Penn Creative Writing Program

Congratulations to Professor Simone White, who has been awarded a 2026 Independent Creative Production Grant from the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation for MOM PUTT PUTT.

"In this artwork by Simone White, a mechanized vehicle runs a timed route through a visually and poetically dramatized Los Angeles."

MOM PUTT PUTT - The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation A visual art project featuring a miniature, mechanized vehicle that runs a timed route through a poetically dramatized Los Angeles.

Happy pub day to Professor Anna Badkhen, whose new collection of essays is out today from Bellevue Literary Press!

Critics are calling TO SEE BEYOND "soul-stirring" (Publishers Weekly, starred review), "stunningly beautiful" (Boston Globe), "brave, probing" (Foreword Reviews), and "a necessary book" for our time (World Literature Today). Learn more at https://www.blpress.org/books/to-see-beyond/

Please join us at Kelly Writers House on Wednesday, April 29 for the 2026 Creative Writing Honors Thesis Reading! A number of graduating seniors will read from their capstone projects with a festive reception to follow. Details below!

Creative Writing Honors Thesis Reading | Creative Writing Program A number of our graduating seniors have been working hard to complete their Creative Writing thesis projects—long-form creative literary works in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, screenwriting, and mixed genres that serve as the capstones to their time at Penn as writers. Join us for a celebr...

Congratulations to senior creative writing major Chloe Chang, one of eight students recipients of the 2026 President's Engagement and Innovation Prize!

Eight fourth-years representing four teams have won the 2026 President’s Engagement, Innovation, and Sustainability Prizes, which will advance their work in robotics, energy efficiency, vision care, and childhood development.

“This year’s recipients of the President’s Prizes exemplify the creative rigor and civic commitment that define Penn at its best,” said President J. Larry Jameson. “Through projects such as HAVEN, Shared Vision, Serpent Robotics, and Fluid Silicon, our students are translating bold ideas into real-world impact.”

Read More: https://bit.ly/4sDH8ai

"Under Ernesto’s guidance, we ate our way through the Galapagos: trying the translucent berries of the muyuyo plant, licking dew off of the leaves of the black mangrove, and tasting crystals of sea salt tucked in the crevices of the beach’s lava rocks."

Read creative writing minor Allison Li's (C'26) reflections on traveling to the Galápagos through the Penn Global Seminar program at the link below!

Sorry Mom, I Jumped Off the Boat (And I’d Do it Again): On Wonder, Spirituality, and Chasing Discomfort in the Galapagos - Penn Abroad Penn Global Seminar: Darwin’s Laboratory: History, Philosophy, Evolution and Social Ecology in the Galápagos Archipelago Allison, one of the Fall 2025 Penn Global Seminar Correspondents, shares her experience abroad during winter break 2025-2026. Follow along with the group of correspondents on...

Congratulations to this year's Creative Writing prize winners! View the full list of winners, along with judges' comments, at the link below:

2026 Creative Writing Prize Winners | Creative Writing Program The Creative Writing Program awards a number of prizes annually to University of Pennsylvania students. See below for our most recent prize winners; previous winners are listed at the bottom of this page. Details on our 2027 prizes and how to submit work will be available on our website in early 20...

Please join us next week for a celebration of A Compass on the Navigable Sea: 100 Years of World Literature, a global anthology of stories and essays reimagining what international writing can be. The readers will include Sarah Leonard ('27), Carine Medellus ('26), and Creative Writing faculty member Anna Badkhen, who will facilitate a conversation with the anthology's editor, Daniel Simon, about the meaning of global literature at a time of crisis.

Register here: https://writing.upenn.edu/wh/calendar/0326.php

Reimagining International Writing
A reading and celebration of A Compass on the Navigable Sea, featuring Daniel Simon
Thursday, March 26, 6:00pm
Kelly Writers House | 3805 Locust Walk

Congratulations to Director of Creative Writing Julia Bloch, who has been named the winner of the Beltran Award for Innovative Teaching & Mentoring for 2026-27! Read more about Julia's exceptional work making and sustaining a learning environment at the link below.

Julia Bloch honored with Beltran Family Teaching Award | Creative Writing Program March 18, 2026 Congratulations to Director of Creative Writing Julia Bloch, who has been named the winner of the Beltran Award for Innovative Teaching & Mentoring for 2026-27! This award is presented annually to a member of the Penn faculty who teaches writing in the extracurricular context of the K...

Dig into the craft of writing a YA novel and the genres of fantasy, horror, thriller, dark academia, and fairy tale retellings in this panel event spotlighting authors Elizabeth Lim, Rowana Miller, and Alexandra Villasante, with Nova Ren Suma. Register through this link: https://writing.upenn.edu/wh/calendar/0326.php #18

YA Authors in Conversation
Elizabeth Lim, Rowana Miller, Alexandra Villasante, with Nova Ren Suma
Wednesday, March 18, 6:00pm
Kelly Writers House | 3805 Locust Walk

Co-sponsored by Kelly Writers House and the Creative Writing Program

A Celebration of the Life and Work of Alice Notley
With readings and reflections by Anselm Berrigan, Edmund Berrigan, Julia Bloch, erica kaufman, Michelle Lu, Pattie McCarthy, and Shoshana Olidort. Hosted by Laynie Browne.

March 17, 2026, 5:30 PM in person, Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk. To register, click here: https://writing.upenn.edu/wh/calendar/0326.php

Check out this feature from WHYY on Vote That Jawn and Professor Lorene Cary's transformative collaborations with students and youth

Vote That Jawn amplifies Philadelphia youth voices to help get their peers to the polls The organization uses writing, poetry and art to engage with younger voters and get them excited about civic engagement.