ASSIGNMENTS FOR TUESDAY, APRIL 17 AND 24, 2007

We will begin alphabetically workshopping the first round of Poetic Memoir excerpts on Tuesday, April 17, beginning with: Pierce Aman

Important!! Your next and final assignment will be to submit a Novel Vignette, with 12 Workshp Copies on Tuesday, April 24, 2007. PLEASE ALSO MAKE SURE TO E-MAIL YOUR VIGNETTE SEPARATELY TO ME AT lroripau@usd.edu

Guidelines for Novel Vignettes:

Please write a short vignette(s) (not to exceed approximately 1,000 words total – either singly or in combination of several shorter vignettes).

Your novel vignette should be conceived as a short, crisp slice of a larger, novelistic narrative.

The challenge of this assignment, however, is that even while being conceptualized as part of a larger whole, the novel vignette should also be self-contained enough that it simultaneously reads engagingly on its own merits.

Models: The assigned Lois-Ann Yamanaka book is an example of a larger novel that is composed of short, crisp vignettes. I also passed out the opening three vignettes from Sylvia Brownrigg's novel, Pages for You, in class on Tuesday, April 10, which is composed of a page a day (each page a self-contained chapter) written to the beloved. (If you missed class on April 10, and need a copy of the Brownrigg, let me know and I will e-mail it to you.)

Upcoming Readings:

Thursday, April 12, 4:00 p.m., Farber Hall -- Brian Bedard

Friday, April 13, 4:00 p.m., Delzell 110 -- Susan Power

Thursday, April 26, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Coffe Shop Gallery -- VLP Magazine Publication Celebration and Author's Reading

ASSIGNMENTS AND READINGS FOR TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2007

We will workshop the first half of your prose monologues in alphabetical order, beginning with:

Your next assignment will be to submit a poetic memoir excerpt, due with workshop copies on Tuesday, April 10. Here are the guidelines:

Since this is memoir, the material must be taken from your own life experiences, and they must be true.

The memoir must be "poetic" in nature, in terms of how you use language and imagery. In other words, rather than a more straightforward memoir that relies heavily on fictional craft and technique, this should read like memoir that's more heavily charged with poetic craft and technique.

For the sake of workshop space, please limit your poetic memoir excerpt to no more than 1,000 words, or 4 pages. This may help you select an appropriately framed/sized memory for consideration in your memoir excerpt.

Please be careful to avoid sentimentality and cliche, as much as possible.

Please read the following memoir selections by poets Mark Doty and Li-Young Lee that rely on poetic techniques. You can consider these as possible models, or examples of ways in which you can begin to consider the possibilities of this form. (These links will download as PDF documents):

Click HERE for an excerpt from Mark Doty's memoir, Firebird.

Click HERE for excerpt from Li-Young Lee's memoir, Winged Seed

READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2007

First of all, please forgive me for forgetting to post assignments for February 13, 2007!

The next important announcement is that we will not be having class on Tuesday, February 20, 2007, as I will be giving a poetry reading that night.

Therefore, at our next class meeting on Tuesday, February 27, 2007, please be prepared with comments on the remainder of the flash fiction assignments for workshopping.

Please also finish reading the prose poem and flash fiction anthologies, and at this point, go ahead and read Oliver de la Paz's collection of interconnected prose poems, Names Above Houses. (This is a gorgeous book! I think you will love it!)

Important!!

On Tuesday, February 27, your next workshop assignment, a Narrative Poem, will be due with 26 workshop copies.

Here are the guidelines:

Please write a narrative poem (i.e., a poem that tells a story of some sort or another). Your poem should be written in standard poem format, meaning that instead of prose, you will write a poem in stanzas, with line breaks. You will want to carefully choose a narrative that fits appropriately within the frame of a poem, and allows itself to be told in poetic language, and without resorting to use of too many standard fiction techniques (such as dialogue, excessive narrative summary, obvious scene setting, or too-lengthy character sketching, etc.) You may find that narrative poems frequently elude to, or hint at, or imply, their narratives vs. simply telling the stories outright.

I have e-mailed these guidelines, along with a selection of narrative poems to consider as models for your assignment, to you. Please let me know if you have any questions. Good luck!

* * *

Finally, please, please, please come and show your support for the VLP Poetry Festival on Thursday, February 22, 2007. There will be a fabulous noon reading in Farber Hall featuring Sarah den Boer and Neil Harrison, a fabulous 4:00 p.m. reading in Fabrer Hall with Debra Marquart, and then a super-fabulous VLP slam at 7:00 at the Coffee Shop Gallery with Debra Marquart opening up with a jazz-poetry performance feature, followed by the regular awesomeness that is the VLP monthly slam. There will also be morning and afternoon workshops, a bake sale, and other assorted lovely things for sale! Please come to as many of the (free) readings as you can, and if at all possible, please do sign up for one or both of the workshops with Neil Harrison (morning) and Debra Marquart (afternoon).

Here's a link for additional information, and full schedule:

VLP 2007 Poetry Festival

READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2007

Please continue to do as much reading as possible in the prose poem and flash fiction anthologies.

Please also make sure to write extensive comments/feedbacks on the remaining haibuns for the second half of our Assignment #1 - Haibun workshop tonight.

Important!! Assignment #2 - Flash Fiction (see complete guidelines in the post below) is due in class tonight with 26 workshop copies!!

READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2007

Please make sure that you have purchased the required texts for the course, and please read as much as possible, as early on as possible, of the prose poem and flash fiction anthologies. These will give you ample ideas and models for the multiplicity of ways in which you can approach your own multi-genre works. Additionally, these texts will provide you with examples to discuss/analyze in your two written papers due during the course of the semester.

This week (Tuesday, January 30), we will begin workshopping the haibun. Please make sure to write ample, substantive comments (both conceptual/content and editorial comments, please) on each Xeroxed poem. Don't forget that you will be submitting your workshop comments to me for credit, and that submission of substantive written workshop comments is worth a solid chunk of points in the class. (As an FYI, we will workshop in alphabetical order. Please, therefore plan on reading and preparing written/verbal comments on approximately thirteen works.)

Don't forget that Assignment #2 (Flash Fiction/Microfiction) will be due (with 27 workshop copies) on Tuesday, February 6. Your flash fiction piece should not be longer than 1,000 words, and should consciously employ aspects of craft and technique generally associated with traditional fiction (i.e., narrative/plot, characterization, dialogue, etc.) However, this doesn't mean that your piece can't be experimental, or surreal, in nature. Due to the concision of the form, you'll want to pay close attention to issues of language and image -- techniques more commonly associated with poetry. Avoid relying merely on narrative summary, however, and once again, read the flash fiction anthology for ideas/models on how to handle this assignment.

READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2006

Please read the following short essays/internet links on Prose Poems and Flash Fiction/Microfiction for discussion in class on January 23:

Wikipedia Definition of Prose Poetry

Poetic Form: Prose Poem at Poets.org (Please click on and read all the links to the left, including the sample prose poems, the essays by Karen Volkman and Sarah Manguso, as well as the interview with Robert Haas).

Wikipedia Definition of Flash Fiction

The Essentials of Microfiction, by Camille Renshaw

Flashes on the Meridian: Dazzled by Flash Fiction, by Pamelyn Casto

Important!! Please bring 25 workshop copies of Assignment #1 - Haibun to class on January 23 for workshop distribution!

Additional Haibun Definitions, Links, and Models:

Haibun: A Definition

Haibun Definitions at Contemporary Haibun Online

"The Hut of the Phantopm Dwelling" - A Haibun by Matsuo Basho (Inventor of the Haibun form.)

Examples of Contemporary Haibun in English

COURSE SYLLABUS

ENGLISH 483/592: ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING
"WRITING IN THE CRACKS" – MIXED GENRE WORKSHOP

Professor Lee Ann Roripaugh
Spring Semester 2007
Section #015, 7:00 – 9:45 p.m., Tuesdays, Old Main 201
Office Hours: 2:00-5:00 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays
Additional Office Hours/Conferencing also Available Anytime by Appointment
Office: Dakota Hall #207
Office Phone: 677-5979
E-mail: Lee.Roripaugh@usd.edu
Mailbox: Dakota Hall #212

ENGL 483/592 is an advanced course in creative writing, designed to help students become better acquainted with craft, technique, and process. Titled “Writing in the Cracks,” we will focus on mixed-genre writing that defies easy categorization through combining stylistic traits of more than one creative genre. Examples might include the prose poem, narrative poem, dramatic monologue, flash fiction, novel vignettes, poetic memoirs, and other hybrids. The course will consist primarily of the workshop method, in which students will have the opportunity to read, discuss, and critique each other's work-in-progress. The course will also provide the opportunity to read, analyze, and discuss the work of various writers working in hybrid genres. Grading will be based on the successful revision of creative pieces to be assembled in a final creative writing portfolio, thoughtful participation and presence in workshop and class discussions, and completion of additional critical work. The prerequisite for ENGL 483/592 is the successful completion of ENGL 283.

REQUIREMENTS:

Six Assigned Mixed-Genre Creative Pieces, Submitted and Workshopped

A Final Portfolio Containing Revisions of Your Creative Work, Accompanied by 1-page(250 words) Commentaries Analyzing the Revision Process for Each Revised Piece

Two Short Papers (3-4 pages; 750-1,000 words) Analyzing and Discussing Mixed Genre Works

Submission of Thorough, Thoughtful and Constructive Written Comments on Workshop
Members’ Work

Participation and Attendance in Workshops and Class Discussions

GRADING:

Writing is hard work. In order to pass this class you will have to take creative writing seriously— this means putting in the time and effort to write and revise your own creative pieces, provide thoughtful comments on your classmates’ work in workshop, read and think about published examples of mixed-genre writing, and listen to other writers read from their work. In short, you will be expected to immerse yourself in the creative writing process. Writing, however, is a process of trial and error. A good writer takes risks, and sometimes fails. We learn through experimentation and revision—through taking creative chances, as opposed to writing “safe” works. In this class, I want you to take creative risks. I want you to work toward to goal of becoming better, more original, writers. I don’t want you trying to write “safely," nor do I want you to be writing “for a grade.” With this in mind, your grade will be largely based on the amount of effort you are willing to put forth toward the goal of becoming a better writer primarily on the basis of the amount of revising that you are willing to do. A revision will consist of extensively reworking and rewriting the piece in response to my comments, workshop comments that you find useful/helpful, as well as your own sense of ways in which you can independently work to improve and polish the piece. You will then turn be asked to submit your revised works, along with a one-page commentary on the revision process for each revised piece, in a final portfolio at the end of the semester. Revision is where you can learn the most about the nitty gritty of the writing process, and where you can also achieve the most individual improvement as a writer.

40% -- Final Creative Writing Portfolio (400 points total – Based on overall quality of work and quality/rigor of revisions/revision process)

30% -- Two Short Papers (3-4 pages; 750-1,000 words) Analyzing and Discussing Selections of Mixed Genre Works (300 points total – 150 points per paper)

18% -- Submission of Thorough, Thoughtful and Constructive Written Weekly Comments on Workshop Members’ Poems (180 points possible; 30 points per workshop round)

12% -- General Verbal In-Class Participation in Workshops and Class Discussions (120 points possible)

Your final grade will be based on a scale of 1,000 points possible.

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY:

You must turn in all written work in order to receive a passing grade in the course.

All written assignments must be word-processed or typewritten.

You will be allowed one late assignment and/or xeroxes for workshop. All other late assignments and/or xeroxes will receive a 10-point per day deduction.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

The nature of the writer’s workshop is such that every member is an integral and necessary component to the creation of a successful workshop experience. For this reason, class attendance and participation are of the utmost importance, and more than two absences will result in a grade penalty of 50 points per absence exceeding the two allowed. I do not make a distinction between excused and unexcused absences. Also, you may replace up to one absence by attending additional outside poetry/fiction readings and writing a detailed review of the reading. (In the event of extremely extenuating circumstances, however, such as hospitalization, severe illness, or other events that you might feel are completely outside of your control, please DO talk to me so that I can do my best to help you out or advise you on the best course of action with regard to the course.)

TEXTS:

The primary text for the course will be your own poetry, which will be read by class members and discussed in the workshop. In addition to your classmates’ poems, there will also be reading assignments consisting of published examples of mixed-genre writing that we will discuss in class, and which you will analyze and discuss in your short-paper assignments.

Required Reading:

Flash Fiction Forward: 80 Very Short Stories, ed. by James Thomas and Robert Shapard, W. W. Norton, 2006. (Paperback).
ISBN-10: 0393328023
ISBN-13: 978-0393328028

No Boundaries: Prose Poems by 24 American Poets, ed. by Ray Gonzalez (Paperback), Tupelo Press, 2003.
ISBN-10: 1932195017
ISBN-13: 978-1932195019

Oliver de la Paz, Names Above Houses, Southern Illinois University Press,
ISBN-10: 0809323826
ISBN-13: 978-0809323821

Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers, Picador, 2006.
ISBN-10: 0312424647
ISBN-13: 978-0312424640

Additional reading materials (articles/essays and individual creative works) will be made available either through online resources, or via Xerox handout on an as-needed basis.

CONFERENCES:

Please feel free to come and talk with me at any time during the semester about your poems, revisions, or writing in general. If my office hours aren’t convenient for you, I’d be happy to set up an outside appointment to meet with you. Also, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me if you should have any questions about the class.

PLAGIARISM:

The College of Arts and Sciences considers plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty inimical to the objectives of higher education. The College supports the imposition of penalties on students who engage in academic dishonesty, as defined in the “Conduct” section of the University of South Dakota Student Handbook.

No credit can be given for a dishonest assignment. At the discretion of the instructor, a student caught engaging in any form of academic dishonesty may be:

(a) Given a zero for that assignment.
(b) Allowed to rewrite and resubmit the assignment for credit.
(c) Assigned a reduced grade for the course.
(d) Dropped from the course.
(e) Failed in the course.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT POLICY ON FAIR EVALUATION:

Rights and Responsibilities: The English Department believes that each student is entitled to earn and receive a fair grade in each course for which he or she enrolls. The department believes equally that it is the right and the responsibility of an instructor to establish criteria for evaluation for each course which he or she teaches and to determine the degree to which an individual student has fulfilled the standards set for the course.

Resolving Complaints: Students making a complaint about a grade should first attempt to resolve the problem directly with the course instructor. If that attempt is unsuccessful, the Director of Writing will review complaints regarding grades in ENGL 101 and 210. The Chair will consider other student complaints regarding grades as well as complaints from 101 and 210 not resolved by the Director of Writing. However, the burden of proof will lie with the student registering the complaint; he or she must demonstrate that an instructor has made an error in computation or that the instructor has violated the criteria set down in the printed syllabus for the course.

Syllabus Policy: To assist the Director and the Chair in determining whether grade changes are needed, individual faculty will be responsible for providing evaluation criteria for each course on the syllabus for that course, and for providing a copy of each syllabus to the Department Secretary by the second week of each semester.

Other Factors: Students should be apprised that extraneous factors, such as the eligibility of a student for sorority or fraternity membership, for scholarship and fellowship awards, or for admission to graduate schools, have no bearing on the determination of the fairness of a grade or grades received. The quality of the student’s overall performance with respect to evaluation standards will be the only criterion for judgment.

NOTICE REGARDING DISABILITIES:

Any student who feels s/he may need academic accommodations or access accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability should contact and register with Disability Services during the first week of class. Disability Services is the official office to assist students through the process of disability verification and coordination of appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Students currently registered with Disability Services must obtain a new accommodation memo each semester.

Ernetta L. Fox, Director
Disability Services, Room 119 Service Center
Phone: (605)677-6389
Web Site: www.usd.edu/ds
E-mail: dservices@usd.edu

ASSESSMENT:

Any written work submitted for this course may be used for purposes of program review and/or faculty development.

STATEMENT ON FREEDOM IN LEARNING:

The following statement is required by the South Dakota Board of Regents.

Freedom in learning. Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled. Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis and students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study. Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should first contact the instructor of the course. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may contact the department head and/or dean of the college which offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation.

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

Tuesday, January 16:
Review syllabus.
Introduce workshop.
Review samples of mixed-genre works.
Go over Assignment #1 – Haibun, due with Workshop copies at our next class meeting on January 23 for workshop distribution.)

Tuesday, January 23:
Assignment #1 (Haibun) Due (With Workshop Copies
Discuss Articles/Essays on Prose Poetry and Flash Fiction
Discuss Assigned Readings
In-Class Mixed-Genre Exercises
Distribute Assignment #1

Tuesday, January 30:
Workshop Assignment #1 (Haibun)

Tuesday, February 6:
Assignment #2(Flash Fiction/Microfiction) Due (With Workshop Copies)
Finish workshopping Assignment #1 (Haibun)

Tuesday, February 13:
Workshop Assignment #2 (Flash Fiction/Microfiction)

Tuesday, February 20:
CLASS CANCELED! INSTRUCTOR GIVING OUT-OF-TOWN POETRY READING!
(Please review Assignment #3 Guidelines – Narrative Poem, which will be distributed via e-mail, and which will be due with workshop copies at the next workshop meeting on February 27).
(Please also take this time to read Oliver de la Paz's Names Above Houses).

Tuesday, February 27:
Assignment #3 (Narrative Poem) Due (With Workshop Copies)
Finish workshopping Assignment #2 (Flash Fiction/Microfiction)

Tuesday, March 6:
NO CLASS! SPRING BREAK!!

Tuesday, March 13
First Short Paper – Definition/Discussion of What Characterizes a Prose Poem - Due Today
Workshop Assignment #3 (Narrative Poem)

Tuesday, March 20:
Assignment #4 (Dramatic Monologue in Prose Form) Due (With Workshop Copies)
Finish workshopping Assignment #3 (Narrative Poem)

Tuesday, March 27:
Workshop Assignment #4 (Dramatic Monologue in Prose Form)

Tuesday, April 3:
Assignment #5 (Poetic Memoir Excerpt) Due (With Workshop Copies)
Finish workshopping Assignment #4 (Dramatic Monologue in Prose Form)

Tuesday, April 10:
Workshop Assignment #5 (Poetic Memoir Excerpt)
(Please make sure to read Lois Ann Yamanaka's Heads by Harry if you haven't done so already)

Tuesday, April 17:
Assignment #6 (Novel Vignette(s)) Due (With Workshop Copies)
Finish workshopping Assignment #5 (Poetic Memoir Excerpt)

Tuesday, April 24:
Workshop Assignment #6 (Novel Vignette(s))

Tuesday, May 1:
Second Short Paper – Definition/Discussion of What Characterizes Flash Fiction/Microfiction and/or Poetic Prose Due Today.
Finish workshopping Assignment #6 (Novel Vignette(s))

Tuesday, May 8:
Class Wrap-Up
Discussion of Oliver de La Paz's Names Above Houses and Lois-Ann Yamanaka's Heads by Harry
Course evaluations.

Final Portfolios Due by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, 2007!!