Creative Writing Courses
Creative Writing involves the study and production of literary and non-literary texts through focused experimentation with languages. Creative Writing courses at Capilano University give students the opportunity to develop their own fiction or poetry in a workshop led by an instructor who is also a practising writer. Two first-year courses are offered, English 190 (Creative Writing I) and English 191 (Creative Writing II).
The second-year Creative Writing courses are English 290 (Poetry) and English 291 (Fiction), and English 292 (Children's Literature). Students in these courses gain knowledge of the state of current poetry or fiction as well as developing their own work in the genre and trying out various techniques. To enrol, students need credit for English 190 and 191 or the instructor's permission.
Students who want to explore Creative Writing further may consider pursuing the Creative Writing Associate of Arts Degree.
Creative Writing Courses for FALL 2010
English 190-01 - Creative Writing I - Reg Johanson
This course introduces students to fiction and poetry through reading and writing in both forms. Students learn to become critical of their own work and that of others. Students write a variety of assignments intended to open up the horizon of their writing to innovation and experimentation. Students also attend the Open Text reading series. English 190 is a required course for the Associate of Arts Degree in Creative Writing. Students who take this course may also be interested in Academic Writing Strategies- Creative Writing Seminar, also a required course for the Degree program students.
Required Text:
• Jerome Stern, ed. Microfictions. (1996)
English 190-02 - Creative Writing I - Kim Minkus
In this course we will experiment with writing forms in order to push and extend our relationship with language. There will be in-class writing experiments, impromptu story generating, readings, performances and discussions. We will look at a variety of genres with a focus on the experimental including young adult fiction, fiction, poetry and criticism. Reading is a must for this course. The best writers are the best readers. Be prepared to do both. A variety of workshop methods will also be employed so that we can, as a group, engage effectively with each other’s writing.
English 191-01 - Creative Writing II - Crystal Hurdle
When is a poem really a story? When should you leave a draft alone? Through in-class writing, weekly homework assignments, and personal projects, you will write up a storm in a number of genres. You’ll be introduced to professional writers, from Lorna Crozier to bp Nichol, from Thomas King to Gabriel Garcia Márquez, to visiting writers at the Open Text and Kinder Text Reading Series, as well as to the work of your colleagues, in aid of developing your style, articulating your voice.
Required Texts:
• Gary Geddes, ed. 20th-Century Poetry & Poetics
• Gary Geddes, ed. The Art of Short Fiction
• And assorted recommended texts to kick-start your imagination
English 291-01 - Creative Writing: Narrative Fiction - Roger Farr
English 291 is an intensive course in the writing of narrative prose and scripts. We begin with a series of experiments revolving around the so-called “elements of fiction”: dialogue, character, plot, setting, style, etc. We then reconsider these elements in the light of a number of contemporary practices, including appropriation, ekphrasis, minimalism, and research/documentary. In all cases, risk will be encouraged, possibly at the expense of greatness. Several guest writers will join us to talk about their work. We will also attend some readings and performances, including a festival of “neo-benshi” (google it), which will draw on work produced in our class. By December, you will have accumulated a generous portfolio of writing of which you will feel proud, and which may or may not impress your family and friends.
Required Texts:
• Brown, Andy. I Can See You Being Invisible. Montreal, DC, 2003.
• Burnham, Clint. Smoke Show. Vancouver: Arsenal, 2007.
• Turner, Michael. 8 x 10. Toronto: Doubleday, 2009.
• West Coast Line. Special issue on fiction.
• Other material available from the instructor.
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