SPAN 75.01 Writing the Short Story
By asking students to both read and write short stories in Spanish, this course explores how narrating can yield new forms of knowledge about the world around us. As we approach creative work as a way to begin understanding the experiences of others, we will observe a productive constraint: to never write about ourselves. Instead, students will construct characters and find voices through literature as well as through art, ethnography, current events, and even the campus and surrounding areas. Each week, careful analysis of texts by authors such as Silvina Ocampo, Valeria Luiselli, and Liliana Colanzi will highlight the reciprocity between reading and writing, while creative “labs” will cultivate story ideas. Practicing techniques such as listening and interviewing will help students generate material, and during in-class workshops they will receive feedback on drafts of their short stories. The course welcomes students with a range of writing skills, and no previous creative writing experience is required.
Instructor
23S: Broner