About the Writing Department:

We are professors of Writing not only because we love to teach but also because we love to write—and all of us pursue very active careers as practicing, and publishing, writers of poetry, stories, essays, articles, reviews, novels, plays, and more. We offer two majors: the Writing major (13 courses from a wide selection) and the Interdisciplinary Writing major, which allows you to split our major with another field, like Biology or English or Political Science.

If you’re interested in writing, you probably have a passion for working with words. And surely you know how exciting it is to move people with your own words—to make people feel what you feel, to help them see the world more vividly. You may be aware, too, that in the working world, everybody needs a writer: every business, every institution, every organization needs someone who can make sense of the world through the written word. According to research conducted by the National Commission on Writing, 91% of employers “‘almost always’ take writing into account when hiring” for professional positions.

At Loyola, you will find a broad array of writing courses, thoroughly dedicated writing professors, and lots of opportunities to develop your writing abilities. Our department sponsors two literary magazines, for instance: the Forum, for essays and art work, and the Garland for poetry, stories, and art work. These are wholly student-run magazines that publish top-quality issues every year . We also have a Writer-in-Residence  who  works to connect students to publication, reading and award opportuities and an Internship Coordinator to help you find great writing-related apprenticeships at local publications and organizations. Be sure to check out our literary life link to see these and other great resources.

Our graduates have gone on to become lawyers, book editors, magazine editors, newsletter editors, public relations liaisons, publishers, teachers, grant-writers, journalists, webmasters, professors, feature writers, and more.  Take a look at the great things our current students are doing--at the students link. If you'd like a tour of our department, click this TOURING link.

Stop by or drop us a line: we’d be very happy to hear from you.

Sincerely,
Ron Tanner, Chair
rtanner@loyola.edu