Creative Writing Pedagogy

Teach the art of writing with confidence, purpose, and imagination.

The Certificate in Creative Writing Pedagogy is a 10-week online program designed for educators, writers, and teaching artists who want to teach creative writing with rigor, inclusivity, and craft-based expertise. Taught by novelist and veteran educator David Macinnis Gill, the program blends theory, practical methods, and hands-on curriculum design to prepare you to lead creative writing courses in higher education, community settings, and beyond.

Course Information

• Format: Live online (Zoom), once weekly
• Schedule: 10 weeks, 2.5 hours per session
• Instructor: David Macinnis Gill, MFA Program Director
• CEUs: 2 continuing education units
• Final Project: Teaching demonstration + portfolio
• Who Should Apply: Educators, MFA graduates, teaching artists, writers

What You’ll Learn

By the end of the program, you will be able to:

• Develop a research-informed teaching philosophy
• Design syllabi and units using backward design principles
• Teach fiction, creative nonfiction, and fiction in verse
• Facilitate workshops that encourage equity, risk-taking, and creative rigor
• Apply inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogies
• Build a professional teaching portfolio for academic or community contexts

Curriculum

Each week combines guided discussion, readings, and applied exercises. Highlights include:

• Foundations of creative writing pedagogy
• Power dynamics and alternative workshop models
• Anti-racist and inclusive course design
• Digital and multimodal storytelling
• Teaching narrative craft and fiction in verse
• Workshop facilitation and assessment practices
• Curriculum architecture and learning outcomes
• Teaching in higher ed, community, and hybrid spaces

The program culminates in a teaching demonstration and the submission of a comprehensive final teaching portfolio.

Assignments & Assessments

• Teaching philosophy
• Annotated bibliography
• Inclusive syllabus or lesson redesign
• Multimodal assignment design
• 4-week unit plan
• Generative writing exercises
• Workshop protocol & community agreements
• Full syllabus design
• Teaching demonstration
• Final pedagogical portfolio

Grading: Pass / No Pass

Required Texts & Resources

Core readings include pedagogical works by Janet Burroway, Wendy Bishop, Stephanie Vanderslice, Graeme Harper, and others who have shaped contemporary creative writing pedagogy. Additional articles, open-access materials, and digital resources are provided via Canvas.

Instructor

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David Macinnis Gill is an award-winning author and educator whose work spans young adult fiction, narrative theory, and creative writing pedagogy. He is the author of the forthcoming Three Sisters, as well as acclaimed novels Zombie Train, Uncanny, the Black Hole Sun series, and Soul Enchilada. He has published numerous short stories, essays, and critical pieces. His fiction has been recognized by the American Library Association, included on multiple “Best of” lists, and translated into several languages.

A university professor and former high school teacher, David centers his teaching and scholarship on online writing models, instructional design in distance education, and the craft of narrative across multiple genres and modalities.

He holds a doctorate in Education from the University of Tennessee. He has served as president of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (NCTE) and is a frequent presenter at national conferences, including AWP, NCTE, and ALAN. He lives in San Francisco, where he continues to write, mentor emerging teachers and writers, and advocate for creative writing as a transformative classroom practice.

Is This Program Right for You?

This certificate is ideal for:

• MFA graduates entering teaching for the first time
• Educators seeking grounding in contemporary writing pedagogy
• Writers transitioning into classroom or workshop instruction
• Teaching artists working in community or nonprofit settings

No prior teaching experience is required — just a commitment to teaching creative work with care, rigor, and imagination.