Readings and Responsibilities                                                      

Week 1       

 

8/23

   Syllabus.  Introductions. 

Micaela, Nicole, Dana, Molly distribute

 

 

Week 2

 

8/30

  • Read: Charles Baxter's "Dysfunctional Narratives"

  • Read:  "The Treadmill Journal"
  • Read:  "Essayists on the Essay"
  • Read: "Craft Features: Notes" (website handout)
  • Read: Gornick's "The Situation & The Story"

  • Read:  Workshops  (website handout)

  • Read:  Peer Response  (website handout)

  • Workshop:  Micaela, Nicole, Dana, Molly

  • Write: Peer Responses

5-8 distribute

 

 

Week 3     

 

9/6

  • Read:  Philip Lopate's "Reflection & Retrospection"

  • Read:  Lopate's "Writing Personal Essays:  On the Necessity of Turning Oneself into a Character"

  • Read:  An Interview with Jane Smiley 

  • Read:  Jane Smiley:  What Stories Teach Their Writers:  The Purpose and Practice of Revision

  • Workshop:  5-8
9-13 distribute

 

     

 

Week 4

 

9/13
  • Read: Offutt's "The Eleventh Draft"
  • Read:  Revising for the Middle Draft  (website handout)
  • Read:  Stephen Koch's "Working & Reworking:  Early Drafts & the Techniques of Revision" 
  • Workshop: 9-13 
1-4 distribute second draft

 

 

 

Week 5

 

9/20
  • Read:  Susan Sontag's "Read, Write, Rewrite"
  • Read:  Barth's "Incremental Perturbation"
  • Workshop: 1-4  
 5-8 distribute second draft

 

 

Week 6      

 

9/27
  • Read: Tim O'Brien's "The Magic Show"
  • Workshop: 5-8
 9-13 distribute second draft

 

 

 

Week 7

 

10/4
  • Read: Madison Smartt Bell's "Modular Design" & "Linear Design"
  • Workshop: 9-13
 1-4 distribute new piece: first draft

 

 

Week 8

 

10/11 Fall Break  

 

                                                                          

Week 9

 

10/18 Workshop 1-4 5-8 distribute new piece: first draft

 

                                                                                           

Week 10

 

10/25 Workshop 5-8 9-13 distribute new piece: first draft

 

 

Week 11

 

11/1 Martin in Iowa:  Class on its own:  Workshop 9-13 1-6 distribute second draft

 

 

Week 12

 

11/8 Workshop: 1-6 7-13 distribute second draft

 

 

Week 13

 

11/15 Workshop: 7-13 1-6 distribute third draft of essay #1 or essay #2

 

 

Week 14

 

11/22 Thanksgiving  

 

 

Week 15

 

11/29 Workshop: 1-6 7-13 distribute third draft of essay #1 or essay #2

 

 

 

Week 16

 

12/6 Workshop 7-13  

 

 

Week 17

 

12/13

  • Party at My House 5:30  Potluck & Bookswap

  • Treadmill Journal Due (Bring to party & show it to me.)

  • Your Choice of Best Essay from Literary Magazine Due (13 copies)

  • 6 envelopes with Essay Submission Due