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Getting published for the first time was life-changing for Professor of English Dr. Mary Elizabeth Pope, and it has become a key milestone for most students in the Writing, Editing & Publishing Major at Emmanuel College.
On average, 70 percent of students in the major publish work they’ve written in their classes at Emmanuel in professional magazines. Five of Dr. Pope’s students published writing last semester, after successfully pitching editors of literary magazines as part of a coursework requirement.
“I want our students to have outside validation that proves that they’re very good writers,” said Dr. Pope. “It’s not just about grades or what they did here—it’s important that they see their work out in the world and know people are reading it.”
Pope discovered this herself in college, when a professor was so impressed with one of her essays, he handed it back with submission instructions for a magazine he thought might be interested in publishing her work. It was a pleasant surprise when it was accepted for publication, and opened doors for her career, while also providing validation of her writing and insight on how publishing works.
“I was lucky to have a faculty member who was plugged into the publishing world, and I happened to be writing what that magazine was looking for,” said Dr. Pope. “When I became a professor, I understood how important it was for students to know there is an audience outside the classroom.”
A Flexible Major with a Practical Core
While the publishing industry is a potential audience, Dr. Pope noted that when it’s time for students to look for jobs upon graduation, most organizations need writers, which creates many opportunities for students to apply their skills. “It’s a wide-ranging major that prepares students for many things, including professional writing, content creation for an organization’s website and social media, or graduate school,” said Dr. Pope. “It’s very flexible.”
The curriculum includes various forms of professional and creative writing, literature, media theory and analysis. It all culminates in a senior capstone project that blends classroom learning with the student’s research and perspective, creating something new and unique. “Non-fiction writing is the practical core of the program,” said Dr. Pope. “I want them to engage intelligently with their own voice and experience, while also engaging with research, because that’s more in line with what many of them will be doing after graduation.
“It’s about getting them to develop a strong writing voice,” she added. “That is what will distinguish them in a pile of job applications.”
Here’s a quick summary of the three components of the major:
Writing
While prose writing is the core focus of the Writing, Editing & Publishing major, students are required to choose electives among courses such as “Journalism”, “Public Relations & Persuasion”, “Multimedia Storytelling”, “Poetry Writing” or “Fiction Writing.”
The results are sometimes surprising: Emma Joanna Grenier ’25 took a class with Dr. Pope to support her Communication major, but the in-class exercises helped her discover the joy of writing.
“I was nervous that I wouldn’t come up with any ideas, but we did simple and very helpful exercises before each piece,” said Grenier. “I love being able to express myself and my ideas through all of my pieces.”
Dr. Pope strives to create an environment where students can experiment and push outside their comfort zone. This is complemented by smaller class sizes, where students get to know each other. Throw in a willingness to work hard, and Dr. Pope said the growth can be pretty amazing.
“I love seeing them go on to do things with their writing that are meaningful,” she said. “I had one student who took an internship at Dana-Farber and later got a job there writing narrative medicine, sharing the stories of cancer survivors. It’s really exciting to see them use their talents to highlight things like that.”
Editing
Students in the major learn the art of making writing stronger through editing and revision feedback in full-class and small group workshops. Dr. Pope said some of the assignments can be fun—in one class students edit a passage of bestselling fiction for brevity. In another, students revise their own work from a previous semester—an exercise she said has multiple benefits.
“At first, they always say they can’t believe how much better they are at writing now,” said Dr. Pope. “But then they revise it in a way that makes it a better piece. It’s exciting to watch that happen.”
An interest in writing brought Isabelle Coughlin ’25 to the major, but she said editing has become her favorite part of the process.
“I love being able to write a piece in a way where I get all of my thoughts down, and then later go back and revise after further reflection,” she said. “Everyone always says ‘writing is rewriting’ and I think that’s true.”
Publishing
Writing, Editing & Publishing majors also gain hands-on experience by producing the Emmanuel College’s literary magazine, The Saintly Review, in Dr. Monique-Adelle Callahan’s course “Editing and Publishing a Literary Magazine.” Students are also required to submit their work for publication off campus, something Grace Flaherty ’25 described as a valuable learning experience.
“Dr. Pope really got us started on where to go and how to get published,” Flaherty said.
Flaherty came into the program with an interest in writing and is also working on a minor in education. She plans to combine the two interests with an internship this spring at a non-profit that does writing curriculum work with the Boston schools.
The nonprofit uses that output to create a literary magazine. Flaherty expects to help with the planning, editing, and social media promotion of that publication, using tools she’s honed in the Writing, Editing & Publishing major.
“I would advise anyone curious about the major to give it a try,” said Flaherty. “It has opened up a lot of different routes for me.”
