Faculty Adviser: Candace Vogler, Cl 19, 834-1201

Program Director: Cl 45G, 834-3403

Web: humanities.uchicago.edu/depts/english/creative-writing/

Creative writing opportunities at Chicago encourage students to maintain their commitment to an academic discipline while also pursuing course work in creative writing. Unlike students in professionally oriented writing programs, undergraduates pursuing creative writing at Chicago do not concentrate only on their own writing, but instead develop these skills in the context of humanistic and academic study more generally. Based on their level of preparation, students may take beginning and/or advanced workshops in fiction, playwriting, and poetry, as well as specialized courses that will vary from year to year on such topics as travel writing, the memoir, arts reviews, longer fiction, the essay, screen-writing, and writing for the Web. In addition, writers will occasionally visit campus, offering students the chance to work with poets, novelists, playwrights, performance artists, or journalists of established reputation.

Our writing courses are designed to provide avenues that enable students to express themselves in ways that are irreducible to the five-page argument, the research paper, or the lab report, and in so doing to move beyond being only critical consumers of cultural material. The goals of the writer are to develop craft and style, understand issues of voice, gauge and meet an audience, and learn to work productively from criticism. Such activities allow a uniquely focused style of discursive work, one that fosters different skills than those required in traditional academic courses. These skills give writing students not just a vehicle for self-expression, but also new ways to engage educated publics and to imagine their own academic prose.

Students can pursue their creative writing interests within the formal requirements of the two interdisciplinary majors below; in other programs of study, with approval to count writing courses toward requirements; or among the eight to eighteen electives available to students across the range of other programs of study.

1. Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities. Students wishing to engage the dialogues between creative writing and other studies in the humanities, including artistic mediums (e.g., dance, film, theater, visual arts), may apply to explore writing opportunities through one of the options in this major.

2. English Language and Literature. English Language and Literature majors may choose to produce a creative writing project to satisfy part of the requirement for honors. Prior to Winter Quarter of their fourth year, students must complete at least two creative writing courses in the genre of their own creative project. In Winter Quarter of their fourth year, students will work intensively on their project in the context of a designated creative writing honors seminars. The senior project may take the form of a piece of creative


writing, a text developed by a director in collaboration with actors and designers, an actor's journal in connection with a dramatic production, or a mixed media work in which writing is the central element.

Required Writing Samples

Admission to most courses is based on faculty review of samples of student work. Samples for fiction writing courses should be no longer than ten pages; poetry course submissions should be three to five short poems, or a few longer poems. A cover sheet must be attached that lists the course for which the student is requesting review; and name, student ID number, year, and e-mail address.

Samples (and cover sheet information) should be sent via e-mail to the program administrator. Submissions for theater courses should be hand submitted to RC 300.

Submission deadlines are Autumn Quarter, September 1; Winter Quarter, December 1; and Spring Quarter, March 1. More information on creative writing courses and opportunities is available on the following Web site: humanities.uchicago.edu/depts/english/creative-writing/index.shtm.

Faculty and Visiting Lecturers, 2004-05

C. Allen, I. Brunetti, K. Cochran, C. Columbus, C. Felsenthal, E. Ferrara,
S. Fromberg Schaeffer, A. Logue, L. McEnerney, T. McNulty, A. Obejas, J. Petrakis,
S. Reddy, A. Rollings, C. Salach, M. Sloan, M. Stielstra, J. Thebus, T. Weiner

University Creative Writing Advisory Committee

H. Coleman, W. Doniger, N. Field, J. Goldsby, O. Izenberg, L. McEnerney, A. Obejas,
S. Reddy, L. Rothfield, J. Schleusener, M. Strand, C. Vogler, C. von Nolcken

Courses

ENGL 11400/31400. Writing Argument. (=ISHU 21403) K. Cochran. Spring, 2006.

ENGL 11401/31401. Writing Law. (=ISHU 21401) K. Cochran. Autumn, 2004; Winter, 2006.

ENGL 11503/31503. Translation and Adaptation. (=ISHU 26960) C. Columbus. Offered 2005-06; not offered 2004-05.

ENGL 11504/31504. Solo Performance: Biography. (=ISHU 27305) J. Thebus. Winter, 2005.

ENGL 11505/31505. Dramaturgy. (=ISHU 26100) D. Levin. Winter.

ENGL 11602/31602. Travel Writing. (=ISHU 21602, MAPH 37600) PQ: Consent of instructor. T. McNulty. Spring, 2005.

ENGL 12204/32204. Writing Creative Nonfiction. (=ISHU 21404) PQ: Consent of instructor. Winter, 2005.

ENGL 12205/32205. Beginning Screenwriting. (=ISHU 27311) J. Petrakis. Autumn.

ENGL 12208/33308. Advanced Screenwriting. (=ISHU 27314) PQ: ENGL 12205/32205. J. Petrakis. Spring.

ENGL 12400/32400. Beginning Fiction Workshop. (=ISHU 22406) PQ: Consent of instructor. S. Schaeffer. Autumn, 2004.

ENGL 12401/32401. Beginning Fiction Workshop. (=ISHU 22401) PQ: Consent of instructor. A. Logue. Winter, 2005.

ENGL 12403/32403. Beginning Fiction Workshop: Writing from the Margins. (=ISHU 22403) PQ: Consent of instructor. A. Obejas. Spring, 2005.

ENGL 12404/32404. Beginning Fiction Workshop: The Short Story. (=ISHU 22404) PQ: Consent of instructor. M. Stielstra. Spring, 2005.

ENGL 12405/32405. Beginning Fiction: Writing from Experience. (=ISHU 22405) PQ: Consent of instructor. A. Obejas. Offered 2005-06; not offered 2004-05.

ENGL 12406/32406. Performance Poetry. (=ISHU 22908, MAPH 32905) PQ: Consent of instructor. C. Salach. Winter, 2005.

ENGL 12506/32506. Advanced Fiction Workshop: Research for Fiction Writers. (=ISHU 24402) PQ: Consent of instructor. A. Obejas. Autumn, 2004.

ENGL 12507/32507. Advanced Fiction Workshop: The Longer Manuscript. (=ISHU 24403) PQ: Consent of instructor. A. Obejas. Winter, 2005.

ENGL 12700/32700. Writing Biography. (=ISHU 21406) T. Weiner. Autumn, 2005.

ENGL 12702/32702. Writing Profiles. (=ISHU 21407, MAPH 37300) PQ: Consent of instructor. C. Felsenthal. Winter, 2005.

ENGL 12905/32905. Beginning Poetry Workshop: Letters to Young Poets. (=ISHU 22905) PQ: Consent of instructor. S. Reddy. Autumn.

ENGL 12907/32907. Beginning Poetry Workshop. (=ISHU 22907) PQ: Consent of instructor. A. Rollings. Spring, 2005.

ENGL 12920/32920. Beginning Creative Writing: Creative Reading for Writers. (=ISHU 22910) M. Sloan. Autumn, 2004.

ENGL 12921/32921. Beginning Creative Writing: Introduction to Genres. (=ISHU 22911, MAPH 32401) Spring, 2005.

ENGL 13000/33000. The Little Red Schoolhouse (Academic and Professional Writing). (=ISHU 23000) PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing. English Language and Literature majors must receive quality grades; P/F grading optional for other students. L. McEnerney, K. Cochran, T. Weiner. Autumn, 2004.

ENGL 13501. Writing for Television: the Situation Comedy. (=ISHU 27313) E. Ferrara. Autumn, 2004.

ENGL 13502/33502. Advanced Television Writing: Writers' Room Immersion Training Experiment. (=ISHU 27315) PQ: ISHU 27313 or consent of instructor. E. Ferrara. Offered 2005-06; not offered 2004-05.

ENGL 13503/33503. Advanced Television Writing: Creating the Situation Comedy. (=ISHU 27316) PQ: ISHU 27313 or consent of instructor. E. Ferrara. Winter, 2005.

ENGL 13600/43600. Playwriting. (=ISHU 26600) PQ: Consent of instructor. C. Allen. Autumn.

ENGL 13700/33700. Advanced Playwriting. (=ISHU 26700) PQ: ISHU 26600 and consent of instructor. C. Allen. Spring.

ENGL 14303/34303. Advanced Poetry Workshop: Viewing and Re-Viewing Poetry. (=ISHU 24303) PQ: Consent of instructor. S. Reddy. Spring.

ENGL 14305/34305. Advanced Poetry Workshop: Writing Practices. (=ISHU 24305) PQ: Consent of instructor. S. Reddy. Autumn.

ENGL 14400/34400. Advanced Fiction Workshop. (=ISHU 24400) PQ: Consent of instructor. S. Schaeffer. Autumn, 2004.

ENGL 14401/34401. Advanced Fiction Workshop. (=ISHU 24401) PQ: Consent of instructor. Offered 2005-06; not offered 2004-05.

ENGL 15201/35201. Writing the Graphic Novel. (=ISHU 21405) PQ: Consent of instructor. I. Brunetti. Spring, 2005.

ENGL 29809. Honors Seminar: Poetry. PQ: Consent of instructor. S. Reddy. Winter.

ENGL 29816. Honors Seminar: Fiction. PQ: Consent of instructor. A. Obejas. Winter.

ENGL 29817. Honors Seminar: Prose. PQ: Consent of instructor. M. Stielstra. Winter, 2005.