FICTION WORKSHOP: NARRATIVE AS GIFT

Course Description

In this fiction workshop, which revolves thematically around the concept of narrative as a gift, we will explore the following questions: What would it mean if we consciously engaged in the act of writing as an expressively generous and focused act of giving? How might thoughtfully immersing ourselves in intentionality impact our writing and the stories we tell? By considering how our words might move within and throughout the many worlds we inhabit, what types of stories might transpire? What stories would we compose if the intended recipient were a close friend, a crane, a stranger in a supermarket, a trombone, an estranged cousin, a coast live oak, or our hometown?

Using a number of contemporary stories as possible models, we will read and produce fictional works attentive to the possibilities of narrative as an embodiment of gift giving. We will also explore how notions of value are built upon and deviate from a number of narrative conventions. Through a critical and concentrated attention to language, we will produce writing that renders our imaginative provinces into dynamic narrative forms specifically intended for others. Throughout the quarter, we will also encourage and challenge one other to develop a concentrated writing practice in order to produce fiction that might succeed on a number of levels.

Required Text

Best American Short Stories 2021 (The Best American Series) 978-1328485397

There will also be a course reader.