Syllabus

Creative Writing and the art of the Book

a weekend intensive course

ENG 320 4 credits - June 18 & 19, 25 & 26, July 9 & 10, 23 & 24

Instructor: Barbara Drake

bdrake@linfield.edu 503-883-2288 (office) or 503-662-3373 (home)

 

Texts: No purchased texts. I will give assignment handouts and pass around various book examples in class

 

Supplies: The course fee will cover materials including book board, acid free decorative papers, book cloth, linen book thread and stitching cord, PVA glue, waxed paper, white and colored copy papers, and needles. Although we have some awls (for making stitching holes in covers and papers), self-healing cutting boards, knives, pliers, and other tools to share, for convenience, you should be prepared to bring the following, available at the campus bookstore and many art stores:

 

• bone folder (a white blade-like tool for book making)
• metal ruler, at least 18"
• utility knife (Your utility knife can be anything from a box cutter to an x-acto knife. I prefer the inexpensive small knives with break-off blades because they come with lots of blades. My favorite is a Sparco brand.)

Goals:

The goal of this class is to introduce students to ways in which they can create original pieces of writing in various genres and present that writing by making one-of-a-kind handmade books, chapbooks, poetry post cards, literary magazines or zines, and creative broadsides. Emphasis is on creative writing with graphic presentation. The course will also include a brief introduction to desktop publishing programs.

 

Creative Writing and the Art of the Book will be of interest to creative writing and English majors, those considering writing, literary publishing, or teaching, and anyone who wants a creative workshop experience combining creative writing and handmade books. No prerequisites.

We will cover the following:

•       Simple book binding, including a case bound (hardback) journal, an accordion book, a Japanese account book, and a soft cover stab binding.
•       Introductory Creative Writing, ranging from prose poems, journal free writes and short poems to collage writing, nonfiction, and sudden fiction.
•       Zines and literary magazines
•       Simple desktop publishing techniques, layout, and typography—introduction to Adobe PhotoShop, InDesign, and Illustrator.
•       A brief history of book arts and literature, ranging from Blake to the Modernist avant garde, small press publications, and the contemporary graphic novel.

WRITING AND BOOK ASSIGNMENTS

The course will be conducted as a workshop with in-class writing, bookmaking exercises, and discussion. You will be asked to complete and polish some of your work outside class. Following are some of the types of writing and some of the book or print projects we will cover. I’ll explain these with handouts and examples in class:

 

Writing

• keeping a journal (in case bound journal which we’ll make the first day of class)
• writing from photos a) association b) narrative
• using found materials, overheard dialogue, and observed actions
• early memories, in prose and poetry
• close observation--prose passage
• association and loop writing
• concrete poems
• word collage
• the "Brevity" essay (500 words)
• surrealist stories, prose poems, and sudden fiction
• poetry in forms, traditional (pantoum, sestina, villanelle, haiku) and invented
• the Brevity essay

 

Book and Print Arts

•       poetry broadside
•       language post card
•       casebound Journal
•       zine or chapbook
•       accordion book
•       work collected with soft cover stab binding
•       individually bound assemblage (Japanese account book binding)
• five frame cartoon narrative (images may be drawn or collaged from magazines or other sources.)

Grades:

 

Traditionally, to focus attention on experimentation, revision, and learning, creative writing workshops do not assign grades to each individual assignment. Students who complete all basic requirements on schedule, attend all classes, and take part in workshop exercises and discussions--in other words, do a good job of fulfilling all requirements--will receive at least a B for the final grade in the course. Students who exceed basic expectations will receive higher grades. To "exceed basic expectations" means to produce exceptionally high quality work or to show exceptional effort in revision and improvement. Students who are short on basic requirements (missing class time, failing to take part in discussion, failure to complete assignments, careless work) will receive lower than a B. Feel free to ask me about your grade if you wish.

 

Attendance:

Attendance will be taken for each class. Absences or chronic lateness will affect your final grade. You are responsible for material covered during missed classtime. Absence is not a valid excuse for coming to the following class unprepared, or for not having an assignment completed that was given when you were absent.

Class Schedule:

 

June 18 & 19

EARLY ASSIGNMENT: collect and bring to the first class 4-6 snapshots (family, friends, vacations, old or new, relatives you don’t recognize or ones you do, any photos that interest you) and two or three small objects with sentimental or symbolic value.

BOOK: CASE BOUND JOURNAL.

WRITING FROM PHOTOGRAPHS and memory prompts, loop writing, journaling, and illustrating your journal.

Introduction to form and forms in poetry and concrete poetry. Poetry post card assignment for next week.

 

June 25 & 26

ACCORDION BOOK

DESKTOP PUBLISHING: Introduction to Adobe desktop publishing programs. Bring disk with some text or pictures, or email text and pictures to yourself. (I’ll explain).

WRITING sudden fiction, surrealism, Prose poems, and short short stories.

 

July 9 & 10

BOOK: SOFT COVER WITH STAB BINDING.

Introduction to zines and chapbooks.

Writing the Brevity essay.

Catching up from previous classes as necessary.

video

 

July 23 & 24

Zine or chapbook due. Assemblage pages due.

BOOK: JAPANESE ACOUNT BOOK/ASSEMBLAGE

five frame graphic story & overall review

Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations, who have any emergency medical information the instructor should know of, or who need special arrangements in the event of evacuation, should make an appointment with the instructor as early as possible, no later than the first week of the semester.

 

Anyone with concerns or problems with the class, please see me as soon as possible so that we can resolve them. I want this class to be enjoyable and rewarding for all concerned.