Creative Writing: Act and Artifact of American Voice

REVISED

Winter 2012 quarter

Faculty

Anne de Marcken (Forbes) creative writing, moving-image media , Jennifer Calkins biology, animal studies, literature

Fields of Study

American studies, cultural studies, literature and writing

Preparatory for studies or careers in

writing, literature, critical theory, and cultural studies.

Description

Participants in this quarter-long creative writing and literary studies program will study and practice writing across genres and movements. We will use a variety of critical frameworks to analyze, interpret, and create a diverse selection of American literature, interrogating the boundaries of nation, identity and genre. Program participants will learn about and practice the elements of narrative and lyrical discourse, developing a portfolio of short fiction, poetry, and hybrid forms. There will be an emphasis on the relationship between critical and creative thought and practice, as well as on development of a sustaining, independent creative writing practice.

The program will have five major components: presentation, workshop, peer critique, seminar, and practice. Students, faculty and guest writers will gather for presentations and lectures on creative and critical texts and on ideas related to our area of inquiry. In hands-on workshops, students will develop creative and critical skills. Working in small groups, students will develop critical skills in support of one another's creative objectives. Students will gather in seminar to discuss critical and creative texts at depth in light of overarching program concerns. And finally, each student will define, develop, and maintain an independent creative writing practice to support his or her program goals.

Possible texts include: Maggie Nelson's  Art of Cruelty, Elaine Scarry's On Beauty and Being Just, Alice LaPlante’s The Making of a Story , as well as works by American writers ranging from Emily Dickinson to Claudia Rankine, from Jean Toomer to Yi Yun Li.

Location

Olympia

Online Learning

Enhanced Online Learning

Books

Greener Store

Required Fees

$35 for entrance fees and supplies.

Offered During

Day

Program Revisions