Jennifer Goodman

Currently, I am in my first year of Teacher’s College at the University of Ottawa. My English degree helped develop my passion for writing and reading, and I am now excited about sharing this excitement with the next generation. As I continue my studies, I also work as a book editor with Dibbly | The Urban Writers where I get to edit fiction and nonfiction books by self-publishing authors. I’ve been working there since 2021 and have edited more than 50 now-published books. My life right now blends my passion for reading and writing with work, and I feel grateful that my English degree has led me here!

The English program helped grow my passion for literature, and it has led me on the path to writing a full-length novel that is based on a short play I wrote in my Screenwriting class at Carleton. The program also exposed me to many creative-writing competitions and events that I partook in. I was shortlisted for The Bridge Prize in 2024 with a short story I wrote in my Advanced Creative Writing Workshop, and I was also published in the Sumac Literary Magazine 2023 with a poem I wrote in my Poetry Workshop. Carleton offers many ways to get involved in the local community, like submitting work to competitions and sharing work at student-run events and writing showcases. I feel grateful to have been exposed to all these mediums of expression, and it helped strengthen my writing confidence enough to share my words outside the class workshops.

How has your Carleton English degree informed your professional and/or creative path?

The English program, specifically the Creative Writing Concentration, helped me foster a confidence in my writing abilities. This has allowed me to continue writing outside my degree, both in my free time and as a career. I’m grateful for a program that is filled with passionate teachers, as they helped strengthen my own passion for the art of writing, reading, and creating. I feel more prepared going into a teaching career with the tools and knowledge that pertain to writing, researching, and analysing that I learned as a student in the English program at Carleton.

Why Carleton? What specific experiences or opportunities did you benefit from while studying English at Carleton?

I was drawn to Carleton’s Creative Writing Concentration due to the various courses that were offered that touched on a wide range of genres. Throughout my degree, my favourite courses were the writing workshops where I really had the opportunity to hone my writing skills. Not only was I able to improve my creative-writing abilities in various genres (poetry, short story, screenwriting, but I also learned how to accept feedback and criticism, as well as give it to peers. This is invaluable and has provided me with transferable skills for the world of work as I am stronger when it comes to taking criticism and I am better at self-evaluating my work. I am grateful for Carleton’s English program to have focused on this aspect of creating, as I know my personal writing endeavours have benefited from it!