Creative Writing

The Past, Present, and Future of Creative Writing in Higher Education

What is creative writing, and how do we teach it?

Creative writing involves tapping into a student’s innermost self, viewed as a reservoir, a hidden well wherein lies a wealth of creativity and potential. We begin scrubbing away their inner critic while drawing out from within their innermost thoughts and emotions, awakening their senses, as they begin to build their creative identity. We intentionally begin to pull them in a specific direction of knowledge by exposing students to hi-quality curated, diverse reading selections, by having them reflect on past experiences, from fleeting thoughts and ideas, external experiences and internal deeply rooted thoughts and emotions, as they begin a journey of self-expression through Poetry and prose. From the classical haiku or sonnet to free-form creative writing, students will experience an array of poetry. Along the way, we introduce them to writing camp activities, breaking free from writers block and tearing down inner prejudices about their writing, we begin incorporating multimodal culminating projects, and as they begin to draw upon their senses, we continue to surround students with an intentional collection of ideas, offering options for writing prompts that align with educational outcomes, and then continue aiming them in a specific direction to guide their assignments. As Augustine would say, to teach, to delight, and to move; creative writing follows the process of teaching to mindfully engage students' ethos, conveyed through personal experiences and their senses. As an instructor who advocates for autonomy and student-led choices on topics, providing access to digital resource alternatives, and assignment variety to foster and awaken students’ creativity, empowering independent thinkers who inspire beyond the page. Providing learning opportunities for both peer-reviewed feedback and instructor feedback, lending space for students to grow and expand their writing pieces, and encouraging students to explore and unleash their creative expression.

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Creative Writing for College Educators

The Past, Present, and Future of Creative Writing in Higher Education

Creative Writing Coursework: