This class provides “W” credit, as well as A&H credit.
Description
Have you ever wondered how your favorite poem came into being or what in the world your favorite writer was thinking when they developed that fascinating essay about bugs? Have you ever wondered how a memoirist described a heartrending description of family trauma or how the intricate plots and subplots of your favorite novel were woven together? Have you ever wondered how your favorite writer constructed the most beautiful sentence you’ve ever read? This class may help solve some of those mysteries.
Format
This class will be taught in-person. Although some of our visiting writers will join us over Zoom, enabling you to meet and interact with folks who don’t live in Seattle, students will meet in our classroom to better facilitate group activities and create community.
Nearly every class meeting, students will have the chance to interact with a visiting writer through an extensive question-and-answer period. The class will also be broken into smaller groups for sharing and providing feedback on rough drafts, discussing the readings, and participating in group writing exercises. Expect to participate in some kind of writing or group activity nearly every time we meet. Although the class is large, you will have the chance to develop your own smaller writing community!
Assignments
- Many and varied readings: poems, stories, personal essays, essays about writing. Three books will be assigned, as well as readings available through Canvas. The books are Quenton Baker's ballast (read entire book by 1/14), Elizabeth Cooperman's Woman Pissing (read entire book by 1/28), and Jedediah Berry's The Naming Song (read entire book by 2/18). You may purchase new or used copies from the University Bookstore or elsewhere. Ebooks and audiobooks are also fine!
- Three creative writing assignments will give you the chance to try your hand at writing fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Each writing assignment will be scaffolded using a variety of brainstorming and drafting techniques, workshopping, and revising.
- One short personal reflection on something that you’ve read for class.
- One short paper comparing the writing or approaches to writing of two of our visitors.
- Written peer reviews of your classmates' work.
- Short contributions to Canvas discussion boards.
- Low stakes in-class writing activities.
Student Endorsements
- “If I had taken this class as a 1st year, I would be a creative writing major. It’s SO COOL.”
- “In other creative writing classes, it can be intimidating if you have little to no experience…. But this course leaves more room for rough drafts, so it’s a great intro.”
- “The variety of prompts & speakers did a great job of pulling me just slightly out of my comfort zone, enough to learn quite a bit without being stressed out.”
- “Everyone should be able to benefit from creative writing—from self-exploration to enhanced perception of the world to increased overall writing ability—they should, of course, take this class.”
- “Eye-opening in many ways—especially the different stories being shared.”
Questions? Ask me! mayas@uw.edu