One of my favorite teachers and mentors passed away this month. Sam Moon of Knox College was 89. I knew him, when I first came to Knox, as the founder (with Robin Metz) of the creative writing program. He let me in my first poetry workshop (though I didn’t have the prerequisite) and taught meContinue reading “In Memoriam: Sam Moon”
Category Archives: Writing
Teaching Creative Writing to Undergraduates
It was nice recently to receive a contributor’s copy of a book that I’m in (briefly). I contributed a 3-page response to questions about Chapter 4, “Facilitating the Writer’s Workshop: Helping Students Become Good Critics (Of Themselves and Others).” I’ll leave it to others to weigh the value of my remarks, but I was intriguedContinue reading “Teaching Creative Writing to Undergraduates”
Dueling Advice on Writing
This is the first semester in a long time that I’ve taught two writing classes at the same time. I have an introductory multi-genre Creative Writing class and an upper-level Poetry Writing Workshop on the same day. It might get a little schizophrenic. Today I was teaching Image to the Creative Writing class, but willContinue reading “Dueling Advice on Writing”
A Great Summer Read
One Last Good Time by Michael Kardos I love the dark humor in these stories. The book is a linked short story collection in which the stories that have returning characters comment on each other and further develop the characters, though the collection does not read like a novel. Each story stands on its own, yetContinue reading “A Great Summer Read”
New Book Review
The Hands of Strangers by Michael F. Smith My rating: 5 of 5 stars In this gripping tale of a child’s abduction and the struggles of one couple to hang on to hope despite all odds, Michael F. Smith evokes the darkest fears a parent can imagine. His prose is clean and spare, his eyeContinue reading “New Book Review”
Treasure your Word Hoard
Classes are over, exams are graded, and I finally have time to get back to the blog, which means I have time to write and think about something other than papers and exams! This morning on the walk, as I was processing last semester’s writing class and thinking about what I’d like to be ableContinue reading “Treasure your Word Hoard”
Nonfiction, what is it?
I’m constantly being asked this question, since the creative writing program I teach in has a class in it (that I don’t teach, but I’m the program director, so I get asked a lot anyway). It’s a tough one to answer, and usually I list some of the kinds of writing, I think might beContinue reading “Nonfiction, what is it?”
Publish Your Poetry Book (Without Getting Scammed)
Recently, I received an email from a local writer, asking for advice on how to publish a book of poems. I’ve never read her poetry, so I could only give general advice, and since I get this kind of question a lot, I thought I’d post my reply here. Publishing a book of poetry canContinue reading “Publish Your Poetry Book (Without Getting Scammed)”
Write about place
I have often given my creative writing students the journal assignment to write about a place they remember from when they were 8-13 years old. This seems to work well, since we all have someplace we used to go that holds a lot of memories. The combination of memory and description can be evocative, chargingContinue reading “Write about place”
Historical Markers
Here’s a writing exercise I haven’t given to any of my classes (yet), mostly because I’m not sure when they’ll be driving. Stop at a historical marker. It may be one you pass on a regular basis without sopping or one that you see on a trip. Read the marker and look around you. NoteContinue reading “Historical Markers”
Kendall Dunkelberg 