Department of English

This workshop is an introduction to the writing process, which poet
William Stafford once said is that which “brings about new things one would not have thought of if one had not started to say them.” Students will read each other’s work and respond to it in a way that fosters new possibilities and perspectives for the writer, not mere corrections or assessments. We will also read a variety of poems and essays by established authors and write some brief responses. The first half of the semester will be dedicated to writing poems, the other half to writing creative non-fiction – a genre which can include memoir, personal essay, reporting, and many other kinds of prose. Students will turn in a final portfolio of 10 to 15 pages, which will include both poetry and prose.