CW&P Students Land Competitive Offers from Graduate Schools!
An impressive number of students from this year’s graduating cohort of the CW&P degree (the largest ever group of graduates) have been accepted into graduate schools!
The applicants demonstrate a wide range of interests and passions. Between them, they’ve been accepted into graduate programs in literature, screenwriting, communication, fiction, publishing, law, and education.
Alchemy sat down with a few of the successful applicants to discuss how the CW&P degree had set them up for success:
“Creative Writing & Publishing has been a joyful process of niche-finding, skill-building, and passion-following. Through it I have become the creative professional that I never envisioned myself to be. And that isn’t just me being humble—this program gave me the actual vocabulary to understand the gravity of literary responsibility. But I’m not just leaving with words: CW&P has also given me the tools to carve out space for things that matter, which I plan to carry with me through my Masters of Creative Writing at UNB, my work as Managing Editor for toothcut journal, and whatever creative manifestations my work takes on. For four years, I have had the honour of seeing the good that a strong literary community can do. I am lucky to have known a community like this one and I am forever lucky to have been a student here.” –Jenna James
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“CW&P gave me the language to talk about my ideas with confidence—grad school isn’t just about knowledge, it’s about articulating your perspective, and that’s exactly what four years of workshops and critical feedback prepared me for. The mentorship and push I got from CW&P made my grad school applications more than just statements—they were proof of growth.”
“What CW&P taught me most was how to own my voice. Whether it was fiction, essays, or academic work, I left the program knowing how to make my writing count, and that clarity is what got me through the doors of grad school. — Richard Kevis
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“My passion for writing wasn’t enough. I needed to learn the craft—the hero’s journey, plot, worldbuilding, characterization, setting, etc. And even that wasn’t enough. To be published, I needed to understand the business of publishing—acquisitions, development, production, distribution, and contracts. Not only did CW&P give me the best of both worlds, but it also provided an enriched milieu of caring and dedicated professors, writers-in-residence, guest-speaker lecturers, The Ampersand Review Festival, Sheridan Reads program, Brown-Bag-Chin-Wag series with industry pros, and the Ampersand Review Reading Series. All this prepared me for success in graduate school and beyond for which I’m so grateful.” — Gaye Wignall
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“CW&P helped me develop my ability to take in a lot of information and be able to communicate it back to reader in a cohesive and engaging way. This skill is going to be key throughout grad studies as I develop my Major Research Project, a science communication magazine. The internship semester also gave me a chance to create a network on the corporate side of things, as I worked as a communications intern for McMaster. The profs at CW&P teach you how to dissect information for yourself, to notice what does and doesn’t create a strong story or argument, and this is the kind of skill that transfers into everything, whether it’s more creative, corporate, or academic. I feel really confident moving forward with what I’ve learned” (Masters of Communication & New Media, McMaster University). — SL Walsh
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“This program has been a transformative experience, serving as both a catalyst for my growth in screenwriting and a reaffirmation of the boundless opportunities within writing and publishing. The comprehensive coursework, paired with the expertise and dedication of my professors, has given me an unshakable confidence in my future as a writer. When I made the decision to transition toward screenwriting, my professors not only supported my choice but actively encouraged it, providing me with invaluable resources and industry connections that will serve me well as I navigate the world of film and television. Their mentorship has solidified my belief that storytelling, in any form, is a powerful and versatile craft—one that I am eager to continue exploring. …It’s rare to find a program that truly invests in its students the way this one did, and I count myself lucky to have experienced it before it was no longer an option. Its absence is a loss, not just for aspiring writers but for the creative landscape it helped cultivate.”–Victoria Filippo
