Department of English

This course does not satisfy the writing requirement.

This workshop will introduce students to a variety of approaches to the writing of poetry and narrative prose. Class sessions will begin with a brief discussion of selected readings in poetry and fiction, including work that blurs the boundaries between these two genres. The bulk of our class time will be spent in careful, considered reading and response to the poetry and prose of workshop members. The aim of all our work will be to create a safe environment for the writing and reading of workshop members’ contributions. Experimentation, revision, new strategies and approaches to writing will be strongly encouraged. Students will hand in an end-of-semester portfolio of revised work (15-20 pages) in both poetry and prose. We will also write brief (up to one page) responses to workshop submissions on a regular basis. Texts: Ann Carson, The Autobiography of Red; Paul Auster, The Invention of Solitude; Basho, Basho’s Journey, ed. and tr. David Landis Barnhill; selected poetry and prose made available as a course pack.