Creative Writing Practicum: North American Review

Housed at the University of Northern Iowa, the North American Review is the only literary magazine in the state of Iowa that offers real experience to undergraduate students. By enrolling in ENGLISH 4755/5755 Professional Writing Practicum: North American Review, they gain a professional service-learning experience working as an editorial assistant for the nation’s oldest literary journal. The magazine has provided an invaluable experience for students to learn the profession of editing, including layout, professional communication skills, managing online content, and social media methods. Many students take the NAR Practicum course multiple times because each semester offers fresh challenges as new issues are produced, and provides new opportunities to travel and network with others in the publishing industry. 

WHAT FORMER STUDENTS SAID ABOUT THEIR PRACTICUM CLASS EXPERIENCE:

“Offering hands-on experience to students is such a valuable resource to students who are looking to expand and improve their resume, and I would recommend this class to anyone!”

“I thought this class was incredibly valuable, maybe the most valuable course I have taken in my collegiate career.”

“In addition to a well-rounded copyediting experience, I was able to communicate with authors about the editing process, a task which has sufficiently refined my professional interpersonal skills.”

“Through this class, the skill sets that I acquired, and the people I met, I was able to get a job as a newspaper editor.”

“As a copywriter, I spend most of my working hours writing, and then send my piece off to an editor. However, with this editing experience, I’ve learned to catch my own mistakes before even sending the piece on.”