Courses: Fall 2021

All CWL courses 4 credits unless noted otherwise. FLM courses 2-3 credits.

NB: Fall semester begins Monday, August 23rd. Classes are not in session on Monday, September 6th, Labor Day. Fall break is Monday, October 11th – 12th. Thanksgiving break is: Wednesday, November 24th – Sunday, November 8th. Last day of Saturday classes is Saturday, December 4th. Last day of M-F classes is Monday, December 6th. Official end of term is Thursday, December 16th.

Fulltime First Year = 12 credits per semester
Fulltime Second Year = 9 credits per semester

MFA Degree requirements:
1 Introduction to Creative writing (CWL 500) = 4 credits
6 writing workshops = 24 credits
2 literature workshops = 8 credits
Practica = 4 credits
Thesis = 6 credits

Total: 46 credits

GRADUATE COURSES IN SOUTHAMPTON

Stony Brook Southampton: Chancellors Hall or Carriage House (Technology Center).
239 Montauk Highway; Southampton, New York 11963

CWL 520.S01 #93417, Forms of Poetry: The Art of Voice / 50 Poems, Molly Gaudry (4 cr.)
Mondays 2:40 – 5:30 pm (In-person—Social Distancing Pattern)
In this course, we’ll read about and discuss a variety of techniques for crafting a compelling, distinctive, and memorable speaking self / persona / poetic voice. Plan to produce at least fifty poems by the end of the semester, many of which you’ll begin in class. N.B. As this course privileges generation over revision there are no formal workshops, but students will have time in class to share poems-in-progress and receive feedback throughout the semester. Required texts: Tony Hoagland’s The Art of Voice: Poetic Principles and Practice; Ross Gay’s Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude; Chen Chen’s When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities; E. Briskin’s Orange; Ada Limón’s Bright Dead Things.

CWL 535.S01 #93426, Writing in Multiple Genres: Artists’ Choice, Paul Harding (4 cr.)
Mondays, 6:05 – 9:00 pm (In-person—Social Distancing Pattern)
You wrote it; we’ll workshop it. In the name of art defining itself, let’s (largely) set genres and labels aside for a semester and concentrate on reading and discussing one another’s writing according to what we perceive as its own terms, its own form, its own internal integrity. Let’s even swap “narrative prose” for “fiction,” and allow that the truth of any given piece always lies in some or other synthesis of imagination and fact. In other words, bring your stories and your narrative non-fiction, your novel excerpts and your kind-of-a-memoirs, regardless of genre or form, and we will seriously, cheerfully, and open-mindedly devote the best of our attention to their fullest realizations."

CWL 510.S60 #93422, Forms of Fiction: Short Story, Susan Minot (4 cr.)
Mondays, 6:05 – 9:00 pm (Hybrid.)
As our 2013 Nobel Laureate Alice Munro recently said, the short story is “an important art, not just something you played around with until you got a novel.” Focus in this workshop will be on the building blocks of the short story: style, structure and content. In class discussions of student fiction, we will focus on refinement of that style, on varieties of structure, with an eye to finding the subject best suited to each writer. Strong editorial feedback will assist the students in both practicing editing on their fellow students, as well as learning the value of doing draft after draft in order to strengthen and focus the material of his or her concern. Mastery of one’s craft is our goal. Suggested outside reading will direct students to the masters, choosing from among: Anton Chekhov, Raymond Carver, Lydia Davis, Amy Hempel, Franz Kafka, Flannery O'Conner, John Cheever, Katherine Mansfield, Ernest Hemingway, Lorrie Moore, and James Salter.

CWL 582.S01 #93421: Practicum in Publishing & Editing, Lou Ann Walker & Scott Sullivan
NB: One instructor will be in Southampton and the other in Manhattan, (1 – 4 cr.)
 Tuesdays, 11:30 – 2:10 pm (Hybrid: This course will be taught jointly. You may take this course in either location, or online. )
 Under the guidance of editors and advisors, students will be exposed to the hands-on process of editing and publishing TSR: The Southampton Review. Yes, the P& E Practicum is designed to give you experience in editing a literary and arts review. But here’s the secret: This practicum also provides an excellent means for you to build your skills as a writer. For example, as you read submissions in Submittable, you’ll be seeing what works and doesn’t work in cover letters. You’ll be examining successful structures in fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and poetry. You’ll be acquiring editing diagnostic tools. And you’ll be drilling down to what works line by line throughout a creative piece. We’ll discuss word choices, juxtapositions, imagery, symbolism, all that good stuff.

CWL 560.S01 #94569, Topics in Literature: Epic Echoes, Susan Scarf Merrell (4 cr.)
Tuesdays, 2:40 - 5:30 pm (In-person—Social Distancing Pattern)
Students will begin with Homer’s Odyssey and then go on to read a range of fictions based on that work, including parts of Joyce’s Ulysses, and such books as As I Lay Dying, The Wizard of Oz, The Penelopiad, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Ransom, Beloved, The Lost Books of the Odyssey, and Circe. We will become proficient in recognizing the echoes of earlier work in more recent fiction, and students will also produce epic journey fictions of their own.

CWL 580.S01 #93418, Practicum in Arts Administration, Christian McLean, (1 – 4 cr.) 
Wednesdays, 11 am – 12:30 pm (In-person)
 This course teaches important skills in arts/event management. It provides education in marketing, design and software that will boost your résumé and increase your workplace skill set. We’ll examine work/volunteer opportunities in local arts organizations and you will design an MFA event from the ground up. Learn the basics in Photoshop, Mailmerge, Google Docs/Sheets, Constant Contact, plus Facebook and Twitter ads. Completion of at least 6 program credits or permission of instructor required.

CWL 500.S01 #93452, Introduction to Graduate Writing, Carla Caglioti and Paul Harding (4 cr.)
Wednesdays, 6:05 – 9:00 pm (Hybrid. In-person in Southampton.)
A seminar that introduces students to one another, the faculty, the program in Creative Writing and Literature, and to issues in contemporary writing. Offered in conjunction with the “Writers Speak” lecture series. Students will attend the regular series of readings sponsored by the Writing program and meet at weekly intervals under the direction of a faculty advisor to discuss and write about topics raised in lecture series, as well as issues generated from seminar discussions and assigned readings.

Please note: CWL 500 is a requirement and we encourage you to take this course in your first year.

CWL 540.S01 #94570: Forms of Creative Nonfiction: The Story You Are, Roger Rosenblatt (4 cr.)
Thursdays, 2:40 - 5:30 pm (In-person—Social Distancing Pattern)
Every good writer finds a story or theme that defines the writer’s work, then returns to it again and again. Believe it or not, you can find Portrait of the Artist in Finnegan’s Wake, if you’re willing to devote a year or two to the hunt. In a way, the pursuit of that one story is the pursuit of a life. And no matter how many times or complicated ways you digress from your story, you always return to it because that story also shows your particular strength as a writer. And by writing it, you are playing to your strength.
This course attempts to help you discover and recognize the story you are—to establish it, refine it, and to make that story clear to you, so that when you write it again and again you know what you’re doing, as you become expert in yourself. You’ll write a number of pieces and exercises in different genres. You’ll do reading relevant to the subject. Mainly, you’ll search and forage for the artist you’ll be for the rest of your life. Warning label: You may not find it. . .yet.

CWL 565.S01 #93453, Special Topics in Writing: Fantasy, Dystopian Fiction, SF Writing Workshop: Building Your Brave New World, Kaylie Jones (4 cr.)
 Thursdays, 6:05 – 9:00 pm (In-person—Social Distancing Pattern)  
The most difficult aspect of writing about imaginary worlds is the world building, as you are starting with a completely blank canvass. Finding the right balance between too much information, and not enough information, is where most of us get hung up. We will focus on the best ways to inform the reader of the landscape and culture of this new and unknown society, as well as the need for consistency and believability. What information is crucial, and what can be left for later on in the narrative? We will explore tension-building: the events, large or small, that propel the main characters on their journey. We will also look at the openings of some of our best SF/dystopian/fantasy novels, and how their worlds are so beautifully defined within this context. Whether you already have a substantial number of pages written, or are starting from scratch, this workshop will help you move your narrative forward in a clear and consistent way.

CWL 510.S01 #93416 Forms of Fiction: The Novel, De’Shawn Winslow (4 cr.)
Thursdays, 6:05 – 9:00 pm (Online.)
During our semester together we'll discuss ways in which we can keep our reader engaged on every page, looking closely at ways to construct lively dialogue, surprising plot points, and fascinating characterizations. Our goal will be to never give our readers a reason to put our work back on the shelf "for later."
We’ll do short writing exercises to further develop our muscle for enticing our readers to follow us to the next paragraph. Students will have the opportunity to workshop two pieces (up to 25 pages per submission). I welcome short stories and/or the first pages of a novel. Writers who take this course will leave with the skills and strategies to write fiction readers can’t put down.

Thesis—CWL 599 (1 – 6 credits)
You will need your thesis planning form on file and approval of thesis advisor to register. However, if you have not yet settled on an advisor or focus for thesis, you can enroll in Pre-Thesis Planning for 1 credit. Students in Pre-Thesis will be completing the Thesis Planning Form by the end of semester.

Schedule based in Southampton.
.V01 #93368 Merrell 
.V02 #93369 Rosenblatt
 .V03 #93370 Walker
 .V04 #93371 Jones
 .V05 #93372 Caglioti 
.V06 #93373 Handley Chandler 
.V08 #93375 Harding
 .V09 #93376 Reeves 
.V10 #93377 Bank
 .V11 #93378 Brandeis
 .V12 #93379 Walker – Pre-thesis Planning, 1 cr.
 .V13 #93380 Hempel 
.V14 #93381 Marx
 .V15 #93382 Gaudry 
.V16 #93383 Minot 
.V18 #93454 TBD

GRADUATE COURSES IN MANHATTAN

Stony Brook Manhattan: 535 Eighth Avenue, 5th floor, between 36th and 37th streets

Please submit a course substitution form for FLM courses in order that they can be credited toward fulfilling CWL requirements. FLM courses are 2‐3 credits, so additional course, practicum, or independent study may be necessary to complete the degree credit requirements.

CWL 510.S60 #93422, Forms of Fiction: Short Story, Susan Minot (4 cr.)
Mondays, 6:05 – 9:00 pm (Hybrid.)
As our 2013 Nobel Laureate Alice Munro recently said, the short story is “an important art, not just something you played around with until you got a novel.” Focus in this workshop will be on the building blocks of the short story. In class discussions of student fiction, we will focus on style, structure, and content, with an eye to finding the subject best suited to each writer. Strong editorial feedback on the text will impress upon students the necessity of rewriting, both through editing of their fellow students, as well as their own work.in both practicing editing on their fellow students, as well as learning the value of doing draft after draft in order to strengthen and focus the material of his or her concern. Mastery of a good sentence, the first building block in writing, is one of our goals. Suggested outside reading will direct students to the masters, choosing from among: Anton Chekhov, Raymond Carver, Lydia Davis, Amy Hempel, Franz Kafka, Flannery O'Conner, John Cheever, Katherine Mansfield, Ernest Hemingway, Lorrie Moore, and James Salter.

CWL 582.S01 #93421: Practicum in Publishing & Editing, Lou Ann Walker & Scott Sullivan (1 – 4 cr.)NB: One instructor will be in Manhattan and the other in Southampton.
 Tuesdays, 11:30 – 2:20 pm
(NB: Hybrid. This course will be taught jointly by the instructors. You may take this class in-person in one of the locations, or remotely.)
Under the guidance of editors and advisors, students will be exposed to the hands-on process of editing and publishing TSR: The Southampton Review. Yes, the P& E Practicum is designed to give you experience in editing a literary and arts review. But here’s the secret: This practicum also provides an excellent means for you to build your skills as a writer. For example, as you read submissions in Submittable, you’ll be seeing what works and doesn’t work in cover letters. You’ll be examining successful structures in fiction, non-fiction, memoir, and poetry. You’ll be acquiring editing diagnostic tools. And you’ll be drilling down to what works line by line throughout a creative piece. We’ll discuss word choices, juxtapositions, imagery, symbolism, all that good stuff.

Please note: CWL 500 is a requirement and we encourage you to take this course in your first year.

Writers Speak Wednesdays, Wednesday evenings, 7:00 – 8:00 pm

(Presented on 6 – 7 Wednesday evenings during the Fall.)

Please tune in to the YouTube Channel to participate in these exciting events.

CWL 560.S60 #94568: Topics in Literature for Writers: Whose Life is it Anyway? The Memoir Considered in Full, Patricia McCormick (4 cr.)
Tuesdays, 5:40 – 8:30 pm (Hybrid.)
In this class, we'll focus on you as the main character, but also take a look at how the supporting characters are portrayed. We'll talk about the practicalities and ethics of writing about the lives of others as you write about your own life. We'll read work by AM Homes, Jeannette Winterson, Claudia Rankine, Amy Tan, David Carr, Gregory Pardlo and others to see how they handled these questions. And we'll workshop your memoirs-in-progress in a helpful, constructive manner.

CWL 565.S60 # 96263: Special Topics in Writing: Plot Development—The Intriguing Beginning Pulled Through to the Impactful Ending, Robert Lopez (4 cr.)
Wednesdays, 2:40 - 5:30 pm (In-person—Social Distancing Pattern)
How stories begin is always a critical element of a short fiction, perhaps the most critical. How they end is always as important, as well. In this class we’ll examine various entry points into a story, finding the unexpected way in, through a back or side door and how this sets us on the path toward the end. The beginning of a story makes certain promises and sets expectations. We’ll discuss various beginnings and find strategies to fulfill these expectations and confound them by what we’ve established in the opening. We’ll read stories each week that accomplish this and use these as models for our own short fiction. Let’s pay attention to how writers arrest our attention and create conflict right from the opening line and how they use this narrative strategy as the way out of a story.

FLM 550.S60 (Substitution with CWL 581) #93443: Teaching Practicum, Karen Offitzer (3 cr.)
Pre-requisite: Six credits of writing workshops. 
Thursdays, 2:20 - 5:10 pm
 This is a weekly seminar in teaching at the University level, with special emphasis on teaching in the creative arts, specifically creative writing and filmmaking. This course plunges into the basics of pedagogy, exploring learning styles, discovering a teaching philosophy, designing syllabi for undergraduate courses, creating assignments and rubrics for grading assignments, and practicing these skills in a classroom setting. You’ll get hands-on experience and mentoring through visits to undergraduate classes and teaching opportunities, and will gain an understanding of what works best for helping undergraduate students learn. Particular focus will be on discussing issues that arise when teaching creative endeavors such as writing and filmmaking.

CWL 510.S01 #93416 Forms of Fiction: The Novel, De’Shawn Winslow (4 cr.)
Thursdays, 6:05 – 9:00 pm (Online.)
During our semester together we'll discuss ways in which we can keep our reader engaged on every page, looking closely at ways to construct lively dialogue, surprising plot points, and fascinating characterizations. Our goal will be to never give our readers a reason to put our work back on the shelf "for later." We’ll do short writing exercises to further develop our muscle for enticing our readers to follow us to the next paragraph. Students will have the opportunity to workshop two pieces (up to 25 pages per submission). I welcome short stories and/or the first pages of a novel. Writers who take this course will leave with the skills and strategies to write fiction readers can’t put down.

CWL 540.S60 #93419, Forms of Nonfiction: The Ways of the Essay—Transforming Your Personal Material, Hugh Ryan (4 cr.)
Saturdays, 2:00 – 4:40 pm (In-person) 
No kind of creative nonfiction is as versatile in form or content as the essay, where the narrative “I” can tackle any topic the author’s eye alights on. This versatility, however, is undergirded by a silent promise, guaranteeing our readers that we have some measure of topical authority—a foundation from which to launch our flights of insight. However, “write what you know” shouldn’t be a limitation on the essayist, rather, it should be an injunction for us to learn more.

In this workshop, we will examine a range of essay forms (personal, braided, and lyric) to see what fits your style and material best. We will explore different research techniques and how to incorporate them into a finished piece—without boring our audience to tears. Our reading will be a mixture of essays and craft-focused works, which may or may not include Namwali Serpell, Jo Ann Beard, Roxane Gay, Darnell Moore, Susan Sontag, Jonathan Lethem, Italo Calvino, Annie Dillard, Joan Didion, Alexander Chee, Natalie Angiers, Ben Ehrenreich, Amy Sohn, Hilton Als, Brandon Taylor, Claudia Rankine, David Sedaris, Geoff Dyer, Meredith Talusan, Brian Blanchfield, and more.

Thesis—CWL 599 (1 – 6 credits)

You will need a thesis planning form on file and approval of thesis advisor to register.

However, if you have not yet settled on an advisor or focus for thesis, you can enroll in Pre-Thesis Planning for 1 credit. Students in Pre-Thesis will be completing the Thesis Planning Form by the end of semester.

.V01 #93368 Merrell 
.V02 #93369 Rosenblatt 
.V03 #93370 Walker
 .V04 #93371 Jones
 .V05 #93372 Caglioti
 .V06 #93373 Handley Chandler
 .V08 #93375 Harding
 .V09 #93376 Reeves
 .V10 #93377 Bank
 .V11 #93378 Brandeis
 .V12 #93379 Walker – Pre-thesis Planning, 1 cr.
 .V13 #93380 Hempel 
.V14 #93381 Marx
 .V15 #93382 Gaudry
 .V16 #93383 Minot
 .V18 #93454 TBD

FILM AND TV COURSES OPEN TO CWL STUDENTS

NB: Please submit a course substitution form for FLM courses in order that they can be credited toward fulfilling CWL requirements. FLM courses are 2‐3 credits, so additional course, practicum, or independent study may be necessary to complete the degree credit requirements.

FLM 526.S60 (#94606) Topics in TV Writing (3 cr.) – Scott Burkhardt
 Mondays 5:20 - 8:10pm
Students learn how to write a spec script or pilot. A “spec” is a script for a TV show that is currently on the air where the writer creates original stories for a show’s existing characters. Students will learn how to brainstorm story ideas, structure an outline and write scenes with dialogue, all in a constructive, supportive workshop atmosphere. The class covers both half-hour comedies and one-hour dramas. In addition, the class will watch, deconstruct and discuss a wide variety of TV shows in order to better understand how a successful episode is built. All the basics of TV writing are covered and the workshop is designed to closely mirror a professional writers room on a prime-time series.

FLM 550.S60 (#93443) Teaching Practicum (3 cr.)
Thurs, 2:20 - 5:10 pm, Karen Offitzer
Required course for those seeking future employment as an instructor at the undergraduate level. This course plunges into the basics of pedagogy, including designing assignments, sequencing them, grading them, and creating syllabi for writing, directing, film analysis and producing courses. You’ll get hands-on experience creating lesson plans and conducting lectures, seminars and workshops, and will gain a preliminary overview of pedagogy on your way to devising your own. Most importantly, you’ll ask and ask again, “What is teachable about writing/filmmaking, and who am I to teach it?” (You need permission of the director and at least 6 program credits under your belt to take this class.) Please note that additional class time will be arranged with instructor.

FLM 652.S60 (#93546), Advanced Screenwriting (3 cr.) – Jennie Allen
Time and Day TBD
This is an intensive writing workshop designed to help students as they finish or revise feature length screenplays. Classes will be devoted to workshopping student ideas and scripts. Students must come in with clear goals for the semester. These goals must be approved by the instructor. In workshop we will consider emotional impact, visual storytelling force, dramatic structure, character, story arcs, scene construction, pacing, embedded values, the creation of meaning—or “What are we left with at the end?” and all other aspects of screenwriting. You must present your work in class and be engaged with the work of your classmates. We may read produced screenplays to support and deepen our understanding of how these stories work on us. (In italics due to double course offering situation.)

FLM 650.S60 (#94607) THE ADVANCE PARTY (3 cr.) Crooks
Tues, 8:20-11:10 pm
The Advance Party challenges all you know about screenwriting as you progress from a blank page to a short form screenplay. We start with a character - each student creates a single character and learns how to describe their character in an authentic way. If the class size is 10 then there will emerge 10 characters and you will choose which of these characters will interact with your own. We then focus on the natural story as an essential element in this organic approach to screenwriting. As we progress, each of your stories will evolve, not out of traditional plot driven characterization but out of the characters' authentic actions and reactions to situations created by you.

The Advance Party process was first utilized by Andrea Arnold to write her Cannes prize winning feature ‘Red Road’.

FLM 651.S60 (#93446) Screenwriting Workshop II –Crooks
Wednesdays, 5:20-8:10 pm
This course will build on introductory screenwriting skills and elements. It will offer a more intensive study of the screenwriting craft especially character, scene construction, scene sequence/juxtaposition and dialogue. Rigorous class sessions will consist of group readings and open critiques. The objective of this course will be to structure and write or rewrite a full-length feature screenplay. Intermediate to Advanced Screenwriters. Prerequisite: Screenwriting Workshop I, the first act of a screenplay, or instructor’s permission.

TELEVISION WRITING

FLM 525.S65 (#93430) Topics in Film: TV Guest Series (1 cr.) - Alan Kingsberg
Mon, 7:30-9:30 pm
A moderated guest series featuring in-depth discussions with TV writers and producers about their scripts, series and careers. Meets four times during the Fall semester. With permission of instructor.

FLM 652.S65 (#93457) ADVANCED REVISION (3 cr.) – Scott Burkhardt
 Tuesdays 5:20 – 8:10 pm
Open to students who have completed all pilot classes and a revision class. This class can be linked to thesis or will be offered to those who want to postpone thesis until the Spring semester.