ENG 282 Workshop in Creative Writing

Prerequisites: GSTR 210 or Permission of Instructor


Course Description: An imaginative writing course that introduces students to one or two genres of creative writing through analysis of literary models, practice, and both student and instructor critique of work in a workshop format. The focus of the course will vary and may include such topics as travel writing, short fiction and drama, nature writing, memoir, and personal essay. May be repeated for credit, provided the topic differs from those previously studied.

Writers in this class will explore different Appalachian landscapes near Berea, such as a farm, a forest, a river, a town, and a mountain top removal site. Each day we will take a van and visit a landscape (or the same one for several days), where we will analyze readings, do writing exercises, hold workshops, and experience the land (via working it, via being quiet and observing, via learning to ask it questions & how to listen for answers, etc.). We will talk with people who are intimate with the land (who work it, study it, play on it, etc.), all the while asking ourselves about our and people's cultures relationship to the land. In the process, you will keep a journal; marginalize readings; produce one critical essay about a book of your choice; compose letters and bullets of advice; draft at least three poems, one non-fiction essay, and one story; and bring one of those to a final stage of completion. So get ready to be curious, get sweaty, and write!

Credits

1 Course Credit