The Langara College English Department offers a rotating selection of courses in five different genres of creative writing:

These courses typically involve intensive writing workshops, and are taught by instructors who are published and/or are active members of the local literary community. See below for current and upcoming Creative Writing courses being offered.

Students are encouraged to work towards publication of their writing in Langara’s W49 Magazine or other publications, and they are also encouraged to read their work at the English Department’s Strangers on a Train reading series.

All our Creative Writing courses are fully transferable to UBC and SFU. For information about transfer credit and articulation of these courses, please visit the BC Transfer Guide.

For more information, feel free to contact the individual instructors or the English Department Chair.

Download PDF of all Spring 2025 second-year English and Creative Writing courses.

Creative Writing Courses for Spring 2025

English 2236: Creative Writing – Prose Fiction

In this course, you will learn how to write and revise short fiction (short stories, flash fiction) through lectures, readings, and workshops. Although there are no hard and fast rules for writing short fiction, there are several common stumbling blocks that new writers often trip over when learning craft, and in this course, we pay close attention to these problem areas and come up with strategies for avoiding them in your own writing. When you finish this course, you will have two completed short fiction pieces, a revision plan, and a professional pitch letter.

Instructor: Sarah Richards srichards@langara.ca | Tuesday/Thursday 12:30 - 14:20 

View Course Outline | Register for ENGL 2236 (CRN: 10498)

English 2256: Creative Writing – Screenplay

Want to be an avant-garde writer for film? Or maybe the next Kevin Smith (Clerks). Then this is the class for you. Learn the basics of writing for the screen, including formatting, plotting, character development, conflict, and simple story structure. This is a workshop-heavy class with initial lectures on how to get started. Dream big, write hard. Maybe write something you and your friends could shoot using a nice Nikon or Canon. Screenwriting is a craft. Learn the craft first.

Instructor: Aaron Bushkowsky abushkowshy@langara.ca | Monday/Wednesday 14:30 - 16:20 
View Course Outline | Register for ENGL 2256 (CRN: 10500)

English 2266: Creative Writing – Poetry

This course will explore the fundamentals of poetry writing. Through careful study of a variety of poetic theories and practices and a selection of work by local poets, students will learn to recognize and emulate a wide range of formal and thematic techniques and concepts used in contemporary poetry, including social concerns such as race, gender, and class; personal expressions ranging from romantic love to the embodiment of disability; ideological themes such as religion and politics; and aesthetic techniques ranging from verse form to acoustics. Other topics of inquiry that will be addressed through readings and assignments will include the study of recent poetic trends and movements and consideration of performance versus the written word.

Instructor: Thor Polukoshko tpolukoshko@langara.ca | Tuesday/Thursday 12:30 - 14:20 
View Course Outline | Register for ENGL 2266 (CRN: 10502)

Creative Writing Courses for Summer 2025

ENGL 2236: Creative Writing - Prose Fiction | Trevor Newland | tnewland@langara.ca

ENGL 2246: Creative Writing - Stageplay | Kathleen Oliver | koliver@langara.ca

Creative Writing Courses for Fall 2025

ENGL 2236: Creative Writing - Prose Fiction | Daniel Poirier | dpoirier@langara.ca

ENGL 2276: Creative Writing - Non-Fiction | Sarah Richards | srichards@langara.ca

Creative Writing Courses for Spring 2026

ENGL 2236: Creative Writing - Prose Fiction | Jill Goldberg | jgoldberg@langara.ca

ENGL 2256: Creative Writing - Screenplay | Aaron Bushkowsky | abushkowsky@langara.ca

ENGL 2266: Creative Writing - Poetry | Thor Polukoshko | tpolukoshko@langara.ca