. All of these assets enable our graduates to be strong candidates for MFA programs and entry level positions as teachers, mentors or teaching assistants, literary event organizers as well as future writers and/ or publishers. Upon successful completion of the two year program, participants receive a notation upon their transcripts.

Questions? Email us at JPWritersHouse@umd.edu.