In this course, we will explore some of the issues that guide the teaching of creative writing. As there is little theory about this special branch of teaching writing, we will explore the different ways this field has been written about: the manifesto, the anecdote, the how-to. We will read articles that relate the teaching and learning of creative writing to current ideas in literary theory, as well as articles “from the trenches”—articles by writers in the midst of teaching. In the process, each student will develop a teaching philosophy and a pedagogy that reflects that teaching philosophy. Some specific topics we will cover are choosing texts and exercises for creative writing classes, the traditional workshop and its alternatives, and responding to and grading students’ creative work. Throughout the quarter, we will all be the guinea pigs for the ideas we come up with—doing exercises, practicing alternatives to the workshop, grading stories or poems. By the end of the quarter, each student will have a refined syllabus that reflects his or her thinking on all these issues.

Text:
Xeroxed reader, available at the AVE Copy Center, 4141 University Way NE
Additional hand-outs as necessary

Open to all second-year MFA students. Open to first-year MFA students and other graduate students with the instructor’s permission.