Fiction and Poetry

Introduction to Creative Writing, now known as Fiction and Poetry, is a writing course with no prerequites. Its class code is INCW and it is offered at Carlisle and Lancaster in both sessions.

Course Description

Description found on CTY Website (http://cty.jhu.edu/summer/catalogs/os/oswriting.html#incw):

Saul Bellow said, "A writer is a reader moved to emulation.” In this class, students draw inspiration from the published works, journals, and rough drafts of writers such as Alice Munro, John Updike, Rita Dove, and Li-Young Lee. Examining a range of content, techniques, styles, and structures, students discover what it means to read like a writer. For instance, they may debate the distinction between the realistic and the fantastic in Gabriel García Márquez’s “I Sell My Dreams” or the value of concrete imagery in Elizabeth Bishop’s “The Fish.”

Beginning with the spark of an idea and moving through the drafting stages, students write short fiction and poetry in various forms. Under the guidance of the instructor, students provide frequent feedback on each other’s drafts. The workshop format of the course creates an enriching space that fosters students’ development as writers. Students not only learn to give and receive criticism with tact and grace, but also to refine their personal aesthetics, building a communal understanding of how voice, style, and structure comprise strong poetry and prose.

Note: This course focuses on realistic, literary fiction and poetry. The genres of science fiction, fantasy, romance, and mystery are not part of this course.