Creative Writing

Poets, short story writers, non–fiction writers and playwrights have a home at Mercy. Several curricular and co-curricular opportunities serve to encourage this community of dedicated writers.

An elective course offered by the English Department, entitled Creative Writing, is designed for the serious writer. The course focuses on the ”how to” of writing poetry, fiction, and creative non fiction. By the end of the semester, students will have assembled a substantial portfolio of work to submit for publication.

Writing Workshop, open to students by invitation, offers creative writers a chance to share their works in a setting that both inspires and compels. Meeting once a week, students are committed to draft writing, revision and peer review.

An annual literary magazine, The Lance, which highlights some of the finest student creative writing of the year, is published by students. Members of the school community eagerly await The Lance each Spring, as they have since its publication began in 1964.

Ms. Kitty Yanson, Mercy's creative writing specialist and herself a published writer, believes that the finest writers who have come out of Mercy's creative writing program are as passionate about words as they are about what they put into them. Writing is hard work and hard play and best done among those who care much about writing—hence our fifteen year running writing workshops. In the words of Ms. Yanson, ”We write about our interesting lives. We make up interesting lives. We talk about what works in our works and what doesn't, what could be tweaked, what is just oh so very right. We inspire, push, encourage, and commiserate. We enter contests. We win awards. We publish. We cheer.”