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SyllabusENGL 210-5: Introduction to Creative Writing Spring 2009 MWF 11:00 - 11:50am McCormack-M01-0208 Kris Evans Office Hours: Wednesday 10-11 Office: 6th Floor, 73 or by appointment e-mail: sprawlingkris@gmail.com Required Text: Burroway, Janet. Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft (2nd Edition). Penguin Academics, 2007. E-Reserve Texts (http://docutek.lib.umb.edu/eres/ Under Evans; Password: twoten):
Hand-outs/e-mailed PDFs:
Course Goals: This course is an introduction to the process of writing poetry and fiction, and is designed to embolden you to think and write creatively, enable you to read and respond critically/helpfully, and introduce you to the terminology and basic elements of writing craft. In a friendly, supportive environment, we will examine a variety of published poems and stories from our text, e-reserve and hand-outs, as well as each other’s work, in an effort to shed light on what makes for effective writing (including, but not limited to: image, voice, dialogue, character, conflict and setting). You will be putting these ideas directly to work in the poetry and fiction you produce for class. During the course of the semester, you will complete in class writing exercises, and out of class assignments, including individual and group exercises, free writing, and formal assignments. By working in both poetry and fiction, and receiving feedback (in the form of written and oral critiques) from your peers and from me, you will begin to develop a working understanding of how poetic and narrative techniques work. It is hoped that by the end of this course, you will have learned to write more creatively about the things that matter to you. We all have something unique to say about the world in which we live; this course aims to help you develop the skills to deliver your poetic and fictional expressions in an artful, engaging way. During the first two thirds of the course, we will read and write poems with emphasis on imagery, rhythm, and voice, and we will read and write fiction paying close attention to character development, conflict/plot, setting and dialogue. The third part of the semester will be devoted to the continuation and revision of your work in both forms. Throughout the semester, we will be “workshopping” each other’s work, first in small groups and then as a class. Course Requirements: 1. Creative Writing: You are responsible for one weekly out-of-class writing assignment, as well as in-class exercises as assigned. Most of your writing will take place out of class. These assignments will lead to a final portfolio of work that will include 4 complete poems (4-6 total pages) and 1-2 complete stories, story beginnings OR story fragments (6 – 15 pages total), all of which will go through at least one revision. Both original and revised versions of all creative work (poems and stories) are to be included in the final portfolio, for a total of 22-40 pages of work. While no individual poem or piece of fiction you hand in will be graded, the complete portfolio is a measure of your growth as a writer over the course of the semester. There’s no time to wait for inspiration to strike! Writing is a daily habit that must be developed. As such, it is important for both your grade and your growth as a writer to keep up with the weekly writing assignments. ***The final portfolio is due by noon on Friday, May 15. If you would like your portfolio back from me, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope in which I can mail it to you.*** 2. Reading: You are responsible for weekly reading assignments from the text, as well as work posted on e-reserve and hand-outs. You should be prepared to discuss each week’s reading during the first class meeting of each week. You will be responsible for writing 2 brief Craft Response Essays in response to reading done for the course (1 - 2 double-spaced pages) over the course of the semester (one in response to a single poem, one in response to a piece of fiction). Craft Response Essays should focus on one of three things: 1) the way a particular craft element discussed in class is being put to use; 2) why and how a particular image, phrase, line, etc., really struck you, and why/how it’s effective; or 3) any craft-based question the poem or story raised for you. Craft Response Essays are not to be summaries of what the story or poem was about, nor litanies of what the poem or story reminded you of from your own life. Rather these papers should engage critically with something we have read, asking the question “how/why did the author do that?” Craft Response Essays will be graded. You will also be responsible for bringing in one poem or story segment from unassigned reading to share with the class. We will spend the first few minutes of most class sessions reading and discussing these pieces. 3. Literary Reading Attendance: As a class, we will attend 3 Literary Readings during class time. You will write one short (1-2 page) response paper on the reading of your choice (due within 1 week of the scheduled reading). Your response paper should focus on what you found interesting or uninteresting about the reading, and how hearing the work helped or didn’t’ help illuminate the text. This paper will be graded. 4. Class participation: This is an interactive, discussion-based class. Your presence and participation are necessary and required. Aside from discussing published pieces we read outside of class, and completing in-class writing assignments, you will be split into small groups where you will be required to “workshop” your classmates’ work and be “workshopped” by your classmates. Part of this process involves written critiques of your classmates’ work. You will be required to write a total of 6 Classmate Critiques in response to the work of the classmates in your small group. Each such critique will consist of at least the following: 2 things you felt were strengths of the piece, two inquiries into or questions about the piece, and one helpful suggestion. Pay special attention to Burroway’s suggestions on page xxvii of the Invitation to the Writer section of the Introduction for help with this. More specific instructions for critiques and workshop participation will be given out later in the semester. These critiques will be graded. Class participation will also include posting your work to the class website prior to workshops. Finally, I may announce quizzes on vocabulary or works we’ve read. These would be graded and count toward your participation grade. 5. Attendance: You are allowed no more than FOUR unexcused absences. Unexcused absences are ones you have not notified me of in advance. Please take the time to call my voicemail or email me if you find you cannot make class. In case of emergency, I appreciate contact with you as soon as possible. Don’t just disappear—let me know what’s happened to you. Please exchange phone numbers or email addresses with someone in class to find out about a class you’ve missed. If you exceed 4 unexcused absences or, for any reason, miss more than 8 classes, you WILL fail the course. Out of respect for your classmates and me, please turn cell phones off for the duration of each class period. Texting, checking messages, emailing, etc. during class is unnecessary and rude. Please also refrain from eating during class, and take care of all personal needs prior to or after class. It is disruptive to have people coming in and out of the classroom. 6. Conferences: You will be required to attend two 15-minute progress conferences with me near the midway point and the end of the semester. Weeks 6 and 15 (see schedule for dates) are set aside entirely for these. To each conference, you are expected to bring all of your creative work (poems, fiction, revisions) produced so far; to the second, you will also bring a self-assessment. We will discuss the state of your portfolio and any specific questions you have about how to move forward. Conferences are an important part of this course and will be graded. As you will not be attending this class during conference weeks, missing a conference is equivalent to 3 classes and will be counted as such. I encourage you to schedule meetings with me at any other point during the semester, or show up for my office hours, to discuss your work, your progress, course expectations, readings, etc. Grading: Please note that you will not be graded on “talent” for this course. Rather, your grade will be a reflection of your growth and development as a writer, as well as your adherence to the course requirements outlined above. To determine your grade, I will weigh the timely completion of creative assignments; the growth displayed in your portfolio (first drafts to revisions); your critical responses to class readings, attendance at a literary reading, and responses to the work of your classmates; class participation; and class and conference attendance. Your grade will be determined as follows: 25% - Response Papers (2 Craft Response Essays; 1 Literary Reading Response) 25% - Portfolio (timely completion of assignments; revision efforts; growth; self-assessment) 25% - Class participation/Attendance (discussion, web-posting, quizzes, etc.) 15% - Workshop (6 Classmate Critiques; discussion) 10% - Conferences
Students with Disabilities If you have a disability and feel you will need accommodations in order to complete course requirements, please contact the Ross Center for Disability Services (M1-401) at 617-287-7430. Plagiarism and Academic Honesty Plagiarism is defined as the attempt to use or pass off as one’s own the ideas or writings of another. This includes copying from a friend, downloading material from the Internet and pretending it’s yours, or using passages either reproduced word-for-word or paraphrased from another’s writing without giving the author credit. If you’re confused about the right way to quote sources, please see me and I’ll be glad to clarify. Because plagiarism involves stealing someone’s ideas, it’s considered a serious matter in academic life. Anyone committing plagiarism risks failing the course. All students are accountable to the definitions and the regulations concerning Academic Honesty contained in the University of Massachusetts Boston “Code of Standard Conduct.” For more details see: www.umb.edu/student_services/student_rights/code_conduct.html
Course Schedule
Week 1 (1/26-30): Course Intro M 1/26: Course intro; What is Poetry? W 1/28: Reading Assignment (RA) - Invitation to the Writer (pgs. xxi – xxviii); Billy Collins “Piano Lessons” (e-reserve); Nikki Giovanni “Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day” (e-reserve); Sylvia Plath packet (hand-out); Pablo Neruda (hand-out); Adrienne Rich (hand-out)
In-class Writing Exercise: Metaphors and Clichés F 1/30: Writing Assignment (WA) – Due: Poem #1 (metaphor poem) Week 2 (2/2-6): Image (poetry) M 2/2: RA – Chapter 1: Image (3-15); Annie Dillard “The Giant Water Bug” (pgs 15-16); Billy Collins “Snow Day” (pgs 27-28); Yusef Komunyakaa “Facing It” (pgs 28-29); AND Chapter 9: Poetry (309-319); W 2/4: RA - Jack Ridl “Love in a Hardware Store” (e-reserve); Jack Ridl “My Brother -- A Star” (e-reserve); Frank O’Hara packet (hand-out); Allen Ginsberg packet (hand-out); William Carlos Williams packet (hand-out); Li-Young Lee packet (hand-out); Mark Doty packet (hand-out); Mark Strand packet (hand-out) F 2/6: WA – Due: Poem #2 (Image poem) Week 3 (2/9-13): Voice (poetry) M 2/9: RA – Chapter 2: Voice (pgs. 37-50); William Trowbridge “Kong Looks Back on His Tryout With the Bears” (pg 70); Sandra Cisneros “You Bring Out the Mexican in Me” (e-reserve); Joy Harjo “Your Phone Call at 8am” (e-reserve) and packet (hand-out); Sherman Alexie “House Fires” (e-reserve) and packet (hand-out); Sharon Olds “Wonder” (e-reserve); Walt Whitman packet (hand-out); Gwendolyn Brooks packet (hand-out); Lucille Clifton packet (hand-out); Langston Hughes packet (hand-out); Naomi Shahib Nye packet (hand-out); Charles Bukowski packet (hand-out) W 2/11: In-class writing exercise F 2/13: NO CLASS due to AWP Conference Week 4 (2/16-20): Poetic Forms
M 2/16: NO CLASS – President’s Day W 2/18: RA: Chapter 9: Poetry (pgs 320-333); Appendix “A Basic Prosody” (pgs 375-382)
F 2/20: RA: William Shakespeare packet (hand-out); Elizabeth Barrett Browning packet (hand-out); more TBD
Week 5 (2/23-27): Revising Poetry
M 2/23: RA: Mary Oliver “Revision” (hand-out in class) In-class revision exercise: BRING one of your poems to work on WA – Due: Poem #4: 1 Sonnet, 4 Haikus, 1 Villanelle, or 1 Sestina W 2/25: Class meets at UMB Bookstore for POETRY READING:
F 2/27: Web-Posting Practice
Week 6 (3/2-6): Workshop/Conferences (bring all poetry to date and Craft
NOTE: You should have 4 complete poems by now, and one revision. Bring ALL of these to your meeting with me.
M 3/2: Poetry Workshops
WA – 2 Classmate Critiques Due W 3/4: NO CLASS – Conferences WA – First Craft Response Essay Due (on Poetry)
F 3/6: NO CLASS – Conferences WA – First Craft Response Essay Due (on Poetry)
Week 7 (3/11-15): Character (fiction) M 3/11 RA – Chapter 3: Character (pgs 79-93); Jhumpa Lahiri “Interpreter of Maladies” (pgs. 100-117); Amy Hempel “The Most Girl Part of You” (e-reserve); Junot Diaz “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie” (e-reserve) W 3/13: In-Class Exercise – Where to Begin F 3/15: WA – 1-3 pages of fiction (focus on character)
Week 8 (3/16-20): SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES
Week 9 (3/23-27): Setting (fiction) M 3/23: Class meets at TBD for FICTION READING: Novelist Helen Elaine Lee W 3/25: RA – Chapter 4: Setting (pgs. 131-142); Charles Baxter “Snow” (284-293); Donald Barthelme “The School” (146-149); Benjamin Percy “Refresh, Refresh” (e-reserve) F 3/27: WA – 3-5 pages of fiction (focus on setting)
Week 10 (3/30-4/3): Story (fiction) M 3/30: RA – Chapter 5: Story (pgs. 163-172); Antonya Nelson “Stitches” (e-reserve); Ernest Hemingway “Hills Like White Elephants” (e-reserve); Tobias Wolf “Say Yes” (e-reserve) W 4/1: RA - Chapter 8: Fiction (pgs. 273-284); Richard Bausch “Aren’t You Happy for Me?” (e-reserve)
F 4/3: WA – 2nd Craft Response Essay Due (on fiction) WA – Post your fiction (no more than 8 double spaced pages) to the class website by 5pm for workshop on Wednesday and Friday
Week 11 (4/6-4/10): Fiction Workshop M 4/6: Catching Up; Discussion of your fiction W 4/8: RA – Classmates work for workshop: 1st half of the stories WA – 1 Critical Response to Classmate work (2 copies) Small Group Workshops F 4/10: RA – Classmates work for workshop: 2nd half of the stories WA – 1 Critical Response to Classmate work (2 copies) Small Group Workshops
Week 12 (4/13-17): Revising Poetry/Workshop Note: Guest Professor, Joyce Peseroff M 4/13: Class Meets at UMB Bookstore for POETRY READING: Dick Lourie and Michael Cirelli ****Look for Joyce and sign up sheet!**** W 4/15: Class Meets at UMB Bookstore for POETRY READING: Carolyn Forche ****Look for Joyce and sign up sheet!**** WA – Post 1 REVISED poem by 7pm for Friday’s workshop
F 4/17: Poetry Workshop RA – Read poems by your group-mates WA – Write Classmate Critiques for 2 classmates Week 13 (4/20-24): Revising Fiction Note: Guest Professor, Joyce Peseroff
M 4/20: NO CLASS: Patriot’s Day W 4/22: MFA Poets (Barbara Perez and Alex Gang) visit class to read/discuss their revision processes F 4/24: Revision Video
Week 14 (4/27-5/1): Fiction Workshops
M 4/27: MFA Fiction Writer (Jeremy Lakaszcyck) visits class to read/discuss his revision process RA – Sherman Alexie “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” (e-reserve); Raymond Carver “Cathedral” (e-reserve) WA – Post your REVISED fiction (no more than 10 double spaced pages) to the class website by 5pm for workshop on Wednesday and Friday WA – DUE: Literary Reading Responses W 4/29: RA – Classmates work for workshop: First three/four fiction for your group WA – 1 Critical Response to Classmate work (2 copies) Small Group Workshops Sign-up for Conferences F 5/1: Continuation of Monday’s Small Group Workshops: Final two/three fiction pieces for your group WA – DUE: Craft Response Essay #2 (on Fiction) Week 15 (5/4-5/8): CONFERENCES
M 5/4: Final Q & A on your work
W 5/6: Conferences – no class
F 5/8: Conferences – no class
Week 16 (5/11-13): Class Readings
M 5/11: Class Reading
W 5/13: Class Reading (last class)
DUE—FINAL PORTFOLIO
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