Course Descriptions
Contemporary Reading & Writing of Poetry (ENW 5057). Although we will explore some traditional poetic forms, the emphasis in this class will be an in-depth look into the more open contemporary forms that published poets are writing today and apply those techniques to our own poems. We will study poets from the mid 1950s to the present and discover how their techniques can be applied to our own writing. In short, our poems will not fit a form or metrical grid, but will find forms to fit our poems. The effect is for each individual poet in class to incorporate rhythms that are personal and not artificial and strive to have their poems capture the realism and spontaneity of everyday speech. Instructor: Kevin Pilkington.
Creative Nonfiction (ENW 5005). A commitment to fact in all its inconvenience combined with a commitment to achieving a depth of meaning comparable to that found in fiction is the passion of the nonfiction writer. There is no better way to explore this genre than by working in its four principle forms: Memoir, Opinion, Essay and Literary Reporting. In this workshop students will write a piece in each form and we will also analyze the work of masters in each form. Reading list: Coming into the Country by John McPhee; Up at the Old Hotel by Joseph Mitchell; The Art of the Personal Essay by Philip Lopate, ed.; An American Requiem by James Carroll; My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid; and Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee. (3 credits) Instructor: Suzannah Lessard.
Editorial and Production Workshop (ENW 5045). Students will apply to their own work the editorial knowledge and skills gained in evaluating (blind) submissions for Inkwell literary journal and other sample work, in terms of revising, editing and ultimately getting pieces published. Several individual conferences will be scheduled throughout the revision process. In addition, students will gain a thorough understanding of producing a literary journal, from editorial through production and marketing phases. Texts: A Piece of Work: Five Writers Discuss Their Revisions, Jay Woodruff, ed., and Deep Revisions by Meredith Sue Willis. (3 credits) Instructors: E. Paschaladis/L. Simone
Elements of Creative Writing (ENW 5030). This course could be called “Great Attention to Detail in Poetry, Fiction and Drama.” In it, students explore the many aspects of writing, focusing attention on particular tasks, and discovering answers to questions such as:
- How do we build our work from notes to drafts to completed pieces of work?
- How do we write believable characters?
- How do we bring the language of color, climate, or the intimacies of mood to our work?
- What images, objects or symbols help support the ideas of our writing?
- How do we find the source in ourselves from which to write poetry?
- How do we know when a piece of work is finished?
Copies of the readings will be provided by the instructor. (3 credits) Instructor: Joanna Clapps Herman.
Fiction Workshop (ENW 5029). Students study language, tone, structure, dialogue and point of view in order to get at how to create compelling, empathetic characters on the page. We examine extensively the ways exemplary stories connect with readers. The semester’s work consists largely of readings and exercises, with some workshopping of student writing. Students are to be thoroughly familiar with the assigned readings and are expected to have useful and insightful responses to relevant issues of craft. The final requirement for the class is a short story (most likely between 8 and 30 pages in length) or a chapter or two of a novel (same page requirements) that has been workshopped at least once. (3 credits) Instructor: Esther Cohen (while Jeff Bens is on sabbatical)
Final Project Seminar (ENW 5994). Students who have completed all program requirements register to work with the Seminar Director/Mentor to plan and execute a final piece of work. The final project consists of an original piece of writing in either poetry or prose with at least a part of the project being new work. The Final Project shall be of a length determined by the Director. The Final Project Seminar is offered in both the Fall and Spring semesters and is graded on a pass/fail basis. No grade will be given until the Final Project is evaluated. Students may be given an additional semester to complete their work if their project can not be completed in one semester. Director: John Herman.
Intro to Poetry (ENW 5007). This course offers an introduction to writing poetry. In addition, the class will examine the nature of poetry and poetic language, including meter, form, imagery, meaning, symbolism, etc. Each week the student will write an original poem, and will read a chapter from the text and a series of assigned poems. Each class will be divided between a close examination of the reading for that week, and a workshop centered on the students’ own poems. The final project consists of a collection of the poetry the student has written for the course. Texts are: Sound and Sense. Perrine & Arp, HBJ; Immortal Poems of the English Language, ed. Williams, Washington Square Press; The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry, ed., McClatchy, Vintage. Instructor: John Herman.
Screenwriting Workshop 1 (ENW 5003). Students are introduced to the craft of visual story-telling, exploring character, dialogue, plot, setting and tone. Students view movies weekly and read extensively in professional film scripts. Each week student writing is discussed in a workshop format. The semester project is the completion of the 'first act' of a feature screenplay, approximately thirty pages of writing, as well as an accompanying outline of the entire screenplay. Instructor: Jeff Bens.
Screenwriting Workshop 2 (ENW 5012). Students continue to practice the craft of visual story-telling, exploring character, dialogue, plot, setting and tone. Students view movies weekly and read extensively in professional film scripts. Each week student writing is discussed in a workshop format. The semester project is the completion of the 'second act' of a feature screenplay, approximately thirty pages of writing, as well as an accompanying outline of the entire screenplay. Instructor: Jeff Bens.
Teaching Creative Writing (ENW 5049). Many of us who choose the writing life often find ourselves also choosing teaching as a means of supporting our “writing habit.” The balance between writing and teaching is tricky: How is it possible to teach well without sapping the energy needed for your own work? This course aims to model a number of approaches to teaching writing, beginning with adapting the workshop techniques of a Master of Arts in Creative Writing or Master of Fine Arts program to other settings. We will study and invent strategies for teaching children, teachers, seniors, and even emotionally fragile populations for whom the act of writing can be life-saving. We will explore the teaching of different genres including fiction and personal essay, with a special emphasis on teaching poetry. Instructor: Nancy Krim.
Writing Longer Nonfiction (ENW 5072). In this course, students will work on a single long piece of work, whether that be memoir, literary reporting, a work of thought, or a collection of essays organized around a theme. The focus will be on structure, thematic development, and momentum as well as other features of longer works. Instructor: Suzannah Lessard.
Writing the Contemporary Novel (ENW 5036). The purpose of this course is to help the student begin writing his/her own novel. Each student will write 50 pages of an original work, handing in 4-5 pages each week. In addition, the class will study a series of novels with an eye to such things as structure, plot, style, dialogue, characterization, place and time, imagery, etc. Each class will be divided between a discussion of the novel being read that week, and a workshop centering on the pages of one of the students’ work. Assigned texts are: The Awakening by Kate Chopin; Sula by Toni Morrison; The Moviegoer by Walker Percy; The Stranger by Albert Camus; and Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion. Instructor: John Herman.
Writing the Middle Grade/YA Novel (ENW 5028). This course considers how writers recapture the child’s world, with its uniquely heightened senses and near-primal beliefs. As students begin writing the first draft of their novels, they explore such elements as wonder, magic, make-believe, longing, justice, personal growth, and hope. Assigned readings lead to discussions that include: the invisible self,
reflective voice, evolution of story, transformation of character, and re-imagining the draft. Students should be prepared to read a book and write a chapter each week. Instructor: Phyllis Shalant.