Creative Writing Program

All students, including majors and non-majors, must take one 200-level Intro (either 270, 271, or 272) before advancing to Intermediate 300 level workshops in prose or poetry. The same is required of non-majors who wish to take creative writing workshops, though some professors may choose to waive this requirement for junior and senior non-majors. The requirement is never waived for majors. Note that 300-level workshops in Playwriting and Screenwriting do not require any pre-requisite.

Students who have completed the 200-level requirement may move into any Intermediate workshop.

A 300-level intermediate course is a prerequisite for an advanced course. Students who wish to take an advanced course must receive a positive assessment of readiness from their intermediate instructor in order to enter advanced workshops.

Please see http://www.creativewriting.emory.edu/students/index.html for more information about the Creative Writing Program requirements.

CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM COURSE ATLAS
SPRING 2010

Permission is required to enroll in all creative writing classes. Students must fill out an application, which can be printed out from the website at http://www.creativewriting.emory.edu/students/courseapp.html or picked up at the Creative Writing Program office (N209 Callaway Center). Please bring your completed applications to the Creative Writing Program office.

Only students who are not at Emory this semester (study abroad, semester off, Oxford students, etc.) may submit their applications via e-mail. Please e-mail your application to pvitari@emory.edu.

THE OPUS REGISTRATION SYSTEM AND REGISTERING FOR A PERMISSION-ONLY CREATIVE WRITING COURSE

Registration for permission-only courses (and all Creative Writing classes are permission-only) may only be completed by obtaining a randomly-generated permission number, which can then be entered into the computer when you register. Paula Vitaris, the Creative Writing Program coordinator, will have these numbers available for students admitted to Creative Writing courses. (List of accepted students posted at the office and online at http://www.creativewriting.emory.edu/students/acceptedstudentslist.html.) If you have been given permission to take a Creative Writing course, you may obtain your permission number by e-mailing Ms. Vitaris at pvitari@emory.edu or stopping by the Program office in N209 Callaway Center.

Applications will be accepted until the end of add-drop for both available spaces in open courses and for the waiting list. Please e-mail Paula Vitaris at pvitari@emory.edu to inquire about open courses. ***OPUS is NOT an accurate picture of availability*** as students who have been accepted into a class may have not yet pre-registered or added in.

~~APPLICATION DEADLINES~~

~~Applications must be returned to the Creative Writing Program office by the following deadlines:~~

SENIORS MUST RETURN THEIR APPLICATIONS BY 5 P.M., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21. A LIST OF ACCEPTED SENIORS WILL BE POSTED BOTH ONLINE AND AT THE CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM OFFICE, N209 CALLAWAY, FRIDAY AFTERNOON, OCTOBER 23, IN TIME FOR SENIOR PRE-REGISTRATION.

ALL OTHER STUDENTS MUST RETURN THEIR APPLICATIONS BY 5 P.M., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28. A LIST OF ACCEPTED STUDENTS WILL BE POSTED BOTH ONLINE AND AT THE CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM OFFICE, N209 CALLAWAY, FRIDAY AFTERNOON, OCTOBER 30.

ENG 270: Introduction to Creative Writing Covey Monday 2-5:30 p.m. MAX: 15

Content:

A workshop in the writing of fiction and poetry for students with little or no classroom experience in creative writing. The course will be evenly divided between poetry and fiction, focusing primarily on student writing, but with significant attention to the work of established authors. Students will be expected to write 10-12 poems and one full-length story over the semester, with regular exercises in craft, revision, and critical reading.

Texts:

Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry, J.D. McClatchy, ed.
Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories, James Moffett and Kenneth R. McElheny, eds.
RECOMMENDED:
The New Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics, Lewis Turco
The Observation Deck: A Tool Kit for Writers (Past and Present), Naomi Epel

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on their writing and critical reading skills. Writing (including exercises and final portfolio) will comprise 60% of final grades; critical reading (as demonstrated through journals and student critiques), 20%; class participation, 20%.

Students should budget for photocopying. Students are required to attend on-campus readings and colloquia sponsored by the Creative Writing Program outside of class time, and are encouraged to attend any other activities sponsored by the Program.

Pre-requisite: None

ENG 271: Introduction to Poetry Two sections MAX: 15

Trethewey Monday 2-5 p.m.
Robinson Wednesday 2-5 p.m.

Content:

Trethewey's section:

An opportunity to read, discuss, and write poems. We will focus on cultivating the craft of poetry with particular emphasis on what makes a poem work--metaphor, image, musicality, voice, etc. In a workshop setting, we will work to develop the critical language necessary for discussing each other's work and for critically approaching our own poems during the important process of revision.

Robinson's section:

Writing a number of poems, students will learn how to encourage a raw, unfinished poem to become a thing of consummate power and beauty. In the process, students will develop critical and rewriting skills; learn how to identify and use poetic techniques such as imagery, simile, metaphor, meter, rhyme, and voice; expand their repertoire of "poetic tools" by writing in both closed form and free verse; understand how to read and analyze poems by a variety of poets; contribute constructive responses to their classmates' poems in a workshop setting; and cultivate a sense of what feedback is useful and how to apply it to their own writing.

Texts:

Trethewey's section:

The Mind's Eye: A Guide to Writing Poetry, Kevin Clark

Robinson's section:

The Norton Anthology of Poetry (shorter 5th ed.), Margaret Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter and John Stallworthy
The Poet's Companion, Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux, eds.

Assessment:

All sections:

Students should budget for photocopying. Students are required to attend on-campus readings and colloquia sponsored by the Creative Writing Program outside of class time and are encouraged to attend any other activities sponsored by the Program.

Trethewey's section:

Students will be evaluated on writing, and critical reading skills, and their ability to grasp the basic elements of poetry. Writing (including exercises, drafts and a revision) will make up 60 percent of final grades; critical reading skills (shown through reading responses and critiques of student work), 20 percent; class participation, 20 percent.

Robinson's section:

12 original poems [Note: I will drop the four lowest grades for these poems] + 1 revision: 45%
Discussion Questions: 25%
Responses to fellow classmates' poetry: 25%
Responses to Reading Series events: 5%
portfolio (with original poems, classmates' responses, and revisions): completion 'grade'

Pre-requisite: None

ENG 272: Introduction to Fiction Three sections MAX: 15

Williams Tuesday 2:30-5:30
Skibell Wednesday 2-5
Mukherjee Thursday 2:30-5:30 p.m.

Content:

Williams' section:

An introduction to the writing and critical reading of reality-based short fiction for students beginning to write in this genre. Where stories come from—recognizing and developing material—will be emphasized, as well as a thorough grounding in the elements of a fiction writer’s craft, from scene writing and dialogue to the building of authentic worlds and characters. Students will write a series of short pieces showing particular elements of short fiction as preparation for writing, and revising, a story draft. This course will prepare students for intermediate-level workshops in fiction.

Skibell's section:

An introduction to the writing and critical reading of short fiction for beginning students. Elements of storytelling will be emphasized in an easy-going workshop environment. Students will write a series of short pieces as well as three longer stories. This course will prepare students for intermediate and advanced workshops in fiction.

Mukherjee's section :

An introduction to the writing and critical reading of reality-based short stories for beginning writers. In the class we will discuss different elements of craft, examine how these work in selected published stories, and complete brief writing exercises that showcase these elements. Students will be required to submit one new short story to the class for workshop, and a revision, as well as attend on-campus readings.

Texts:

Williams' section:

Stories on Reserves Direct

Skibell's section:

40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, Beverly Lawn

Mukherjee's section:

Writing Fiction: A Guide To Narrative Craft, 7th edition, Janet Burroway, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, eds. (Please ensure you have the textbook by week two.)
Stories on e-reserve

Assessment:

All sections: Students should budget for photocopying. Students are required to attend on-campus readings and colloquia sponsored by the Creative Writing Program outside of class time, and are encouraged to attend any other activities sponsored by the Program.

Williams' section:

Students will be assessed on their writing and critical reading skills. Writing (including exercises, drafts and a revision) will make up 60 percent of final grades; critical reading skills (shown through reading responses and critiques of student work), 20 percent; class participation, 20 percent.

Skibell's section:

Students will be assessed on their writing and critical reading skills. 50% of the grade will come from the students’ written work (15% for the first two assignments and 20% for the final assignment) and 50% from class participation (discussions, reading, written critiques of classmates’ work).

Mukherjee's section:

Writing assignments, story, revision: 50 %
Critiques of student stories, participation in class discussions and responses to texts (includes required attendance at one on-campus reading): 50 %

Pre-requisite: None

ENG 370R: Creative Writing: Intermediate Fiction Schachner Tuesday 2:30-5:30
MAX: 15

Content:

A workshop in the critical reading, writing and revision of reality-based stories. The course emphasizes the elements of fiction through drafting and revision. In addition to reading a wide variety of short stories from the text, course requirements will include two story drafts, and a significant revision of one of those drafts; a series of craft-specific exercises; a notebook for gathering story ideas and practicing the use of imagery; and a reading/writing assignment with a published collection of stories.

Texts:

The Scribner Anthology of Short Stories: Fifty North American Stories Since 1970, 2nd ed., Lex Williford and Michael Martone, eds.

Assessment:

Students should budget for photocopying. Students are required to attend readings or colloquia by visiting writers in the Creative Writing Reading Series outside of class time, and are encouraged to attend any other activities sponsored by the Program.

Students will be assessed based on their ability to write clearly and with correct grammar and to effectively draft and revise short stories, utimately working to achieve engaging, artful expression. Students who demonstrate strong writing skills and the ability to improve will be awarded the highest grades. Additionally, students will be assessed on their critical reading ability, particularly in class discussions of and written assignments about published authors, and even more importantly, in the critiques of other students' writing.

Pre-requisite: Any 200-level creative writing workshop.

ENG 371R: Creative Writing: Intermediate Poetry Christle Wednesday 2-5 p.m. MAX: 15

Content:

An intermediate poetry writing course, in which we will meet weekly to share, discuss, critique, celebrate, explore, and dissect poems by class members and other people (primarily published poets). We will seek, in our meetings, to make connections between the language and ideas of poetry and those of the worlds we inhabit. Students will be responsible for presenting one of the assigned texts to the class, actively participating in discussions, and writing weekly poems and responses. They will experiment with writing according to assigned exercises, as well as inventing their own. Additional reading, of poems and other texts, will also be required. A portfolio of revised work, including a brief introduction, will be handed in at the semester's end.

Texts:

Letters to Wendy's, Joe Wenderoth
Homage to the Lame Wolf, Vasko Popa
Ka-Ching!, Denise Duhamel
Collapsible Poetics Theater, Rodrigo Toscano
Asphodel: That Greeny Flower and Other Love Poems, Williams Carlos Williams
It Is Daylight, Arda Collins

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on the following:
1. Weekly poems
2. Presentation of one course text
3. Participation in class discussions
4. Weekly responses
5. Portfolio of thoughtfully revised work and introduction
6. Commitment to experimenting with new ideas

Pre-requisite: Any 200-level creative writing workshop.

ENG 373R: Creative Writing: Advanced Fiction Williams Thursday 2:30-5:30 p.m. MAX: 15

Content:

An intensive workshop in the writing of the short story. Students will write, and workshop, as much new work as the class size makes possible. Revision—moving to finished work—will be a major priority. The workshop design presumes that participants are practiced in the elements of a fiction writer’s craft, and are in intrigued with the possibilities of the short story form. Workshop members will read a wide range of work by established writers; prepare a class presentation on one story collection; and acquaint themselves with resources available to writers outside the academy.

Texts:

Mystery and Manners, Flannery O'Connor
Stories on e-reserve

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on their mastery of the elements of short fiction, their ability to write and revise short fiction, their critical reading skills, and class participation. Writing and revision will be 60 percent of final grades; critical reading skills (demonstrated in short story collection class presentation, discussions of published work and critiques of student work), 20 percent; class participation, 20 percent.

Prerequisite: ENG 370R, Creative Writing: Intermediate Fiction

ENG 374R: Creative Writing: Advanced Poetry Trethewey Tuesday 2:30-5:30 p.m. MAX: 15

Content:

An advanced workshop in writing poetry. Focusing on both free verse and fixed forms, we will continue to investigate the various devices that poets use to create successful poems—metaphor, image, musicality, voice, etc. This will involve reading several essays on poetry, writing and revising several poems, and critical discussion of student poems in workshop. 8-10 poems are due in the final portfolio.

Texts:

Introspections: American Poets on One of Their Own Poems, Robert Pack and Jay Parini

Assessment:

Pre-requisite:

ENG 371R, Creative Writing: Intermediate Poetry

ENG 375R: Creative Writing: Advanced Playwriting Grimsley Monday 2-5 p.m. CROSSLISTED WITH THEA 375R Advanced Playwriting (ENG 10/THEA 5) MAX: 15

Content:

An intensive workshop in the writing of plays for the live stage for advanced students. The class will focus on the writing of a play, either a long one-act play or a full-length work. The class will include techniques for the analysis of the writing process while the work is in progress, as well as techniques for the critique of rough drafts, setting of clear goals for revision and the polish and rewriting of the work. Craft exercises will be minimal and students will be expected to come to the first session of the workshop with a play begun. You will be required to see three new plays during the semester. Regular meetings with the instructor will be required as well.

NOTE: Theater Studies students should submit application forms to Paula Vitaris in the Creative Writing Program office, N209 Callaway Center. Please state on the application you want this course as THEA 375R and also indicate if you've taken the pre-requisite THEA 372 playwriting workshop that is crosslisted with ENG 372R.

Texts:

No texts.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on their writing and critical understanding of dramatic writing. Writing (including exercises and final portfolio) will comprise 65% of final grades; critical understanding (evaluated through classroom conversation, textual critiques, and course participation), 35%.

Students should budget for photocopying. Students are required to attend on-campus readings and colloquia sponsored by the Creative Writing Program and play readings sponsored by the Playwriting Center of Theater Emory outside of class time, and are encouraged to attend any other activities sponsored by the Program.

Prerequisite: ENG 372R/THEA 372R Playwriting

ENG 379R: Creative Writing: Advanced Screenwriting Skibell Thursday 2:30-5:30 p.m. MAX: 15
CROSSLISTED WITH FILM 373 (ENG: 10/FILM: 5) MAX: 15

Content:

This workshop will focus on advanced storytelling techniques when writing for the screen. We will explore scene transitions, sequencing, character arcs, dialog, climax and completion of a medium-length screenplay. Using feature-length format, students will evaluate each other's scripts in an intensive workshop environment. The course will also concentrate on theme, genre, story development and dramatic structure. Classes will be conducted as workshops in which the main emphasis is on the students' own work, with much in-class writing and improvisation.

NOTE: Film Studies students should submit application forms to Paula Vitaris in the Creative Writing Program office, N209 Callaway Center. Please state on the application you want this course as FILM 373 and also indicate if you've taken the pre-requisite FILM 402 screenwriting workshop that is crosslisted with ENG 378R.

Texts:

Story, Robert McKee

Assessment:

Assessment: Students will be assessed on their writing and critical reading skills. 50% of the grade will come from the students’ written work (15% for the first two assignments and 20% for the final assignment) and 50% from class participation (discussions, reading, written critiques of classmates’ work).

Pre-Requisite: ENG 378R, Creative Writing: Screenwriting/FILM 402 Screenwriting (this should be the FILM 402 crosslisted with ENG 378R)

ENG 379RWR: Special Topics: Poetry & the Counterculture: Exploring the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library Young Thursday 2:30-5:30 p.m.

Content:

In this workshop we will write and read poetry while exploring the 75,000 volumes of rare and modern poetry found in Emory’s own Raymond Danowski Poetry Library. We will focus our reading on the poetry of the postwar counterculture, from the Beats to Black Mountain to New York School, with emphasis on their legacy and responses to it in our own poetry. Part workshop, part archival work, students will emerge with a number of new poems and approaches to poems, and may have the opportunity to curate a show based on the collection as a final project

Texts:

Suggested reading list, no assigned texts

Students will be assessed on: the quality and timely turning in of weekly assignments and improvement over the course of the semester (60%), including the keeping of a commonplace book related to the course material; class participation (20%); and a final project, including selecting material for and mounting an exhibition in the library (20%).

Students should budget for photocopying. Students are required to attend on-campus readings and colloquia sponsored by the Creative Writing Program outside of class time.

Pre-requisite: None; just a willingness for students to explore their own interests and even experiments with forms, schools, and writers of the poetry of our time.

ENG 491R: Creative Writing: Honors Faculty

Permission required: Honors students only.

Pre-requisite: Written approval of project by honors thesis director.