This course is the first creative writing class for the certificate of artistry in creative writing. We will study and write poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction with an emphasis on developing fundamental imaginative and critical skills. We will read one critical text, two collections of poetry, and six to seven novels this year.

 

By the end of the course, through reading, discussion, a developmental progression of writing activities, critique, and revision, students will learn and demonstrate:

 

• fundamental poetry writing skills, including a competent understanding of imagery; figurative language; rhythm; musical devices; the line; structure and development; tone.

• imaginative and formal skills in modes such as persona poems, ekphrasis, and prose poems.

• fundamental fiction writing skills, including a competent understanding of characterization techniques and the importance of character in short fiction; narrative modes and voice; plot; prose style; tone; and non-traditional narrative modes (e.g., flash fiction, experimental fiction).

• fundamental critical skills, through discussion; quizzes; essay tests on poetry, short fiction, and novels; and a short critical paper. Readings will comprise a wide range of American and international works, mostly 20th and 21st century, to introduce students to literature that challenges and stimulates their intellectual and aesthetic sensibilities.

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