English 490Creative Writing from Research: CNF & Poetry Spring 2016, Hendrix College

Professor: Jessica Jacobs Professor Email: jacobs@hendrix.edu Office: Mills 302A Office Hours: By appointment M or W

Class Schedule: MW 10:10-12:00 Classroom: Mills 302B Coursesite: jjacobscourses.wordpress.com Readings Page Password: research

The words are purposes. The words are maps. I came to see the damage that was done and the treasures that prevail . . . the thing I came for: the wreck and not the story of the wreck the thing itself and not the myth.

Adrienne Rich, Diving into the Wreck

Attention without feeling, I began to learn, is only a report. An opennessan empathywas necessary if the attention was to matter.Mary Oliver, Our World

Course Description & Goals William Carlos Williams wrote, It is difficult/ to get the news from poems/ yet men die miserably every day/ for lack/ of what is found there. But what can we gain, as people and as writers, from looking beyond ourselves for subject matter? Do we have a responsibility to do so? And, if we do gaze beyond our own navels, what liberties do we, as creative writers, get to take when recreating, representing, and exposing experience, especially the experience of others? Does the lyric have a place in all of this? What about empathy? How can we do more than churn out expository reports? We will explore these questions and much more through the reading of both contemporary and historic examples, and, most of all, through the writing of your own research-inspired texts. This workshop will be run like a graduate seminar in that though I will offer directing prompts, I will not prescribe your focus. If you have a fascination with a particular topic, you are encouraged to follow that obsession, to poke and prod and use as many pathways as you can to find your way to a new, and hopefully more rich understanding of it. Discussions and assignments will be as much focused on giving you tools for future writing as on the specific content they produce this semester. You will write during every class and each week will be expected to turn in either a poem or short prose piece that responds to our readings and discussions. The course will be structured around the following research methodologies:

archival research

contemplative meditation

observation

interviews

immersion Other tools explored will include, but are not limited to: quotation, reproduction, representation, reportage, reference, historical narrative, point of view, photography, found text, erasure, listing, footnotes, appropriation, poetic license, subjectivity, objectivity, genre, and form.

English 490Creative Writing from Research: CNF & Poetry Spring 2016, Hendrix College

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to 1. Discuss documentary writing as a genre, including many of its subgenres and available craft forms; 2. Reflect on the ways truth, seemingly inherent in a work labeled nonfiction, can mean different

things to different authors; 3. Achieve awareness of the significant craft concerns of both and essay and a poem, able to articulate

not just the what but the how of a piece; 4. And, significantly, use this knowledge to write works with attention to both content and form.

Required Texts & Materials

Cornelius Eady, Brutal Imagination (978-0399147203)

Nicole Cooley, The Afflicted Girls (978-0807129463)

James Nestor, Deep (978-0544484078)

Essays and poems from the coursesite

A binder to house and organize these essays (we will often refer back to previously discussed works, which means it will be helpful to have them all in one place)

**Unless an electronic text is needed for a disability accommodation, you are required to have physical copies of these texts (as opposed to eBook versions or PDFs.). This will allow you to more actively interact with the texts through marking favorite (or least favorite) passages, and talking back to the text through your marginaliaall of which will help you in both class discussions and when you return to the texts. All books are available at Village Books and at a steeply discounted price online. Rental books can be written in. Requirements Class Participation: Class participation is mandatory. Attendance and tardiness will be reflected in your class

participation grade, which also includes active participation in class activities. Please remember that there is no such thing as neutral silence in a group discussion. Over time, protracted silence or nonparticipation can register as indifference, or worse, deliberate withholding to the groups other members. This impression, no

matter how unintended, has the tendency to chill discussion and limit conversation to only the most outgoing of students. Conversely, when many voices participate in discussion, students often feel it easier to join in. It is my fervent wish that everyone participate actively in our conversations. Participating in a discussion is a skill that can, and should, be learned. If you are having difficulty getting a word in edgewise in our conversations, or if talking in class terrifies you (youre not the only one), you should consult with me in office hours about strategies that will help you participate. As a member of this workshop, you will be part of a close creative community. Just as in every community, respect for others is essential. You will be expected to respond to essays and poemseven those with which you might not be comfortable in terms of their subject matter, political views, or religious beliefsin a mature, thoughtful, and supportive manner.

English 490Creative Writing from Research: CNF & Poetry Spring 2016, Hendrix College

Blog Comments, Writing Exercises, & Prewriting: Every class will have either a blog comment or prewriting assignment due that day. In

addition to noting your attendance for the day:

Blog comments will reward you for doing the necessary work of the course, as well as assess those who are not as active in class discussion. On days for which there is a reading assignment, comments are due posted by no later than midnight before the relevant class (i.e. for a reading we will discuss in class on Monday, your blog comment should be posted before midnight on Sunday).

In-class writing will help you to further contemplate ideas raised by the texts, professor, and your peers.

Prewriting assignments will allow you to (1) refine the ideas that will provide a foundation for your later drafts, (2) create a document for which you can receive peer suggestions and critiques, (3) provide an opportunity to receive professor feedback to help shape your eventual polished work.

Literary Readings: You will be expected to attend two literary events during the semester and writing a 1-2

page response to the reading, which includes: your reaction to the material read as well as the way in which it was read, a critical reflection of the work in terms of our in-class discussions of writing craft. A calendar of Central Arkansas readings will be posted on the coursesite.

Weekly Assignments: Beginning the third week, you will have a poem or short prose piece due weekly. These

pieces can be independent or part of a series. Final Portfolio: Your final portfolio will consist of either:

5-7 linked poems and a prose component (two-page minimum)

10-15 page essay or collection of linked flash essays

a hybrid collection of linked poetry and prose (requirements TBD on case-by-case basis, with my approval)

And:

The earlier draft(s) with my comments

A Cover Letter reflecting on what you have learned from the course as a whole as both a reader and writer, as well as a brief discussion of the writing process of your final portfolio, including a reflection on what your goals were for the piece(s) (even if you werent able to fully achieve them) and why you made the revision choices you did.

** A note on my feedback: You will receive feedback from me at three formal junctures: 1) verbal and written feedback on each of your turned in poems/short prose pieces, 2) verbal and written feedback on the work you plan to revise for your portfolio during your individual conference, 3) written feedback on your portfolio. However, I also encourage you to make use of my office hours, during which I will be happy to brainstorm with you, as well as discuss any writing exercises, drafts, or craft questions you might have. If you feel stricken with either writers block, indecision, or both, please come talk to me

ASAP to keep from falling behind.

English 490Creative Writing from Research: CNF & Poetry Spring 2016, Hendrix College

Grading

Class Participation 10% Blog Comments, 10% Literary Reading Responses 10% Writing #1 9% Writing #2 9% Writing #3 9% Writing #4 9% Writing #5 9% Final Portfolio 25% Course Policies Attendance is required. It will be difficult for you to pass this course with more than three unexcused absences (two weeks of class.) Your grade will be dropped by a letter grade for each day after those three that you are absent, therefore six absences will result in a failing grade (Example: If you have an A in the class and miss five classes, you will receive a C.). Chronic tardiness also counts as an absence or absences. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to get the reading assignments for the following week from your fellow classmates and make up missed work. If your assigned work is late, you are allowed until 6:00 p.m. the following day to e-mail it to me with the understanding that there will be a late penalty. Anything turned in after this time will not be considered for a grade unless you have a documented medical or emergency excuse. If you do miss class, please check the coursesite for any newly posted PowerPoints or assignments and contact your peers to learn what you missed. 1. 2.

Laptops, phones, and other wireless devices: Not permitted in class, unless required for disability accommodation (see below). If you use your phone in class, you will be counted as absent for that day.

Learning Disabilities: Any student who needs accommodation in relation to a recognized disability should inform the instructor at the beginning of the course. In order to receive accommodations, students with disabilities are required to contact Julie Brown in Academic Support Services at (501) 505-2954.

Email: Email will be used to contact the entire class for communicating changes to the syllabus and other matters. Check your Hendrix account daily.

Academic Integrity: Intellectual dishonesty will not be tolerated. See the academic integrity statement and policy in the student handbook. Frequently, failure to document and attribute secondary sources adequately is not a deliberate attempt to pass anothers ideas and words off as ones own, but rather a misunderstanding of how to give that other person sufficient credit properly. Please consult with me on any documentation question so we can avoid problems.

Essay Format: All essays must follow the MLA style for format, documentation, and bibliography.

Poem Format: Please keep poems left-justified and single-spaced, unless you are using format for deliberate effect. Every poem needs a title and only one poem should be presented per page.

Naming Your Document: Every document turned into me should follow these naming conventions (minus the commas): First Initial, Last Name.Assignment Name.Draft Version.

Example: JJacobs.Essay1.Draft1 progresses to JJacobs.Essay1.FinalDraft