Courses: Spring 2025

All CWL courses are 4 credits unless noted otherwise. FLM courses 1-3 credits.

All classes are In Person unless noted otherwise.

NB: Spring semester begins Monday, January 27. Last day of regularly scheduled classes is Saturday, May 10. The official end of term is Wednesday, May 21.
Registration begins Nov. 4, 2024 Full Academic Calendar.

GRADUATE COURSES IN SOUTHAMPTON (in-person)

 

CWL 510.01, Forms of Fiction: The Short Story in Particular: Amy Hempel

Tuesdays 6:00-8:50pm

The title of this course comes from the required text: WRITING IN GENERAL AND THE SHORT STORY IN PARTICULAR, by Rust Hills (available in paperback).  This is a writing workshop that aims to amplify what a story can be, using examples of contemporary fiction and several personal essays.  We'll aim for stories that answer a reader's fundamental question: Why are you telling me this?  Depending on the class size, you can expect to submit two to three stories over the semester for class discussion, along with discussion of key narrative strategies employed in the stories and essays I will hand out weekly by such writers as Kathryn Scanlan, Kimberly King Parsons, Jo Ann Beard, Davy Rothbart, Taylor Koekkoek, and many more.

 

CWL 560.S01, Topics in Literature for Writers: Epic Echoes: Susan Scarf Merrell 

Tuesdays, 2:30 - 5:20pm

Students will begin with Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and then go on to read a range of fictions based on those works, including parts of Joyce’s Ulysses, and such books as As I Lay Dying, The Wizard of Oz, The Penelopiad, Observatory Mansions, Ransom, Beloved, and In the Distance. We will become proficient in recognizing the echoes of earlier work in more recent fiction, and students will also produce epic journey fictions of their own.

 

CWL 580.S01, Practicum in Arts Administration: Christian McLean

Thursdays, 11am-1:50pm

This course teaches important skills in arts/event management. It provides education in marketing, design and software that will boost your résumé and increase your workplace skill set. We’ll examine work/volunteer opportunities in local arts organizations and you will design an MFA event from the ground up. Learn the basics in Photoshop, Mailmerge, Google Docs/Sheets, Constant Contact, plus Facebook and Twitter ads. Completion of at least 6 program credits or permission of instructor required.

 

CWL 588.01 – Independent Study: Radical Approach to Narrative: Frederic Tuten

Saturdays (Feb 8-zoom, Feb 22, March 8)

This class will examine alternative narrative structures. I want to discuss ways of thinking and approaching storytelling or, generally speaking, fiction. I think there are ways of entertaining your conception of writing fiction in radical directions as writers. We will read fiction and watch films that would seemingly disregard conventional structures–plot, round characters, arc of the action, etc.

In this regard, I hope to talk about such books as David Markson’s This is Not a Novel or A Reader’s Block and surrealist “novels” like Andre Breton’s Nadja and Djuna Barnes’ “novel” Nightwood. I want to show such films as An Andalusian Dog by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí and Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession.

My idea is to make this an exciting experience, one that I hope will reinvigorate (or invigorate) your thoughts and behaviors as a writer.

While most of the work will take place on two Saturdays in Southampton, a zoom class will occur earlier in the semester. 

 

 

GRADUATE COURSES IN Manhattan (in-person)

 

CWL 588.V07 Independent Study: Ekphrasis 

Christine Kitano

3 Saturdays Saturday, February 1 (Zoom), Saturday, March 1 (Meet at museum, TBD), Saturday, April 5 (Meet at SBU Manhattan campus) 1 credit

From the Greek for "description," an ekphrastic poem describes and responds to another work of art. One might wonder about the function of ekphrasis–why read about a painting or film instead of experiencing the work itself? What does a poem do that other art forms do not? On the other end of the spectrum, one might wonder if all poems are, in essence, ekphrastic. In this class we'll consider what it means to write an ekphrastic poem and investigate what makes for a "good" or "successful" ekphrastic enterprise. We'll take advantage of our location in the art capital of the world to experience works of art first-hand, then experiment with how to write about these experiences. Class assignments will consist of creative responses. Topics discussed will be of use to all genres of writing and film. Open to all, from poetry die-hards to the poetry-curious.

 

CWL 540.S60 Forms of Creative Nonfiction: Memoir

Lou Ann Walker

Wednesday, 2:30-5:20pm, 4 credits

We could even retitle this course “Life: A Story.” In addition to reading new masters of the memoir form, you’ll be writing in order to discover themes in your life. We'll be touching on narrative subjects such as the reliability of memory, point of view, tackling the accuracy of dialogue, as well as how to portray other characters in your life—memoir is not just about the “I.” You’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish during this semester. Our reading list will be finalized at the beginning of our class meetings depending on what will be most useful to you as writers, but excerpts of some of the works we’ll be considering include: The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom; Out of Egypt by André Aciman; Educated by Tara Westover; The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer; The Color of Water by James McBride; Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez; Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey; When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanith; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah.

 

CWL 560.S60 Topics in Literature for Writers: Within and Without in Creative Nonfiction - Going Beyond Straight Memoir

Robert Lopez

Wednesday, 6:00-8:50pm, 4 credits

In this class we'll read books by writers who tackle CNF in a more global and comprehensive manner than straight memoir. These writers add an element of journalism and scholarship to the work and we'll compare this with a few writers who only employ a personal narrative to examine big issues. We'll read John D'Agata, Eula Biss, Claudia Rankine, Chloe Cooper Jones, Kiese Laymon, and others. 

Course includes attendance of all Writers Speak events in Manhattan.

 

CWL 570.S60, Advanced Writing Workshop: Re-Visioning Your Story 

Karen Bender

Thursday, 6:00-8:50pm, 4 credits

Revision is a writer's superpower, and this class will be a workshop/lab in which you work on one story, chapter or essay throughout the semester. Students turn in a first draft of their work, we'll workshop it, and each student will get a personalized revision exercise to start the process going. Students turn in a fully revised second draft of the work as a second submission. We'll look at revision as a process that happens in stages--from creating the architecture of the story, to deepening characters, to creating scenes vs. summary, to honing language at the end. We will also be reading different drafts of published writers' work and do in-class writing that will help you explore your work in progress. We'll see how re-visioning can be as playful and creative as a first draft. We'll also research magazines that could be a good fit for your project and send the work out the last day of class.

 

CWL 582.S60, Practicum in Publishing & Editing

Lou Ann Walker & Scott Sullivan

Monday, 11:00am-1:50pm, 1-4 credits 

Under the guidance of editors and advisors, students will be exposed to the hands-on process of editing and publishing TSR: The Southampton Review. Yes, the P& E Practicum is designed to give you experience in editing a literary and arts review. But here’s the secret: This practicum also provides an excellent means for you to build your skills as a writer. For example, as you read submissions in Submittable, you’ll be seeing what works and doesn’t work in cover letters. You’ll be examining successful structures in fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and poetry. You’ll be acquiring editing diagnostic tools. And you’ll be drilling down to what works line by line throughout a creative piece. We’ll discuss word choices, juxtapositions, imagery, symbolism, all that good stuff.

NOTE: One instructor will be online the other in Manhattan. This course will be taught jointly. You may take this course in either place. 

 

Manhattan/ Main CAMPUS/ online

 

FLM 550.S01 #54161 Teaching Practicum (also counts toward CWL581 and TVW550)

Karen Offitzer

Thursdays, 9:30am-12:20pm, 3 credits

This is a weekly seminar in teaching at the University level, with special emphasis on teaching in the creative arts, specifically creative writing and filmmaking. This course plunges into the basics of pedagogy, exploring learning styles, discovering a teaching philosophy, designing syllabi for undergraduate courses, creating assignments and rubrics for grading assignments, and practicing these skills in a classroom setting. You’ll get hands-on experience and mentoring through visits to undergraduate classes and teaching opportunities and will gain an understanding of what works best for helping undergraduate students learn. Particular focus will be on exploring issues that arise when teaching creative endeavors such as writing and filmmaking. Classes will be held at the Manhattan Center for Creative Writing and Film and Main Campus (Stony Brook) according to schedule below. 

Scheduled Meetings (subject to change): 

Jan 30 MANHATTAN CENTER FOR CREATIVE WRITING AND FILM 

Feb 6 MANHATTAN CENTER FOR CREATIVE WRITING AND FILM 

Feb 13 ZOOM 

Feb 20 ZOOM 

Feb 27 MAIN CAMPUS (STONY BROOK) MELVILLE N3035 

Mar 6 MAIN CAMPUS (STONY BROOK) MELVILLE N3035 

Mar 13 ZOOM 

Mar 20 SPRING BREAK 

Mar 27 MANHATTAN CENTER/MAIN* MELVILLE N3035 

Apr 3 MANHATTAN CENTER/MAIN* MELVILLE N3035 

Apr 10 MANHATTAN CENTER/MAIN* MELVILLE N3035 

Apr 17 MANHATTAN CENTER/MAIN* MELVILLE N3035 

Apr 24 MANHATTAN CENTER/MAIN* MELVILLE N3035 

May 1 ZOOM *MANHATTAN CENTER/MAIN: Manhattan-based students can attend MANHATTAN CENTER location for these 5 classes.

 

 

online

 

CWL 510.S30: Forms of Fiction, Fiction Workshop

Susan Minot (online)

Monday, 6:00-8:50PM, 4 credits

Students will submit their pages (under 10 pages) for VERY close scrutiny twice during the semester, and will also edit the pages for fellow classmates’ submission.  Our focus will be on different forms of fiction: flash fiction, the novella, the short story, the novel and exploring what elements they share and what elements are unique to each.  Therefore, reading samples of the various forms will be read from the masters.  Among them: James Baldwin, Claire Keegan, Jorge Luis Borges, Karen Russell, Eve Babitz, William Maxwell, Jenny Offill, Juan Rulfo, Lydia Davis, Samuel Beckett, Colette,  Leo Tolstoy, Alice Munro, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Agatha Christie.

 

CWL 582.S30: Practicum in Publishing & Editing

Lou Ann Walker & Scott Sullivan (hybrid)

Tuesdays, 11:00am-1:50pm, 1-4 credits 

Under the guidance of editors and advisors, students will be exposed to the hands-on process of editing and publishing TSR: The Southampton Review. Yes, the P& E Practicum is designed to give you experience in editing a literary and arts review. But here’s the secret: This practicum also provides an excellent means for you to build your skills as a writer. For example, as you read submissions in Submittable, you’ll be seeing what works and doesn’t work in cover letters. You’ll be examining successful structures in fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and poetry. You’ll be acquiring editing diagnostic tools. And you’ll be drilling down to what works line by line throughout a creative piece. We’ll discuss word choices, juxtapositions, imagery, symbolism, all that good stuff.

NOTE: One instructor will be online the other in Manhattan. This course will be taught jointly. You may take this course in either place. 

 

EGL 588.01 Writing Workshop Creative Nonfiction 

David Weiden

Online Asynchronous, 3 credits

This course examines the structures and techniques used in creative nonfiction, focusing on the subgenres of literary journalism, cultural criticism, personal essay, lyric essay, social commentary, and memoir. Students will analyze texts from a critical perspective, focusing on both content and form, and will learn the methods and techniques of creative nonfiction, including dialogue, scenes, setting, prose, narrative distance, and revision. Discussions, writing activities, and peer critiques will be utilized, and students will write and revise an essay in the subgenre of their choice. No previous experience in creative writing or creative nonfiction is necessary for this course. 

 

TVW 525.S65 (#) Topics in Film: TV Guest Series: Alan Kingsberg

Mon, 7:30-9:20 pm (1 cr)

A moderated guest series featuring in-depth discussions with TV writers and producers about their scripts, series and careers.   Meets four times during the Fall semester.

 

FILM and TV WRITING 

 

FLM 652.S60 Screenwriting III 

Lenny Crooks

Thursdays,5:30-8:20, 3 credits

Students must have the first two acts of a screenplay already completed.

Subject to availability.