Simone Savannah
The Creative Writing Workshop Model in the First-Year Composition Course:
An Annotated Bibliography
My research is focused on how Creative Writing workshops may be useful for teaching first-year composition. I think my topic is useful for further study because of the (unnecessary) line drawn between Creative Writing and Composition/English. In my experience, Creative Writing workshops and Composition courses have been defined as two distinctly different courses. I'm currently search for sources that support this as well as how the two courses can work together (and learn from each other) under the umbrella of English/English Studies. Chapter 11 ("Invitation to Further Study") in the St. Martin' s Guide to Teaching Writing really shed light on how my topic and research may be important to the field as well as writing teachers. I believe it falls under Central Concerns: The Content of First-Year Writing. First, the chapters notes the question of useful theories. I think (first-year) writing teachers are both eager to apply the theories that they've learned in training/preparation classes. These teachers may also be nervous about including particular theories because they wonder how successful the application will be. I know this is true for myself when thinking about theories that suggest using Creative Writing-like workshops in Composition courses. Additionally, Chapter 11 talks about the question of what readings to include in courses. If writing teachers are on board with using Creative Writing theories in their classes, will they also include readings about composing creative texts? Overall, I think my topic is important to our understanding of writing and to our teaching of writing because it offers a different perspective to composing "academic texts" while bridging the gap between Creative Writing and English/English Studies.
Berg, Danita. Re-composition: Considering the intersections of composition and creative writing theories and pedagogies. Tampa: University of South Florida, 2010. 99-155. Print.
Chapter Four of Berg’s dissertation examines how Creative Writing pedagogies can benefit the First-Year Composition classroom. She describes the similarities in teaching Composition and Creative Writing. She also outlines specific assignments based on pedagogies in both fields. Relying on Donald Murray’s sentiments towards the term “creative,” Berg considers how creative writing methodologies can inform the classroom teaching of writing courses that ‘belong’ to ‘composition,’ not ‘creative writing’” (100). She argues that First-Year Composition teachers should consider not only using Creative Writing genres in the classroom, but Creative Writing methodologies as well. First-Year Composition teachers interested in examining the commonalities in Creative Writing and Composition methodologies should read this particular chapter. These teachers may also find ways to implement Creative Writing methodologies in their classrooms.
Bishop, Wendy. "Suddenly Sexy: Creative Nonfiction Rear-Ends Composition." College English. 65.3 (2003): 257-275. Print.
In this article, Wendy Bishop discusses the emergence of Creative Nonfiction in English departments. She notes the personal essay as a form of Creative Nonfiction, and many composition specialists’ fear that the personal essay will limit students’ ability to practice writing other forms, such as the critical essay. She argues, however, that creative nonfiction is “a valuable speculative instrument” (269). She believes that using the personal essay in the Composition classroom will encourage students to care about what is required of them. Thus, Bishop is concerned with student engagement and creating lifelong writers. She suggests that treating students as writers will encourage student engagement and reflection. Along with structured and sequenced instruction/activities, students will experiences the pleasures of writing required texts. Bishop’s article will be helpful for looking at the ways in which first-year Composition teachers can facilitate (required) writing amongst students do not yet value the writing/writing experience in the Composition classroom. Her article is also useful for examining the relationship between Creative Writing and Composition. First-year Composition teachers may find that particular Creative Writing genres are valuable when it comes student engagement and students’ ability to write (including the writing process) non-Creative essays.
Bizzaro, Patrick “Should I Write This Essay or Finish a Poem? Teaching Writing Creatively.” College Composition and Communication 49 2 (May 1998): 285-87. Print.
Though Bizzaro is concerned with the question of whether or not Creative Writing can be taught, his article offers insight into teaching Composition. In his article, Bizzaro examines the ways in which Creative Writing can be taught and the relationship to his teaching and graduate school background. Readers find that he is a Creative Writing (workshop) teacher who has not taken a Creative Writing workshop, but believes that he can use his literary studies background to help him teach. He discovers, however, that teaching Creative Writing and teaching Composition require different efforts though there are some overlaps. Inasmuch, Bizzaro reflects on his experience as a teacher as well as books that he has read in order to revise his way of teaching workshops. His reflection helps to answer questions, such as “Can writing be taught? If so, how?” He also discovers and examines misconceptions about how to evaluate and encourage student writing. This article may be particularly useful for teachers who wish to reflect on their teaching methods and discover new ways to use workshops in the Composition classroom. The article is also valuable because it examines various teaching methods and applications.
Fishman, Jenn, Andrea Lunsford, Beth McGregor, and Mark Otuteye. "Performing Writing, Performing Literacy." College Composition and Communication. 57.2 (2005): 224-52. Print.
In this article, the authors examine how performance contributes to students’ development as writers. Fishman et al specifically look at the literacy and development of early college students. Throughout the article, they claim that performance is an expression of literacy, and should be included in the Composition classroom. Furthermore, the article looks at the relationship between Rhetoric, Composition, and Performance Studies. Alongside performance theorists, the authors claim that performance creates a sense of audience for some writers and allows writers to deliver texts not only through (oral) language, but through body movements as well. The article also examines students’ confidence in relation to writing both in class and outside of class. Additionally, the authors provide two students’ written presentations on performance and writing. This article may be particularly useful for looking at how First-Year Composition teachers can create space for performance in the classroom, and how performance may be useful for examining and encouraging student writing. The student presentations may be valuable for teachers who want to study how performance relates to particular student needs.
Freisinger, Randall R. "Creative Writing and Creative Composition." College English 40.3 (1978): 283-287.
In this article, Freisinger claims that the Creative Writing workshop is applicable to the Composition classroom. After describing the Creative Writing workshop, he states that strategies used in workshops are useful in his composition courses. For example, he discovered that the teacher as a writer/friend who does not dictate the writing experience also works well in Composition courses. Merging Creative Writing and Composition, Freisinger creates a model for what he calls “Creative Composition”. As he describes the model, he claims that there are particular results, including audience awareness that stem from using a Creative Writing workshop model in Composition courses. Freisinger also provides various reasons why students are drawn to the model and the Creative Writing class, and how teachers could use those reasons to boost student engagement and what they think about the First-Year Composition course. Because it provides two perspectives/experiences, this article may be valuable to first-year Composition teachers who would like to use the Creative Writing workshop model in their classrooms. These teachers may find how easy and rewarding it is to transfer teaching strategies from the Creative Writing field to the Composition field by looking at a specific and effective model.
Harper, Graeme. "The International Journal for the Practice & Theory of Creative Writing." International Journal for the Practice & Theory of Creative Writing. 6.2 (2009): 85-89. Print.
In “Creative Writing: The Human Event,” Harper distinguishes the difference between the process and the product. He terms “Creative Writing” as the process rather than the product, and calls the products their specific names (poetry, fiction, etc.). Inasmuch, he notes that Creative Writing is a process that has been misunderstood and misrepresented. Additionally, he notes the product as a commodity. He claims 20th century technology (i.e. the internet) as a reason for the prioritization of product over process. Furthermore, people/consumers are only concerned with the product rather than the process of creative writing. Process over product, he notes, prohibits consumers from examining the activity, or the Creative Writing process itself. This article may be useful when looking at the importance creative writers put on the process versus the product. Creative Writing Instructors who are concerned with having student focus on activity rather than (more on) the end result may look to this article as gateway to understanding why students may value product and choose not to explore the actions/activity it takes to produce a piece of Creative Writing.
Lardner, Ted. "Locating the Boundaries of Composition and Creative Writing."College Composition and Communication. 51.1 (1999): 72-77. Print.
In this article, Lardner claims that Creative Writing and Writing (Composition) are in the margins of Literary Studies. He notes that though Creative Writing and Writing share common practices and objectives, they function differently in academia. Additionally, Lardner describes and examines Richard Fulkerson’s four elements of composition theory. In its criticism of the Creative Writing discipline, the article also identifies what Creative Writing can learn from Composition. Lardner’s article may be useful for First-Year Composition teachers who wish to use the Creative Writing model. They could examine the Creative Writing discipline through this article and finds ways to revise the model and include in it their classrooms. Teachers could also examine their positions as writers and teachers in the English department. This type of examination may be useful for revising their pedagogies and instruction.
McCaw, Neil. "New Writing." International Journal for the Practice & Theory of Creative Writing. 8.1 (2011): 25-34. Print
In this article, McCaw notes the importance of the Creative Writing workshop. He specifically notes the close reading component as an important feature of the workshop because it encourages students to examine and appreciate their own writing techniques as well as the techniques of others. Moreover, as close reading participants, students discover exactly what assists their own creative writing, especially in the creative writing process. Upon noting close reading as an important factor in Creative Writing pedagogy, McCaw examines a problem with close reading in the classroom, stating that the process lacks creativity, and that this is particularly problematic for the creative writing classroom. He claims that this lack of creativity stems from (traditional) functionalist creative writing pedagogy, and should move toward an imaginative approach. This imaginative approach would enhance students’ development as (creative) writers. This source will be particularly useful for examining formulaic or non-formulaic close reading in Creative Writing workshops, and how Creative Writing instructors can modify close reading agendas in their own classrooms in order for students to not only examine the techniques of other writers, but to examine/imagine their classmates’ work beyond content and form. It may also be useful in identifying what else is important to consider in the Creative Writing process.
Meyers, D.G. "The Rise of Creative Writing." Journal of the History of Ideas. 54.2 (1993): 277-97. Print.
This particular article gives an historical overview of Creative Writing and its relationship to Composition. Throughout the article, Meyers examines the teaching methods and models of both Creative Writing and Composition. Meyers also describes Creative Writing and the Creative Writing workshop and their objectives, stating that, they were designed to reform Literary Studies/Composition. He also outlines the theories and methods that central figures contributed to Creative Writing. This article has much to offer about the connections between Rhetoric, Creative Writing, and Composition. First-Year Composition teachers may find it valuable when looking at how the Creative Writing workshop or the field in general may help in revising particular methods of teaching Composition. Furthermore, Composition teachers may find it useful for examining the ways in which the (umbrella) field of Literary Studies was reformed.
Smitherman, Carey, and Amanda Girard. "Currents in Teaching and Learning." Currents in Teaching and Learning. 3.2 (2011): 49-57. Print.
In this article, Smitherman and Girard argue that students need to be introduced to Composition theories in order to increase their development as writers. The authors also outline the goals of Writing Across the Curriculum and it particular models. Smitherman and Girard suggest that teachers can use a Creative Writing Model when discussing Composition theory with First-Year students. They argue that using that particular model for discussing theory and instructing writing will help students believe they are writers as well as encourage them to discuss writing. This article may be useful for First-Year Composition teachers who want their students to think of themselves as writers. It considers Creative Writing as a particular method, so teachers may become interested in what specific Creative Writing theories and/or methodologies would be useful in a First-Year Composition course.
The Creative Writing Workshop Model in the First-Year Composition Course:
An Annotated Bibliography
My research is focused on how Creative Writing workshops may be useful for teaching first-year composition. I think my topic is useful for further study because of the (unnecessary) line drawn between Creative Writing and Composition/English. In my experience, Creative Writing workshops and Composition courses have been defined as two distinctly different courses. I'm currently search for sources that support this as well as how the two courses can work together (and learn from each other) under the umbrella of English/English Studies. Chapter 11 ("Invitation to Further Study") in the St. Martin' s Guide to Teaching Writing really shed light on how my topic and research may be important to the field as well as writing teachers. I believe it falls under Central Concerns: The Content of First-Year Writing. First, the chapters notes the question of useful theories. I think (first-year) writing teachers are both eager to apply the theories that they've learned in training/preparation classes. These teachers may also be nervous about including particular theories because they wonder how successful the application will be. I know this is true for myself when thinking about theories that suggest using Creative Writing-like workshops in Composition courses. Additionally, Chapter 11 talks about the question of what readings to include in courses. If writing teachers are on board with using Creative Writing theories in their classes, will they also include readings about composing creative texts? Overall, I think my topic is important to our understanding of writing and to our teaching of writing because it offers a different perspective to composing "academic texts" while bridging the gap between Creative Writing and English/English Studies.
Berg, Danita. Re-composition: Considering the intersections of composition and creative writing theories and pedagogies. Tampa: University of South Florida, 2010. 99-155. Print.
Chapter Four of Berg’s dissertation examines how Creative Writing pedagogies can benefit the First-Year Composition classroom. She describes the similarities in teaching Composition and Creative Writing. She also outlines specific assignments based on pedagogies in both fields. Relying on Donald Murray’s sentiments towards the term “creative,” Berg considers how creative writing methodologies can inform the classroom teaching of writing courses that ‘belong’ to ‘composition,’ not ‘creative writing’” (100). She argues that First-Year Composition teachers should consider not only using Creative Writing genres in the classroom, but Creative Writing methodologies as well. First-Year Composition teachers interested in examining the commonalities in Creative Writing and Composition methodologies should read this particular chapter. These teachers may also find ways to implement Creative Writing methodologies in their classrooms.
Bishop, Wendy. "Suddenly Sexy: Creative Nonfiction Rear-Ends Composition." College English. 65.3 (2003): 257-275. Print.
In this article, Wendy Bishop discusses the emergence of Creative Nonfiction in English departments. She notes the personal essay as a form of Creative Nonfiction, and many composition specialists’ fear that the personal essay will limit students’ ability to practice writing other forms, such as the critical essay. She argues, however, that creative nonfiction is “a valuable speculative instrument” (269). She believes that using the personal essay in the Composition classroom will encourage students to care about what is required of them. Thus, Bishop is concerned with student engagement and creating lifelong writers. She suggests that treating students as writers will encourage student engagement and reflection. Along with structured and sequenced instruction/activities, students will experiences the pleasures of writing required texts. Bishop’s article will be helpful for looking at the ways in which first-year Composition teachers can facilitate (required) writing amongst students do not yet value the writing/writing experience in the Composition classroom. Her article is also useful for examining the relationship between Creative Writing and Composition. First-year Composition teachers may find that particular Creative Writing genres are valuable when it comes student engagement and students’ ability to write (including the writing process) non-Creative essays.
Bizzaro, Patrick “Should I Write This Essay or Finish a Poem? Teaching Writing Creatively.” College Composition and Communication 49 2 (May 1998): 285-87. Print.
Though Bizzaro is concerned with the question of whether or not Creative Writing can be taught, his article offers insight into teaching Composition. In his article, Bizzaro examines the ways in which Creative Writing can be taught and the relationship to his teaching and graduate school background. Readers find that he is a Creative Writing (workshop) teacher who has not taken a Creative Writing workshop, but believes that he can use his literary studies background to help him teach. He discovers, however, that teaching Creative Writing and teaching Composition require different efforts though there are some overlaps. Inasmuch, Bizzaro reflects on his experience as a teacher as well as books that he has read in order to revise his way of teaching workshops. His reflection helps to answer questions, such as “Can writing be taught? If so, how?” He also discovers and examines misconceptions about how to evaluate and encourage student writing. This article may be particularly useful for teachers who wish to reflect on their teaching methods and discover new ways to use workshops in the Composition classroom. The article is also valuable because it examines various teaching methods and applications.
Fishman, Jenn, Andrea Lunsford, Beth McGregor, and Mark Otuteye. "Performing Writing, Performing Literacy." College Composition and Communication. 57.2 (2005): 224-52. Print.
In this article, the authors examine how performance contributes to students’ development as writers. Fishman et al specifically look at the literacy and development of early college students. Throughout the article, they claim that performance is an expression of literacy, and should be included in the Composition classroom. Furthermore, the article looks at the relationship between Rhetoric, Composition, and Performance Studies. Alongside performance theorists, the authors claim that performance creates a sense of audience for some writers and allows writers to deliver texts not only through (oral) language, but through body movements as well. The article also examines students’ confidence in relation to writing both in class and outside of class. Additionally, the authors provide two students’ written presentations on performance and writing. This article may be particularly useful for looking at how First-Year Composition teachers can create space for performance in the classroom, and how performance may be useful for examining and encouraging student writing. The student presentations may be valuable for teachers who want to study how performance relates to particular student needs.
Freisinger, Randall R. "Creative Writing and Creative Composition." College English 40.3 (1978): 283-287.
In this article, Freisinger claims that the Creative Writing workshop is applicable to the Composition classroom. After describing the Creative Writing workshop, he states that strategies used in workshops are useful in his composition courses. For example, he discovered that the teacher as a writer/friend who does not dictate the writing experience also works well in Composition courses. Merging Creative Writing and Composition, Freisinger creates a model for what he calls “Creative Composition”. As he describes the model, he claims that there are particular results, including audience awareness that stem from using a Creative Writing workshop model in Composition courses. Freisinger also provides various reasons why students are drawn to the model and the Creative Writing class, and how teachers could use those reasons to boost student engagement and what they think about the First-Year Composition course. Because it provides two perspectives/experiences, this article may be valuable to first-year Composition teachers who would like to use the Creative Writing workshop model in their classrooms. These teachers may find how easy and rewarding it is to transfer teaching strategies from the Creative Writing field to the Composition field by looking at a specific and effective model.
Harper, Graeme. "The International Journal for the Practice & Theory of Creative Writing." International Journal for the Practice & Theory of Creative Writing. 6.2 (2009): 85-89. Print.
In “Creative Writing: The Human Event,” Harper distinguishes the difference between the process and the product. He terms “Creative Writing” as the process rather than the product, and calls the products their specific names (poetry, fiction, etc.). Inasmuch, he notes that Creative Writing is a process that has been misunderstood and misrepresented. Additionally, he notes the product as a commodity. He claims 20th century technology (i.e. the internet) as a reason for the prioritization of product over process. Furthermore, people/consumers are only concerned with the product rather than the process of creative writing. Process over product, he notes, prohibits consumers from examining the activity, or the Creative Writing process itself. This article may be useful when looking at the importance creative writers put on the process versus the product. Creative Writing Instructors who are concerned with having student focus on activity rather than (more on) the end result may look to this article as gateway to understanding why students may value product and choose not to explore the actions/activity it takes to produce a piece of Creative Writing.
Lardner, Ted. "Locating the Boundaries of Composition and Creative Writing."College Composition and Communication. 51.1 (1999): 72-77. Print.
In this article, Lardner claims that Creative Writing and Writing (Composition) are in the margins of Literary Studies. He notes that though Creative Writing and Writing share common practices and objectives, they function differently in academia. Additionally, Lardner describes and examines Richard Fulkerson’s four elements of composition theory. In its criticism of the Creative Writing discipline, the article also identifies what Creative Writing can learn from Composition. Lardner’s article may be useful for First-Year Composition teachers who wish to use the Creative Writing model. They could examine the Creative Writing discipline through this article and finds ways to revise the model and include in it their classrooms. Teachers could also examine their positions as writers and teachers in the English department. This type of examination may be useful for revising their pedagogies and instruction.
McCaw, Neil. "New Writing." International Journal for the Practice & Theory of Creative Writing. 8.1 (2011): 25-34. Print
In this article, McCaw notes the importance of the Creative Writing workshop. He specifically notes the close reading component as an important feature of the workshop because it encourages students to examine and appreciate their own writing techniques as well as the techniques of others. Moreover, as close reading participants, students discover exactly what assists their own creative writing, especially in the creative writing process. Upon noting close reading as an important factor in Creative Writing pedagogy, McCaw examines a problem with close reading in the classroom, stating that the process lacks creativity, and that this is particularly problematic for the creative writing classroom. He claims that this lack of creativity stems from (traditional) functionalist creative writing pedagogy, and should move toward an imaginative approach. This imaginative approach would enhance students’ development as (creative) writers. This source will be particularly useful for examining formulaic or non-formulaic close reading in Creative Writing workshops, and how Creative Writing instructors can modify close reading agendas in their own classrooms in order for students to not only examine the techniques of other writers, but to examine/imagine their classmates’ work beyond content and form. It may also be useful in identifying what else is important to consider in the Creative Writing process.
Meyers, D.G. "The Rise of Creative Writing." Journal of the History of Ideas. 54.2 (1993): 277-97. Print.
This particular article gives an historical overview of Creative Writing and its relationship to Composition. Throughout the article, Meyers examines the teaching methods and models of both Creative Writing and Composition. Meyers also describes Creative Writing and the Creative Writing workshop and their objectives, stating that, they were designed to reform Literary Studies/Composition. He also outlines the theories and methods that central figures contributed to Creative Writing. This article has much to offer about the connections between Rhetoric, Creative Writing, and Composition. First-Year Composition teachers may find it valuable when looking at how the Creative Writing workshop or the field in general may help in revising particular methods of teaching Composition. Furthermore, Composition teachers may find it useful for examining the ways in which the (umbrella) field of Literary Studies was reformed.
Smitherman, Carey, and Amanda Girard. "Currents in Teaching and Learning." Currents in Teaching and Learning. 3.2 (2011): 49-57. Print.
In this article, Smitherman and Girard argue that students need to be introduced to Composition theories in order to increase their development as writers. The authors also outline the goals of Writing Across the Curriculum and it particular models. Smitherman and Girard suggest that teachers can use a Creative Writing Model when discussing Composition theory with First-Year students. They argue that using that particular model for discussing theory and instructing writing will help students believe they are writers as well as encourage them to discuss writing. This article may be useful for First-Year Composition teachers who want their students to think of themselves as writers. It considers Creative Writing as a particular method, so teachers may become interested in what specific Creative Writing theories and/or methodologies would be useful in a First-Year Composition course.