ENGL 070E. Introductory Workshop: Hybrid Forms, Blended Genres

In this creative writing workshop, we will explore fiction, nonfiction and poetry, with particular attention paid to the porous borderlands between the three forms. We will do so through readings, discussions, guest lectures and, centrally, through workshops of original student work in both genres. We will delve into standard elements of fiction and nonfiction including dialogue, plot, character development, point of view, and will also pay close attention to how prose writers use poetic devices and modes to enhance and deepen their craft. Similarly, we will explore elements of poetry including lineation, repetition, the poetic “I,” and more, and will look at how some poets use prose elements in their work. Student workshop submissions will draw from all three forms, with an eye toward writing that both acknowledges and breaks down genre borders, and that embraces porousness, strangeness and expansiveness.
Graded CR/NC.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Fall 2025. Rothman-Zecher.
Fall 2026. Rothman-Zecher.
Fall 2027 Rothman-Zecher.
Catalog chapter: English Literature
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/english-literature

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