a writer's workshop with

this course is designed as a serious workshop for beginning writers, but we are also dedicated to exploring the possibilities of the internet as a site of creative work. what will it mean, to have our creative works go online?

a writer's work is to see,  listen, observe, reflect, pursue and grapple.

language is our medium and that means we will be eating, sleeping and drinking words.

all should come with a taste for the

as a

serious

object of desire

Class Projects  2000

click to meet the next generation of writers!

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All forms, styles, genres and ambitions are welcome, as long as the participants will agree to the following basic ground rules:

1. Writers write 2. Writers read 3. Writers have discipline

4. Writers have a willingness to share

presentations 2000

 

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stephanie a. smith writes. she is associate professor of english, with concentrations in american studies and critical theory and has published both fiction and non-fiction. her most recent novel is OTHER NATURE (TOR hb: 1995, pb: 1997). see her at http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/ssmith or drop a line to ssmith@english.ufl.edu

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Links and Texts

stories:

Paul's Case by Willa Cather
Sleepy-Eye by Anton Chekov
The Informer: An Ironic Tale by Joseph Conrad
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
The Jolly Corner by Henry James
 

hypertext fiction:

hegirascope (stuart molthrope)
resource page
electronic poetry center

Online Resources for writing:

trACE
hyperizons
wordcircuits
eastgate publications
poets & writer's organization
writer's net
zoetrope studios

Online Magazines:

Salon
Harpers
New Letters
Boston Review
Cortland Review
Granta

unit I                    starting out     (august 24-sept 14)
unit II                   stroke, stroke, stroke     (sept 19-oct 19)
unit III                  the disturbing pleasure of revision    (oct 24-nov 16)
unit IV                  reaching out there        (nov 21-end)

READ THESE OVER CAREFULLY. IF THERE ARE ANY INSTRUCTIONS YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND, ASK NOW!

final grades will be assigned according to the following numerical breakdown

class participation/presentations:                     25%
exercises:                                                               30%
critique:                                                                 25%
final work:                                                            20%

let me explain each of the above items in more depth:

1.   Class participation/presentations:

this class should belong to you--this means active, responsible participation. here are some guidelines:

  a.  Attendance.  You will agree to be in class, promptly, at the opening of
 the class period having completed the ASSIGNMENT.  If you are more than 15
 minutes late, DO NOT COME TO CLASS because you will be marked absent regardless;
 ditto if you don't have the assignment.  You have three days of grace to be absent
 --after that your grade will suffer. Only severe illness or injury will be allowed
 as exceptions. In such cases, phone me at home or in the office.

 b. Response.  You will agree to answer and pose questions in class,  with
 due respect to the class and your classmates.  I know this is difficult. I ask
 for a good faith effort.

 c.  Preparation.  You will agree to have PREPARED the assignment and will
 be ready to discuss it or write about it or ask questions about it.

d. in the course of the semester, you will be asked to make one research presentation to the class.

Regular class attendance by itself does not constitute good class participation. If you attend all the class sessions but don't contribute to the discussions, you will earn nothing better than a D for this portion of your grade. I expect you to keep up with the reading and to participate actively in class discussions all semester. If you have trouble speaking in class, which many people do, come see me in office hours so that we can strategize about this difficulty.

2.  Exercises : These will consist of assigned writing exercises. I will not grade
the individual exercises, but you will receive either an  "s" or a "u"--satisfactory or not.
If you receive a "u" you will have one week from the day that I return your work
to revise for an "s"--after that, the "u" stands. At the end of the class, I will give
the responses a grade, which will then stand.

3. Critique: in a writing workshop, your work will be read and critiqued by your classmates.
We will set up a critique circle in class.

5. Final Work, the nature of which will be discussed in class.

policy:
Grades on written work  will be based on a number of factors. The minimum requirement for a C is that your writing show a good knowledge of the assigned readings and be clear, coherent, and organized in some identifiable manner, with no repeated faults in grammar and punctuation. A C indicates that you have shown competence in reading and analyzing and that you have made a reasonable attempt to complete the assignment AS IT HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO YOU--in other words, that you have read and in some measure tried to complete the assignment; higher grades will depend upon your care in reading the texts, the logical development of your ideas, the nuance and strength of your analysis, and the thoughtfulness and imagination shown by your approach. All written work, with the exception of in-class quizzes  must be typed or computer-printed on white, 8 1/2 x 11" paper, with 1-inch margins on all sides.  Your typeface must be legible, 10-12 picas, and NOT SCRIPT--that means, not "fake" or computer generated, scriptive handwriting  and not faded toward oblivion. In either case, I will return the work to you ungraded. I WILL NOT ACCEPT WORK THAT DOES NOT MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS. I WILL NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK , unless you speak to me a week in advance of the deadline or have a reasonable problem.

WARNING:  I regret having to remind you that plagiarism is a serious and actionable offense. Plagiarism means that you have represented another's work as if it were your own--from a short quote to an entire paper.  I am required by law and by University ethics to pursue questions of plagiarism---which can lead to expulsion.  So please, for your sake and mine, don't .