ENGL 382 Advanced Creative Writing

The focus of this course is the writing of short fiction, though also where fiction might overlap with—and necessitate elements of—nonfiction, documentary, poetry. Students will build upon the foundations they established in prior writing workshops, while continuing to test the boundaries of their practice. Students will generate new work constantly— in sketchbooks, exercises, and story drafts—based on and inspired by readings, and especially their own preoccupations, curiosities, and experiences. We will read and discuss texts that both illuminate and complicate various formal possibilities, including by Etel Adnan, Jenny Boully, John Keene, Malika Mokeddem, Scholastique Mukasonga, Juan Rulfo, Sophia Terazawa, Jackie Wang, among others. And we will share and discuss our work in a workshop format. The discussions will be oriented towards asking questions, problem-solving, developing a generative relationship to revision, and towards challenging each other to go deeper into particular, perhaps unexpected, areas and aspects of our writing. Open to third- and fourth-year students.