Contemporary Literature Crowd

The Heath Anthology of American Literature
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 5 edition (January 24, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 061853301X
ISBN-13: 978-0618533015

This will be our textbook. I will let you know when they will be available or you can order a used copy now and save yourself some pennies. In either case, we'll begin working from it by February 1 or so.

Thanks and see you soon.
s

Books and the Like to be Discussed in Class

Welcome 2010 Writing Fiction and Contemporary Literature Students.

First day writing samples will be the day's activity.

Erasure Poems--very addictive

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasure_poetry

http://www.wavepoetry.com/erasures/sources.php

Fiction Workshops

Tues-Thurs.
12/03 Thursday In-class writing
Students wishing to be workshopped one last time distribute stories with copies enough for everyone.

12/08 Tuesday
Mini workshops for students.

12/10 Thursday
Final Stories due. (One copy to be turned into me. Only students who did not do the workshop are required to turn these in.)
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Wed. Fri.

F 12/04 Conferences at Starving Artist from 1-3:30

W 12/09 In Class Writing/Workshop distribution (if anyone is doing that)

F 12/11 Final Stories Due to me in class.

HAPPY HOLIDAY BREAK!

In-Class Writing & New Prompt

1. Invent a piece of news and use it in your story.
2. Employ the kind of thinking that goes into the famous Chandler quote:
"He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food cake." and use one or more examples in your piece of writing.
3. Use at least three flavors &/or textures that feel strange, foreign, new or odd to your characters.

Some Writing Guides Full of Prompts

for the road and the after-workshop days ahead.

What If? Anne Bernays, Pamela Painter
The Practice of Poetry. Robin Behn
The Art of Fiction. John Gardner
Making Shapely Fiction. Jerome Stern


Some more good reading:

Metamorphosis Franz Kafka (a classic, of course)

Paired w/ (and as suggested by one of your peers)

Kockroach Tyler Knox (described as Met. in reverse)

With Thanks for My Awesome Students!

Hope you're all enjoying the break, the rest and the extra time for all of those end-of-term projects.