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GOALS

  • Gain experience inventing, drafting, revising, responding, and performing your work
  • Develop a sense of being a writer and of creating a writing life for yourself
  • Experiment and take risks
  • Learn about your own writing strengths, weaknesses, and goals
  • Learn to critique your own work and the work of others
  • Discover appropriate forms and styles for saying what you want to say
  • Learn to gather and sift material skillfully
  • Become more sensitive readers of literature through studying the traditional techniques of craft and contemporary currents within and between all three genres
  • Gain confidence to continue your writing beyond this course

 

REQUIREMENTS

 

Class

  • Attendance is mandatory. You must attend every class in order for the course to function effectively. Please arrive on time, or ideally a little early to settle in. Late arrivals are distracting and disruptive, and will accumulate as absence. If you are ill or otherwise must miss class for a legitimate, extraordinary reason, please notify me as early as possible so that I can prepare accordingly. Unexcused absences and lack of participation will affect your grade adversely. In the case of absence, you are still responsible for finding out and making up what you missed, and for turning in assigned work. You should not attend class when ill or symptomatic. In the event that I become ill and unable to teach a class in-person, and if I am able to teach remotely, I will send you a Zoom link for the class. If we fall behind on our course schedule, we will adjust.
  • This course relies on the lively exchange of ideas – all class members must participate actively and constructively in class discussions, exercises, presentations, and workshops. You are invited to explore ideas, think aloud, and share your work without risk of judgment. If speaking in class causes anxiety, please come see me and we’ll work through strategies.

 

Office Hours & Communications

  • Every week I will be available for drop-in visits (in-person or on zoom) so that we may get to know one another and build our partnership; feel free to share any ideas, thoughts, or concerns about the class as they emerge. You will occasionally be required to meet with me to discuss your writing.
  • Contacting Me: Please email me if you have questions, need an extension, or will miss class. I always prefer honesty and directness. Please allow a 24-hr response time to emails. I rarely respond to emails over the weekend. Please remember etiquette: address emails with a salutation, and sign off appropriately.

 

Readings

  • The most important thing you can do as a writer is read. I expect you to treat the readings as your true teachers – do not wow us with critical, literary analysis skills; instead, look at the writing with a writer’s eye, crawl around inside and figure out how/why it works, see what you learn, what you can take with you and try out in your own writing. We will read excerpts and longer works from a variety of writers to explore a broad range of styles and voices. All assigned reading is required prior to the corresponding class. Always bring physical reading materials to class with you or I will mark you as unprepared. As you read and re-read texts, highlight notable passages, annotate with comments, observations, ideas, questions.
  • A Note about Genre: Although this course is organized around three distinct, conventional genres, we will explore the blurring and bending of genres and the breaking open of forms; the crossroads of traditional print forms of written texts and non-print forms (hyperext, multi-media texts) and visual forms; and the ways in which our very notions of story and art and language remain dynamically in flux.
  • Reading Responses: Choose a single line, excerpt, image, or craft issue to examine in 1 reading due each week (select from required or optional readings): see what the writer is up to; how does it do what it does; what does it teach you as a writer? Responses should be brief. Do not summarize. While your ideas should be clearly formulated and presented, these responses are not expected to be formal or linear — think of them as conversational, meditative, exploratory. I may occasionally ask you to informally present your response to the class.
  • Required Texts: handouts and links on websites (as assigned)
  • Visiting Authors: You must attend 1 reading by a visiting author during the semester, though my hope is that you will voluntarily choose to attend as many as your schedule permits.

 

Writing

  • There will be frequent writing exercises and assignments in addition to the drafting of one major piece in each genre unit. All assigned written work must be turned in on the date due; late work for which you have not received an extension will receive a grade penalty and disqualify you from a workshop slot. All work must be written specifically for this course; you may not submit any work that was substantively begun before now. All written work must be high-quality printed in standard font/point-size. Everything (with the exception of poetry) must be double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around, and stapled– no loose or dog-eared pages will be accepted. All work must have a header, including the piece’s unique title, your name, the date, and draft #, and include page #s. All copies must be readable. Proofread and edit all work for typos, misspellings, garbled constructions, and basic errors in usage or punctuation. I may ask you to resubmit any piece that seems rushed or careless. Incomplete drafts will not be accepted; drafts must represent serious effort if you are to benefit from peer review and workshops. Keep manuscript copies of all work that I have marked. Note: Paper copies of major pieces must be printed and distributed to all class members on due dates.
  • Notebook:You will need 1 substantial (preferably unlined) notebook and 1 mini-pad to keep in your pocket at all times. Bring both notebooks to each class meeting. (See Habit )
  • Portfolio: At the end of each genre unit, you’ll turn in a portfolio. (See Writing sub-tab.)
  • Course Blog: Our interactive WordPress site is home for our class during this semester. Here, you will find tabs and sub-tabs for the syllabus, course materials, writing assignments, related links, updates, etc. It will serve as an open and informal locale for online discussions of craft, readings, process issues, questions, and whatever else during the course.
  • Weekly Takeaways: We often find ourselves thinking about ideas from class discussions hours or days later. Before the week ends (by every Friday, 5pm), share 1 thought, question, or revelation that has resonated for you under the Takeaways

 

 

Workshop 

  • All workshop writing is to be printed out and distributed on the workshop week, in advance of the class in which it will be discussed, according to the schedule. This is a firm deadline. Late work will not be given a workshop opportunity, so please finish editing and revising and printing far enough ahead of time. You are required to read the work of your peers multiple times, offering helpful and specific comments on the manuscript copy wherever appropriate, as well as reviewing a Peer Response Form before all workshops and writing a brief Letter to the writer, communicating your sense of the draft’s strengths & weaknesses, and providing clear, specific suggestions for revision. Please email your letter to the writer and cc. me on the peer’s workshop day. For writers: Double-space your prose to leave your readers space to write marginalia. For readers: Make sure margin comments are legible and lucid, and that they’re directed to the author in constructive ways. Note: this workshop is to be a safe and serious critical venue. Treat each peer’s writing as confidential, and respect the privacy of all work outside of class. (See Syllabus tab for details/links.)

 

Accommodations

  • If you have a disability and/or need accommodations in this course, please contact the Office of Disability Services in College Hall 104 at ods@smith.edu (or call 413-585-2071) as soon as possible to ensure we can implement accommodations in a timely manner. Students are encouraged to contact me as early in the semester as possible to let me know. All discussions will remain confidential. Please also let me know if something is going on with you that is affecting your ability to do your academic work, and I will try to direct you to the right resources. The number for the Smith College Counseling Service is: 413-585-2840. See also Smith Crisis Resources.

 

A Note about Respect

  • I expect you to listen carefully, respond thoughtfully, and challenge each other respectfully. I value honesty in our communications, timeliness to class, open-mindedness in moments of discomfort, attention to detail, and commitment to pushing your own boundaries. I have no tolerance for lame excuses. Remember to cultivate curiosity and respect — people come to this course with different backgrounds and levels of experience; each of us has a lot to offer and a lot to learn, including your professor.

 

A Note about Technology

  • Discussion is impossible to follow if you are digitally distracted. For this reason, I require that you leave laptops, iPads, iPhones, Apple watches, and all other devices at home, and keep cellphones silenced and out of sight from the moment you enter our classroom until the moment you exit. No exceptions. In exchange, I offer you my own undivided attention. This means that all readings, in-class writing, and workshopping will involve real paper, unless you provide an accommodation letter.

 

A Note about Joyful Learning

  • My hope is that every student has the best learning experience possible in our classroom; please me know right away what we can do to maximize your learning potential, participation, and general access in this course. I am available to meet with you in person or over zoom, or to discuss matters via email.

 

A Note about Flexibility

  • Expect change. I will freely adapt the syllabus and modify assignments as we proceed throughout the semester.

 

GRADING

  • The following system both allows you to experiment wildly and requires you to take three pieces of writing from first inklings to completion, with consistent adherence to deadlines. I am looking for your willingness to challenge yourself, to push boundaries, to take risks. Grading will focus on the presentation of your work (evidence of care, facility of writing, effort and improvement, empathy as readers, imaginative reach of your writing). The meaningfulness of the work to you must be evident.
    • Unit Portfolios  50%  At the end of each unit, you will be graded on a portfolio that includes drafts of your essays, stories, or poems, and a self-evaluation of your progress. I will not grade individual assignments, although late work will receive a grade penalty.
    • Final Project  25%  At the end of the semester, in place of a final exam, you will  complete a final creative project (details TBA) and write a final self-evaluation of the arc of your writing.
    • Attendance, Quality & Quantity of Participation, Effort, Improvement, Alacrity of Carriage, Etc.  25%  This grade will be based on class engagement, including attendance, response to readings, discussions in class and online, presentations, work as a peer responder, and participation in workshops. In addition, I will hold you accountable for attendance if I hold conferences. The general rule is that if you miss two classes, it becomes much more difficult to get an A.
    • Grade scale translations: A+ (mind-blowingly good); A (extremely good); A- (very, very good); B+ (very good); B (pretty good); B- (OK); C+ (mildly subpar); C (seriously subpar); C- (pretty bad); D (downright bad); F (obvious) (adapted from DFW). I will not put specific grades on your work; only on your portfolios. Let’s all agree that creative writing cannot be assessed with a grade as your other coursework can. You will also participate in your own grading process through required grade proposals with each portfolio and at the end of the semester. If you appear to be in academic trouble, I’ll let you know.

 

A Note About Academic Integrity

  • Trust your own mind – your ideas matter. Plagiarism, cheating, or dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated in this course, and will receive a failing grade and be reported to the Academic Honor Board. As an academic community devoted to the life of the mind, Smith requires of every student complete intellectual honesty in the preparation and submission of all academic work. Details of the Honor Code can be found here. In addition, it is an Honor Code violation for students to record or share any recording from class without the express permission of the professor and the other students; the privacy of the instructor and students is crucial, and it is also illegal under Massachusetts law to record any conversation without the knowledge or permission of all those present.

 

Inclusivity Statement

  • It is my hope that as a collaborative, engaged learning community we agree to intentionally create and cultivate a safe and respectful environment in which each individual is welcomed, respected, and heard. I understand that students represent a rich variety of backgrounds and perspectives and my creative writing workshop is committed to providing an atmosphere for learning that respects diversity. While working together to build this community I ask all students to:
    • Share their unique experiences, values, and beliefs
    • Be open to the views of others
    • Honor the uniqueness of their peers/colleagues
    • Appreciate the opportunity that we have to learn from each other in this community
    • Value each other’s opinions and communicate in a respectful manner
    • Keep discussions confidential
    • Use this opportunity together to discuss ways in which we can create an inclusive environment in this course and across our community

 

And finally . . . This course will include content that makes for challenging or sensitive reading, writing, discussions, and workshops. Within our shared learning space, please be willing to engage in difficult discussions with care and a deep respect for each other. As readers and writers, we will carry into our classroom space distinct sensitivities and vulnerabilities, and our aim will be to develop objectivity as we navigate and broaden our engagement with the creative process, while also deepening our sense of insight and empathy. We’ll share these guidelines as a common baseline for class discussions, and revisit or modify as needed throughout the semester.

  • Allow everyone a chance to speak.
  • Listen respectfully and actively.
  • Criticize ideas, not individuals.
  • Commit to learning, not debating.
  • Avoid blame, speculation, inflammatory language.
  • Avoid assumptions about others, especially based on their perceived social group.
  • Rather than directing your comments to your professor, remember that you are part of a community. Before you speak, take a moment to reflect on comments by peers, and when you are done speaking, look for the next person who may want to contribute, then “toss” the conversation off to them.
  • Lean into discomfort.
  • Cultivate presence
  • Maintain transparency, vulnerability, accountability. (Oops moments are inevitable, just remember to acknowledge hurtful words, biases, mistakes, and to offer apologies.)
  • Step up / Step back: lean into growth edges to contribute if you tend to be more introverted, share opportunities of space for others by remaining silent if you tend to be more talkative. You are encouraged to engage and permitted to pass.
  • Cultivate gratitude wherever/whenever possible.
  • Appreciate silences as moments of meaning-making, reflection, and presence. Here’s something I appreciate from Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing, quoting Gilles Deleuze in Negotiations: We’re riddled with pointless talk, insane quantities of words and images. Stupidity’s never blind or mute. So it’s not a problem of getting people to express themselves but of providing little gaps of solitude and silence in which they might eventually find something to say. Repressive forces don’t stop people expressing themselves but rather force them to express themselves; what a relief to have nothing to say, the right to say nothing, because only then is there a chance of framing the rare, and even rarer, thing that might be worth saying
  • Please see the Workshop Values sub-tab and consider what you might add to it.