Department of English

This workshop introduces students to the art of writing poetry and fiction. Focusing on questions of form and process, we will experiment with a range of compositional devices for generating verse and prose. Concepts such as rhythm, sound, performance, repetition, genre, and duration will guide our movement between theory and practice. We will also think about relationships between seemingly minor textual elements such as grammar, syntax, and orthography and the politics of language under capitalism. While they build their own portfolios, students will study a number of literary and critical texts. These may include writings by Myung Mi Kim, Layli Long Soldier, Samuel Beckett, and Dambudzo Marechera.