“Writing the Contemporary South”
This course asks you to interrogate and define for yourself what it means to write fiction set in the contemporary American South. You will read works by contemporary Southern writers, literary criticism, and scholarly pieces that contextualize certain conventions and traditions—for better and worse. Based on these sources, as well as in-class discussions, you will write a craft-based essay on what makes fiction Southern.
You will also write an original piece of fiction set in the contemporary American South, and workshop it alongside your peers. Conversations about these pieces should avoid critiques of how “authentic” or “believable” a particular version of the South feels on the page. The truth is there are many different versions of the South, and we certainly don’t want to essentialize this region or its people or each other as writers. You don’t need to identify as a Southern writer in order to take this class. There’s plenty for every writer to learn about craft and narrative feeling by doing a deep dive into a particular place.
11:00 am–12:15 pm
T/TR
Course poster for ENG 4550-101, Senior Seminar in Creative Writing: Writing the Contemporary South, with Caleb Johnson: a vintage illustration of pink rhododendron blossoms beside the course title on a rust-colored background.
