Welcome to the MACA Creative Writing Department!  

This department is home to the talented writers of St. Landry Parish.  These students study writing as an art, spending their years here finding and developing their individual writing style. Throughout the school year, creative writers study creative nonfiction, poetry, short stories, and dramatic writing.  By the end of the school year, every creative writer should be able to

• Write in a variety of poetic styles.

• Write in a wide variety of genres.

• Write in a wide variety of styles within one genre.

The types of poetry and genres and level of difficulty the writer is expected to meet advances as they advance through MACA.  7th grade creative writing is a beginning course for students who show talent and potential.  8th grade creative writing is an intermediate course, and high school creative writing consists of advanced courses.

Creative Writing at MACA is a unique blend of silent and performing art.  Skill in this art area is not merely determined by the words written on the page but by the author's ability to present, perform or otherwise relate his or her work to an audience.  Students receive instruction in presentation techniques (sometimes assisted by the friendly local theatre teacher and classmates) and drawing an audience into what they have written - in other words, bringing the words on the page to life.  This instruction prepares all MACA creative writers to participate in the annual poetry slam where students present poetry and perform in original skits for the schoolwide audience during the day and an audience of parents and friends at an evening performance.

• 2 pieces of original work submitted with the application

• A 30-minute writing exercise, demonstrating skill in poetry and prose

• An interview between the creative writing instructor and applicant