This first-year seminar will be devoted to exploring the diverse literary histories of Philadelphia, from its vibrant poetry and spoken-word scene to its many celebrated and award-winning practitioners of creative and journalistic prose. Students will engage with the many different literatures of the city as readers, but also, and more importantly, as writers crafting their own original creative works in ways that engage their own experience of the city: its landscape, architecture, cultural history, arts, and even food. We will immerse ourselves in the literary textures of Philadelphia by attending live literary events across town and at Penn's own Kelly Writers House; visiting literary hot spots devoted to book, zine and comic culture; meeting visiting writers and artists; and creating and workshopping our own writing of the city. Our class will culminate in individual creative portfolios; we will also design and plan a collaborative final project, which could include a podcast series, public event at the Writers house, or online literary archive of Philadelphia.