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Word Play: Creative Writing, Ecological Literature, and Book Arts

Quarters
Fall Open
Location
Olympia
Class Standing
Freshman
Sophomore
Steven Hendricks
Miranda Mellis

This creative writing, book arts, and literature program takes the art of reading as its central theme. By 'wordplay' we mean reading and writing with full attention to a text at all levels, from a single word to a whole book, and engaging with language, poetry, and narrative in all their weird and wondrous potential. Our literary study, including work by Samuel Beckett, Renee Gladman, Italo Calvino, and Lisa Robertson, will introduce students to critical and close reading, interpretative strategies, and literary studies in general. Through lectures, seminars, and essay writing, students will learn to engage with literature in new ways. Student essays will grow from rich encounters with texts and develop through supportive feedback, peer discussion, and revision.Creative writing workshops will draw on principles from ecological literature, a mode of thinking about writing that draws on observational and contemplative activities. We’ll pay attention to how our work with words can reflect complex interdependencies across the natural world. In Evergreen’s book arts studio, students will be introduced to basic hand bookbinding skills and experimental approaches that offer new relationships with books, words, and reading. Students will also participate in Evergreen’s “Writing Lab”, a six-part series led by librarian Stokely Towles that emphasizes free writing, drawing, and other creative practices.

Greener Foundations This program is coordinated with for first-year students. Greener Foundations is Evergreen’s in-person 2-quarter introductory student success course sequence, which provides first-year students with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive at Evergreen. Students expected to take will be prompted to register for a 2-credit Greener Foundations course in addition to this 14-credit program during registration. Students will be prompted to register for Greener Foundations with their new winter program to complete the 4-credits of Greener Foundations.

Fall Anticipated Credit Equivalencies

4 - Literary Studies

4 - Creative Writing and Ecological Literature

4 - Creative Writing and Book Arts

2 - Expository Writing

Registration

Course Reference Numbers

Fr (14): 10111
So (14): 10366

Academic Details

literary arts and visual arts

14
52
Freshman
Sophomore

Students might choose to spend, at their discretion, anywhere from $20 to $100 to purchase tools and/or materials to complete projects.

Schedule

Fall
2023
Open
In Person (F)

See definition of Hybrid, Remote, and In-Person instruction

Day
Schedule Details
LAB 2 0233 - Letter Press
Olympia