Department of English

This workshop-style class is an introduction to the pleasures of the writing process. You will benefit from in-depth readings and constructive critical support in a class that encourages experimentation, daring, and fun. You will develop a working knowledge of the elements of the craft of fiction: character, plot, point of view, dialogue, and style, and you will use them to build your own short story. Our approach to poetry will focus on the importance of strangeness and surprise as well as the more familiar basics: imagery, sound effects, and so on. You will practice writing both lyric and narrative poems in free (mostly) and formal verse. Some of each meeting will be devoted to discussing fiction or poems from our texts, which may serve as springboards for your own work. From time to time, we will do some in-class writing. Growing, experimenting, and revising are key. Class participation and attendance are vital.