Creative Writing, 5/20/20

Hello, dear students!

Well, we’ve come to the end of the road–at least for this particular semester. I’ll be reminding you of deadlines and the like soon, but first, I want to say a few things to this class:

We’ve been through an experience this semester that has been challenging, frustrating, and, for many of us–if not all–depressing. All of those emotions (and any I haven’t mentioned) are totally valid. I’ve had conversations with many of you over the semester, and during each one I’ve tried to say (however awkwardly) how awesome you are and how impressed I am with you. Even if I haven’t spoken to you one-on-one, I still want you to know I think these things about each of you. Seriously.

I hope all of us will have a chance to catch our breath for a moment when this semester is finally closed and let ourselves feel strong in the knowledge that we’ve survived a moment of unparalleled time in recent history. It’s not over–not by a long shot–but we’ve weathered some serious shit thus far. (I hope I don’t get in trouble for using that term!)

I’m honored to have been able to facilitate your creative writing. Writing is obviously a passion of each person in this class. I’ve laughed, shouted, and smiled with pride as I’ve read your journals, posts, and major writing assignments.

I want each of you to continue writing. Writers share thoughts that define a time–any time–but this is a time I think history will want to study.

I also want each of you to keep in touch. I’ve loved running into my students in the halls of City Tech long after they’ve been in my class. I hope we’ll be in physical halls again soon, but until that happens, we’ll have to run into each other in virtual halls by other means. My personal email address is jessica.penner@gmail.com. I Twitter occasionally and Instagram. Email me if you want my handles. I also have a website: jessicadawnpenner.com. I’ll admit, it’s a work-in-progress, but you can see some of my writing there.

Okay, I’ll stop and get down to particulars:

Dialogues

I’ve read and evaluated all the dialogues. I’ve emailed the comments–brief, I know. Let me tell you I LOVED all of them. If you haven’t gotten the email, let me know and send it again. I might have missed them in my hurry to finish evaluating everything before all hell breaks loose with portfolios!

Final Portfolios

Please save the PDF files exactly as I show in the Final Portfolio Assignment document.

This helps me grade more efficiently, and is something that’ll help your overall grade, because if you do not follow these instructions, I will take 10% off your Final Portfolio grade.

There are many other details to the Final Portfolio. If you haven’t already please look at this document I’ve prepared and posted on OpenLab.

REMEMBER THE DUE DATE: MAY 20, 2020!

I’ve been generous on deadlines this semester because of the situation we’ve all been through, but this deadline is real, folks, because I have to turn in grades soon after this date. I don’t have time to locate you and your portfolio.

If you don’t turn in a Final Portfolio by 11:59 PM on May 20, 2020, you’ll lose 250 points (this is worth 30% of your overall grade).

Even if your Final Portfolio isn’t complete or as finished as you’d like, know that this is the agony of any writer–student or otherwise–we never feel it’s perfect, so submit what you’ve got by May 20!

If you have questions or concerns, contact me and we can talk during the class office hours (Wednesday, 11:30 AM – 1 PM). I can work in other times, but you’ll have to email me in advance.

Final Grades

Grades must be posted by all City Tech faculty by May 28, so your grade for this class will be up soon after this date. I have 60+ students’ portfolios to grade, then I have to calculate grades, etc., so there’s a lot that has to happen between the last day of class and that date. I post all grades at once, so please don’t expect your grade to be up any sooner than this.

Creative Writing Collection

I wanted to have a reading on the last day of class, but since that won’t be possible, I’m thinking we should have an anthology of your writing. I want you to email me one or two favorite pieces (of any genre) and include a little paragraph about yourself by May 31. Put in the subject line Creative Writing Collection so I can locate it easily in my gmail account. Send it in a Word or Google Doc format. I’ll create a little booklet and then email it to y’all–probably will take some time.

Please contact me if you have any questions either on Wednesday or after.

One more time…

Stay safe & well!

 

Creative Writing, 5/18/20

Hello, dear students!

We’re almost finished with this, ah, shall we say, daunting semester! Just a few more things to work on before we’re through…

I’ve gotten dialogues from many of you, but I haven’t had time to look at them, which I’ll be doing this week.
Students are sending their Final Portfolios early to me, and while I totally commend them for being early, I’ve had multiple conversations with those who’ve not followed the instructions for naming the files.

Please save the PDF files exactly as I show in the Final Portfolio Assignment document.

ONE example: 1_Student Name, Final Reflection

And so on with the other files.

Put YOUR NAME in place of Student Name, but remember the # and the _.

This helps me grade more efficiently, and is something that’ll help your overall grade, because if you do not follow these instructions, I will take 10% off your Final Portfolio grade.

There are many other details to the Final Portfolio. If you haven’t already please look at this document I’ve prepared and posted on OpenLab.

REMEMBER THE DUE DATE: MAY 20, 2020!

I’ve been generous on deadlines this semester because of the situation we’ve all been through, but this deadline is real, folks, because I have to turn in grades soon after this date. 

If you don’t turn in a Final Portfolio by 11:59 PM on May 20, 2020, you’ll lose 250 points (this is worth 30% of your overall grade). 

Even if your Final Portfolio isn’t complete or as finished as you’d like, know that this is the agony of any writer–student or otherwise–we never feel it’s perfect, so submit what you’ve got by May 20!

If you have questions or concerns, contact me and we can talk during the class office hours (Monday and Wednesday, 11:30 AM – 1 PM). I can work in other times, but you’ll have to email me in advance.

Stay safe & well!

Creative Writing, 5/11/20 and 5/13/20

Hello, dear students!

Four very important things are covered in this post, so please read all the information ASAP:

  1. Dialogues are due for evaluation
  2. One more Journal is due
  3. Cohort review of the Final Reflection
  4. Discussion of the Final Portfolio

Dialogues are due!

Send your final drafts of your dialogue(s) to me by 11:59 PM on Monday, May 11. Please send it to creativewritingspring2020@gmail.com, not my City Tech account!

Journal 10 is due

Many of you have already done this, but if you haven’t, write and post Journal Assignment 10: Reflect on your experience with dialogue writing—good, bad, so-so, and why.

Cohort Review of the Final Reflection

I’m assuming you all are working on the Final Reflection today, because that’s the piece of the Portfolio that will be the most work.

The Rough Draft of the Final Reflection is due by 11:59 PM Wednesday, May 13. Send a copy to both your Cohort and me (use my gmail account). This will count as your participation points for Monday.

For this assignment, I ask you to do something a little different from your usual critique.

I still want you to write a formal critique, but instead of discussing the use of plot, characters, dialogue, etc., consider the two main prompts of the assignment and how the writer addressed them.

What have you learned about yourself as a writer this semester?

How will you be able to use what you have learned this semester and transfer that knowledge to other writing situations—either in college or in your community?

As the reviewer, answer these questions:

  1. What did you enjoy the most about this Final Reflection? Be specific!
  2. What do you want to know more about in another draft?
  3. Consider the brainstorming questions from the Final Reflection Essay Assignment Sheet. What wasn’t explored in the writer’s essay that you feel should be discussed in another draft?

Review each member of your Cohort’s Final Reflections by Friday, May 15 (this will count for your participation points for Wednesday). Email both the writers and me a copy of your critique.

Discussion of Final Portfolio

As I’ve mentioned before, we don’t have a Final Exam for this class, but we have a Final Portfolio. The Final Portfolio includes:

  • Final Reflection
  • Revision Paragraphs for X and X
  • Memoir (2)
  • Short Story (2)
  • Poetry (2)
  • Dialogue (1)
  • Journals (2)

There are many details to the Final Portfolio, so please look at this document I’ve prepared and posted on OpenLab. It states what is included, how many revisions are needed, how it must be saved/submitted, and how it will be evaluated.

READ THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY AND LONG BEFORE THE DUE DATE: MAY 20, 2020!

If you have questions or concerns, contact me and we can talk during the class office hours (Monday and Wednesday, 11:30 AM – 1 PM). I can work in other times, but you’ll have to email me in advance.

Stay safe & well!

 

Creative Writing, 5/6/20

Hello, dear students!

Today, there are two things to do:

  1. Share your dialogues with your Cohort and formally critique them. The syllabus misstates the critiques aren’t due until Monday; however, please do your Cohort a courtesy and critique them by 11:59 PM on Friday, May 8, so everyone has the weekend to revise the dialogues, which are due on Monday, May 11.
  2. As I’ve mentioned before, we don’t have a Final Exam for this class, but we have a Final Portfolio. The Final Portfolio includes:
  • A Final Reflection Essay
  • Revised memoir pieces (2)
  • Revised short stories (2)
  • Revised poetry (2)
  • Selected and revised Journal entries (2, minimum)

I’m going to focus on the Final Reflection today, because that’s the piece of the Portfolio that will be the most work. Please do the following ASAP:

  1. Read and reread the Final Reflection Essay assignment sheet on OpenLab. There’s a lot of information there!
  2. Focus on the brainstorming questions and take notes as you do the following:
  3. Look back at your Journals.
  4. Review your major writing projects for this class. Think about what you learned through each project.
  5. Start thinking about how you will organize this Reflection. It doesn’t have to be a traditional five-paragraph essay; however, it does need to show how you changed as a writer and how you can use these skills in college and beyond, so there needs to be organization of some kind.
  6. Start writing! It needs to be at least 500 words, but can be longer.
  7. The Rough Draft of the Final Reflection Essay is due on Wednesday, May 13.
  8. The final drafts of the Final Reflection & Final Portfolio are due Wednesday, May 20. This final date is unmovable. I am required to post grades soon after this date, and I have three classes, which means I have a lot of grading to do.

Again, the Rough Draft is due Wednesday, May 13!

On Monday, I’ll talk about revising and formatting the Portfolio. If you have questions, you know where to find me!

Be safe & well!

 

Creative Writing, 5/4/20

Hello, dear students!

So, let’s dive into what’s due on Monday, 5/4/20…

Email your two poems to my creativewritingspring2020@gmail.com address by midnight Monday (that’s 11:59 PM on Monday, 5/4/20). Please send them in one email. If you’ve already sent them in multiple emails, please send them again, for my sanity.

Thanks in advance!

And now, let’s talk about dialogues…

Hopefully by now you’ve read the three scenes from the awesome play, Topdog/Underdog. I provided a series of questions that followed each scene:

What is the rhythm/pace of this scene?

How can you tell? (Hint: Look at the stage
directions.)

What do we learn about the brothers’ characters
and points of view?

I’ve divided the class into discussion groups for each scene in a document titled “Discussion Groups for Topdog/Underdog.”

By midnight on Monday, 5/4/20, I want you to comment on this post with your answers. Be sure to state which scene you are commenting on–Scene 1, 2, or 3! If you notice that someone in your group has already responded, you can say “I agree with X, but I’d like to add X” or “I disagree with X, I think X.”

One thing I want everyone to think about (and comment on) is how Parks used stage directions to enhance her dialogue.

Note especially the (rest) or the stacking of names to indicate that the brothers are involved in activities during conversation. Just like when you write poetry, white space in dialogue is very important.

Your homework for Monday is to revise your dialogue(s), based on your reflection on reading Topdog/Underdog and be ready to share them with your Cohort on Wednesday.

If you want to talk to me about anything, remember that my official office hours on Monday and Wednesday from 11:30 AM to 1 PM, but I can schedule different times.

Stay safe & be well!

Creative Writing, 4/29/20

Ah, poetry.

So, I’ve been reading your reflections on poetry in particular and in general, and I feel much of the things y’all have expressed. (Side note: If you haven’t done Journal 9 yet, do so!) I love poetry. I love to read it, and, at times, to write it. That said, it’s a beast that I haven’t quite known how to deal with as a reader, a writer, OR a teacher.

When I was in grad school, the poet D. Nurkse told my Craft of Poetry class  (I’m probably poorly paraphrasing here) the difference between writers of prose and writers of poetry is the fact that writers are concerned with what is filling up the white space, while poets are concerned with the white space itself.

That’s always stuck with me when I’ve written–and read–poetry: the white space is just as important as the words that are filling the page.

As you revise your poems (due Monday, May 4), look at your white space around your words, and see how you can change it. Play with the words and the white space.

So, a few things for you to work on:

  1. Formal critiques are due to me and the poets on Wednesday, 4/29. Please send your critiques to my gmail account!
  2. Revise poems for evaluation on Monday, 5/4.
  3. First, read assigned scenes from Suzan-Lori Parks’ play, Topdog/Underdog,
    answer the questions after each scene, and be ready to discuss dialogue on 5/4. (If anyone’s interested in reading the entire play, let me know and I’ll email a copy–it’s a really great play!)
  4. Then, find text threads on your cell phones and rewrite them as dialogue. Maybe you have one long text conversation or several–it doesn’t matter how long, but focus on the content. Be ready to share them on 5/4. (Feel free to change names or other specifics.)

If you have questions, you know where to find me!

Stay safe & be well!

Creative Writing, 4/27/20

Hello, dear students!

Hope your weekend went well! Saturday was beautiful and sunny. I spent over an hour on the grass in a little park near my apartment (fully masked). It was good for my soul. Sunday hasn’t been as great, but listening to the rain fall has been somewhat soothing.

I’ve been reading your posts in little spurts–that has been very soothing!

Your poems are due on Monday, 4/27 (today)! You should share them with your Cohort by 11:59 PM on 4/27.

Formal critiques are due to me and the poets on Wednesday, 4/29. Please send your critiques to my gmail account!

I’ve seen some have already posted for Journal Assignment 9. No worries if you haven’t. Please reflect on your experience with poetry writing: the
good, the bad, the so-so, and why.

Have questions? Contact me!

Be well & stay safe!

Creative Writing, Class Session 4.22.20

Hello, dear students!

We’re having a “Reading Day” today. Check out our new syllabus to see what that’s all about.

If you haven’t begun already, today’s also the day to try your hand at writing poetry.  We’ve written about poetry–now let’s write some!

If you’ve got a stack of poetry, you can either bring out a few of those or start from scratch. It’s up to you!

If you’ve never written a poem in your life and you have no idea where to start, or if you’ve written poetry but want to start something new, I suggest you start writing a paragraph describing anything (sight, sound, taste, smell, emotion, etc.). Here’s some ideas, if you need some poetry starters. When it’s finished, see if there are ways you can break up that paragraph into a poem. Or two. Or three.

The poems are due on Monday, 4/27, when you’ll be sharing them with your Cohort.

Have questions? Contact me during our class office hour today (11:30am-1pm) and let’s talk!

Be well & stay safe!

Creative Writing, Class Session 4/20/20

Hello, dear students!

I hope you’re having a good, relaxing weekend, wherever you are at the moment! I have a few things to share:

I’ve finally revised our syllabus for the rest of the semester (only a month left), and posted it on OpenLab. It’s titled “UPDATED ENG1141 Schedule for Spring 2020, APRIL EDITION!”

Please download it and follow this syllabus from now on!

As you’ll see, I’ve designated Monday (4/20) as a “Writing Day.” So, you can use your time devoted to this class in a few ways:

You can complete the homework that’s technically due by 11:59 PM on 4/19, if you haven’t already done so. If you’re unsure what’s due, go to my previous post to figure that out.

Once you’ve done all that, you can start with the homework for Monday’s class, which is to try your hand at writing poetry.  We’ve written about poetry–now let’s write!

If you’ve got a stack of poetry, you can either bring out a few of those or start from scratch. It’s up to you!

If you’ve never written a poem in your life and you have no idea where to start, or if you’ve written poetry but want to start something new, I suggest you start writing a paragraph describing anything (sight, sound, taste, smell, emotion, etc.). Here’s some ideas, if you need some poetry starters. When it’s finished, see if there are ways you can break up that paragraph into a poem. Or two. Or three.

The poems are due on 4/27, when you’ll be sharing them with your Cohort. We’re having a “Reading Day” this Wednesday. Check out the syllabus to see what that’s all about, as well as when we’ll start talking about the Portfolio…

Be well & stay safe!

Creative Writing, Class Session 4/7/20

Hello, dear students!

So, Tuesday’s class (4/7) is what we would’ve done on Monday if we were still following the syllabus. For right now, the syllabus is STILL incorrect, so follow the instructions below:

If you haven’t read and critiqued your cohort peers’ Short Story 2 yet, do so ASAP. Everyone should respond with a formal critique (like the ones you’ve done in the past–write the things you’ve enjoyed and the questions you have) by Tuesday, April 7, no later than 11:59 PM. Email the critique to the author AND me at: creativewritingspring2020@gmail.com.

DEBRIEF: Fiction v. Nonfiction

Now, on to our debrief about writing fiction. A few of you have posted  Journal 7. If you haven’t yet, no worries. Please share your thoughts on the following: Reflect on your experience with short story writing—good, bad, so-so, and why. Also, compare/contrast your experience with fiction writing to memoir writing. Which do you prefer? Why?

INTRODUCTION: Poetry

Remember that book of Staceyann Chin’s poetry we all got on our last day together? (Sniff, sniff, sigh…)

Dig that book out and read “Tsunami Rising” on page 64. Then, watch Staceyann Chin read “Tsunami Rising” at BAM.

Comment on this page about the difference between reading and watching Chin’s poetry being read by the author. What did you notice in one but not the other? What ideas did you catch better in reading or watching?

First, I want you to spend some time during spring break simply reading Chin’s poetry in Crossfire. (If you missed that class, there’s a lot of her work online–you’ll have to do a little research, but it’s there!)

Second, after you’ve read a number of her poems, choose at least one of her poems that really means something of you, for whatever reason. Perhaps the story she shares, or simply the word choice. It doesn’t matter what it is.

Third, write a post on our website about that poem, titled “Staceyann and X.” (X is your name.) Tell us why you like this poem in detail (if you must have a word count, I’d say about 150-200 words).

Fourth, I want you to find at least two other poems you’ve fallen in love with in the past, and write a paragraph detailing why you like those poems and post it on our website. Title it “X and X and Me.”

Fifth, and finally, revise Short Story 2, and email it to me at my gmail account for evaluation.

All of this is due by Sunday, April 19, no later than 11:59 PM (that’s just before midnight).

Note: For this class ONLY (you MUST follow whatever your other professors are doing), we are taking the full spring break (April 8-16). Now, that does not mean you don’t have work to do for this class (as you’ve noted above)!

I will be available for consultation on April 13 & 15 during this class’ office hours (11:30-1PM). If those times don’t work for you, we can schedule another time!