CreativeWriting:IntroductiontoFiction&Poetry
Section014Monday/Wednesday9:30AM-10:45AM(OfficeHoursTBD)
Location:TBD
Instructor:ZoeGoldstein
Email:zrg216@nyu.edu
Objective:
InBremen,1958,PaulCelangaveaspeechthatbegan:“thinkingandthanking
inourlanguagearewordsfromoneandthesamesource”(2001:395)[1].Inthis
classwe’llaspiretogiveadequatethanksforallweread,seeandexperienceby
writingintrospectively,thoughtfullyandcreatively.Wewillthankourclassmates
fortheirhardworkbyprovidingengagedandprovocativefeedbackfortheir
writing.
We’lllookatawidevarietyofpoetryandprose,anddiscussionwillspan
languageasactivism,radicalvulnerability,performanceandappropriation.We’ll
talkaboutminingpersonalexperienceformaterial,andlookingoutwardfor
inspiration.We’llpinpointwhatworksandwhatdoesn’t,andidentifythe
techniquesusedbyotherwriterswithaviewtostealingthem.We’lldiscusswhat
youlove,whatyoudon’t,whatisbeautiful,whatisugly,whatboresyou,what
capturesyourimagination.We’lldiscusshoweachpoem,shortstoryornovelis
constructed,andthinkaboutwhatledthewritertomakethosedecisions.Workshop
submissionsshouldemergefromaplaceofthoughtfulplayandexperiment.
Myhopeisthatyou’llallleavewithaportfolioofworkthatinterestsyou,and
awidenedsenseofthepossibleinwriting.
Readings:
Studentscansuggestpoemsorprosetheyfeelpassionateabout.
Inadditiontothecoursereaderstudentsshouldpurchasethisbookfromthe
bookstore:
Citizen,ClaudiaRankine
ReadingsmaychangeasIencounterexcitingnewpoems,books,stories,etc.
Additionally,studentsarerequiredtoattendonereadinginNewYorkCityand
writeaonepageresponse,whichwillbeincludedinyourfinalportfolio.
ClassProcedure:
Monday’sclasswillbeacraftclassandWednesday’s,aworkshop.Assigned
studentswillsubmitpapercopiesoftheirworkaweekbeforetheyaretobe
discussed,withtheexceptionofthefirstworkshop(forthisyou’llneedtoturnin
theclassbefore).Wewillallcometoclasspreparedwithamark-upofour
classmates’hardcopyfullofconstructiveandattentivecomments.Onourcraftday,
we’lltalkthematiccontent,design,image,language,plot.Ifthere’stimewewilldo
in-classcreativeresponsestotheworksread.Noelectronicdeviceswillbe
permitted.
Presentations:
Twostudentswillpresentonthereadingmaterialsfor5-10minutesatthestartof
craftclass.Presentationsarefairlyopen-endedandmeanttogetdiscussionstarted.
Presenterscanchoosetodividetheworksamongthemselvesormeetandprepare
somethingtogether.Presentationsshouldbethejumpingoffpointforourcraft
discussion,andassuchtouchonourmajorcraftconcerns(listedabove)while
raisingrelevantquestionsandconcerns.
WorkshopProcedure:
Everyonewillbeworkshopped4times,andmustsubmitatleastonepoem(or
groupofpoems)andonestory.Submittedworkshouldbenomorethan15pagesin
length.Shouldyouwishtogooverthelimit,consultwithmeprior.Storiesshould
beatleast5pages.Studentsmayincludeotherartisticgenresintheirsubmissions
(video,sculpture,etc),butshouldconsultwithmepriortodoingso.
Workshopisthewriter’schancetohearwhatthereadersbelieveisworkingand
whatisnot.Areallcharactersdrivenbyclearmotives?Aretheybelievable?Isthe
poemconsistentinitslogic?Commentsshouldbespecificandconstructive.Avoid
blanketstatementssuchas“good,”“bad,”“Ilovethis,”etc.
Writersbeingdiscussedwillrefrainfromspeakinguntiltheveryendtheendofour
discussion,whentheymayraisequestionsthatwereoverlooked,askfor
clarificationorrespondtosuggestions.
Grading
WorkshopSubmissions
20%
Attendance,classparticipation,feedbackresponses
40%
Portfolioofrevisions
30%
Writingexercises,presentations 10%
ContactandConference:
Emailisthebestwaytoreachme(zrg216@nyu.edu)toscheduleanappointment.
Eachofyoumustscheduleanofficehoursappointmentatleastonce.
Attendance
…ismandatory.Cometoclass!Youwon’tregretit.Morethanoneunexplained
absencewillresultinahalf-gradededuction(AbecomesA-).
Schedule:
MondayJanuary25th:IntroductiontoReadingasaWriter
SyllabusIntroduction
Excerptsfrom“White”fromOnPoetrybyGlynMaxwell
WednesdayJanuary27th:PanelofExperts:GettingStarted
ThiswillbeyourchancetoaskadiversepanelofNYUwritersanyandallquestions
abouthowtogetstartedwriting.
MondayFebruary1st:Realism(GroupAworkshoppiecedueinclass)
LydiaDavis,“Mr.Burdoff’sVisittoGermany,”“CityPeople,”“Betrayal,”“TheMice,”
CharlesBukowski,“Commerce”
PatriciaLockwood,“RapeJoke”
WednesdayFebruary3rd:FirstWorkshop:GroupA(GroupBpiecedueinclass)
MondayFebruary8th:TheMagicReal
W.S.Merwin,“Ends”
JulioCortazar,“Axolotl”
NikolaiGogol,“TheNose”
AimeeBender,“OnenessPlusOne”
WednesdayFebruary11th:WorkshopGroupB(GroupCpiecedueinclass)
MondayFebruary15th:NoClass!
WednesdayFebruary17th:WorkshopGroupC
MondayFebruary22nd:TheSurreal
ItaloCalvino,InvisibleCities,selectedvignette
JorgeLuisBorges,“TheLibraryofBabel”
DonaldBarthelme,TheDeadFather,excerpt
WednesdayFebruary24th:WorkshopGroupA
MondayFebruary29th:AdversityasPoeticMachine,LanguageasActivism
“HowitFeelstoBeColoredMe”ZoraNealeHurston
SaeedJones,PreludetoBruise“Boy”
bellhooks(viewedinclass)
WednesdayMarch2nd:WorkshopGroupB
MondayMarch7th:LiteraryActivismContinued:RadicalWritersofColor
FredMoten
CitizenbyClaudiaRankine
LaTashaN.NevadaDiggs
WednesdayMarch9th:WorkshopGroupC
MondayMarch14th&WednesdayMarch16th:NoClass–SpringBreak
MondayMarch21st:Citizen,Continued
WednesdayMarch23rd:WorkshopGroupA
MondayMarch28th:Structure,TimeandPlot
“TheCemeteryWhereAlJolsonisBuried”byAmyHempel
TheGlassMountainbyDonaldBarthelme
WednesdayMarch30th:WorkshopGroupB
MondayApril4th:Character,VoiceandPointofView
“InPersuasionNation”byGeorgeSaunders
“Jon”byGeorgeSaunders
TheWaitingRoombyElizabethBishop
WednesdayApril6th:WorkshopGroupC
MondayApril11th:Place/Memory
“FindYourBeach”byZadieSmith
ABrickWallbyCesarAira
TheSandpiperbyElizabethBishop
WedesdayApril13th:WorkshopGroupA
MondayApril18th:Borderlands:Collage,Multigenre
ExcerptfromBluetsbyMaggieNelson
ExcerptfromIftheTabloidsareTrue…MattheaHarvey
ChelseaMartin
WednesdayApril20th:WorkshopGroupB
MondayApril25th:WritingasRitual/Experiment
ClassexcursiontoperformCAConrad’sSomaticExercises
WednesdayApril27th:WorkshopGroupC
MondayMay2nd:Appropriation and the Changing Face of Authorship in the
Digital Era
In Class Video Showing of Kenneth Goldsmith’s Traffic Poem
Selections from Cunt Norton by Dodie Bellamy
Selections from The Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
Selections from Zong! By M. Nourbese Philip
WednesdayMay4th:ExpertPanelPt2
MondayMay9th:PORTFOLIODUE
JoanDidion,“OnKeepingaNotebook”
Reading/Celebration/ReflectionWriting