Creative Writing
Course Description
"What is education?" asks the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard: "I suppose that education was the curriculum one had to run through in order to catch up with oneself." When we speak of "finding your voice" or "writing your story" or "mining your material," we speak of things you already possess but that take work to realize. Creative Writing is that work. In pushing you to write more originally and persuasively than ever before, this course asks you to slow down, to pay attention to words, sentences, logic, gaps, and also to race ahead, to test new techniques and experiments and to be receptive to new sources of inspiration. Exercises will range from making simple lists to devising plots, from describing a random piece of grass to inventing an original creature. Categories like fiction, poetry, and memoir will overlap and intermingle. In this rigorous, writing- and reading-intensive course, you will be asked to write daily, both in directed exercises and personally-driven compositions, to conference one-on-one with instructors, to read widely, to edit your peers, and to compose longer submissions for the same peer edits. After three weeks, you will know your own writing better. Students write in and out of class-time hours and complete nightly reading assignments. Active class participation is required.
Course Criteria
This course is open to high school students only.
Additional Materials: Students applying to this course are required to submit a piece of fiction, which does not need to be graded.
Academic Interest
Humanities (e.g, arts, literature, philosophy)
Application Materials
A complete application includes a transcript, two short essays, a letter of recommendation, writing sample, application fee, and a submitted parent confirmation. If you are seeking need-based financial aid, you must indicate that in your application before it is submitted. Please refer to the Application Instructions for complete details.
Instructor(s)
Benjamin Lytal
Cost
$9,300
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