Department of English

This workshop-style class focuses on the pleasures of writing short fiction. Students will read short stories from a wide variety of genres and traditions. They will also generate brand-new stories, discuss short fiction in a critical way, and learn to access the fount of creativity within themselves. No prior creative writing experience is necessary, but students must be willing to participate, revise their work rigorously, take risks, and be generous with themselves and others. Class time will alternate between in-class writing, short lectures, classroom discussions, small-group workshops, and later in the semester, full-class workshops. Some writers whose work we will consider are Lydia Davis, Donald Barthelme, Ling Ma, Jamaica Kincaid, Robert Glück, Kazuo Ishiguro, Roberto Bolaño, Joy Williams, and several others.