51³ÉÈËÁÔÆæ

Course Description

Summary

This class is for seniors writing extended manuscripts in a unified genre: literary criticism, fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, drama, screenwriting, or a hybrid form that combines genres. We welcome entirely hybrid-form manuscripts, but mixed collections, i.e. some poems with some prose, are not acceptable in this class, for we privilege extended immersion in a single genre. Think of your work as having two, equally important parts: The steady development and drafting of your own project; and sustained engagement with the work of your peers. Our aim is to create a community that is at once rigorous and supportive. To that end, you’ll not only read each other’s drafts but also delve into contemporary publications of like-minded literary work written by emerging writers and scholars. Students will also have individual meetings with the instructor. Students are expected to work seriously on their manuscripts over the summer and to begin the term with pages ready to be shared. Work begun in a previous course may be continued with the understanding that there will be significant expansion and revision.

End-of-term requirements: Full-length first drafts of 75 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction, including hybrid forms; 50 pages of literary criticism; 30 pages of poetry; translation project length determined with instructor.