Seminar in Writing

This is an advanced creative writing workshop in which students design their own independent projects under the guidance of the instructor. Seminars generally explore a specific genre in depth. Prerequisite: senior classification and the successful completion of three courses in writing above the 100 level, two at the 300 level.

Current Semester Information

412A: Sem:Poetry/ Memoir

Seminar in Writing: Stopping Time and other Techniques of Poetry and Memoir

In this seminar students will do projects in either poetry or memoir paying particular attention to issues of craft. In poetry, students will write a chapbook of poems of about 20-25 pages. In memoir, students will complete a journal quality piece between 30 and 40 pages. For both projects, students can expect to do research, find appropriate models for their work, and go through extensive revisions. We will read at least six books and discuss the techniques employed by each writer. While workshop will be a part of this seminar, it will also be a course where students are expected to be prepared to bring their own expertise, thoughtful responses to the reading, and energy and enthusiasm about writing to the classroom.

412B: Sem:Fiction/Nonfiction

412C: Sem:Nonfiction/Memoir

Seminar in Writing: Nonfiction and Memoir

In this Senior Seminar, we'll focus on nonfiction and memoir, although students who want to write fiction are also welcome. All students will be required to do investigative research to enliven, enrich, and complicate their writing. Examples of research include interviewing family members, traveling to a setting you've never been to (or haven't been back to in a long time), reading primary sources like journals and letters, diving into reference books at the library, studying historical documents like the census, or getting online to do searches of newspapers, magazines, and other source materials.

412D: Sem:Fic/Scrnwrtg/Poetry

Seminar in Writing: Fiction/Screenwriting/Poetry

The short story and the screenplay share important common elements. These include brevity, structure, reliance on imagery, dialogue, and a singleness of point of view to name a few. But at the root of all literary writing is the charged, compressed language of poetry which is likewise built of the above-mentioned elements. It follows then that the writers of short stories, screenplays, and poetry are qualified to offer informed critiques across these genres. In this seminar your capstone project may be either in short fiction, the screenplay, or the poem. It is assumed that you will have successfully completed a 300 level workshop in the genre in which you are planning to work.