Want to take a free writing, acting, or art workshop?

The Graduate School of the Arts is offering free, non credit Intro workshops this year.

There are fiction, poetry, non-fiction, playwriting, directing, acting, and graphic novel classes this Fall.

Please find attached the Course Offerings.

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Instructions:

1) Deadline for response Oct 8th
2) Pick up to 3 preferences and email them to writingcats@gmail.com
**(EXCEPT for LOCAL SITES OF CONTEMPORARY ART, you MUST respond directly to gb2342@columbia.edu or lrw2119@columbia.edu).

I will email your courses to you after Oct. 8th.

Your instructor will be in contact with you before the week of October 15th when classes start.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.

Emily Thibodeaux
Intro Director & CF

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Intro Course Offerings for Fall 2010


1. ART/TEXT

Emily Thibodeaux & James Yakimicki

We will observe many modes of the graphic short story and graphic novels (mostly non superhero). We will look at how images tell a story, how they interplay with text, how narrative is made by joining single frames, much a like a silent film. We will translate text into image and image into text. Through looking at graphic novels and through experimentation students will visualize their story and execute it with the help of a visual artist and a fiction writer. No experience necessary. Come with ideas.

We will look at: Edward Gorey, Lynd Ward, Max Ernst, Chris Ware, et, al.

Fridays 12-2pm; Oct 15, 22, 29, Nov 5, 12

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2. TABOOS, SHUFFLING, REDICTIONARY, & METTLE:
A Poetry (& things) Workshop

Diana Nguyen

This workshop welcomes seasoned writers, dabblers, yearlings, and the curious.  The motive of this course is to introduce (or reinvigorate) your writing/thinking-processes to perhaps previously-not-considered aspects of poetry.  It seeks to encourage writers of all backgrounds and interests to "make it new" as Pound said--to do it boldly, unabashedly, irreverently (or not).  If the universe is constantly churning, folding, and recreating matter, why shouldn't we aim to (re)invent as well?

Exercises and assignments will be geared towards exploration and re-definition of what your previous conceptions of what a poem is or should be.  Pictures?  Why not!

Your reading packet will include selections from a few essential essays and will include poets such as Joshua Clover, Frederick Seidel, Larissa Szporluk, Lucie Brock-Broido, Anne Carson, David Lau, Harryette Mullen, Christian Bök, and more!

Saturdays 10am-12 Oct 16, 30, Nov 6, 13, 20

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3. ANIMAL PATHOS IN POETRY
Workshop/Seminar

Samantha Zighelboim

Our relationship with animals in literature transcends symbolism. As theorist John Berger writes, “Animals are born, are sentient and are mortal. In their superficial anatomy they differ from man.  They are both like and unlike.” This class will explore how animals and nature are used in poetry to help relate human experience by both differing from it or, more interestingly, identifying with it. Spiritual and supernatural experiences are often illuminated by studying and observing non-human animals around us. We will read works by Whitman, Marianne Moore, Ted Hughes, Jorie Graham and others, as well as experiment with different ways of including the natural world in our work.

Fridays 12-2pm Oct 15, 22, 29, Nov 5, 12

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4. THE UNCONVENTIONAL

Ariell Cacciola

Blah! Who wants to be traditional? This class will explore writing through an unconventional eye, whether it be structure, plot, or both. The focus of this class will be how authors have accomplished this using craft and technique to produce fiction that stands out for its originality and boldness. Besides reading published works, students will have the opportunity to produce original short prose for peer critique. Examinations of selected fiction will encourage students to take risks with their own writing (e.g., voice, humor, POV, structure, etc.).

Excerpted readings will include, but are not limited to, Robert Coover, Philip Roth, Mark Leyner, Kurt Vonnegut, and Agota Kristof.

Fridays 12-2pm Oct 15, 22, 29, Nov 5, 12

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5. CLEAR POINTS: LEARNING AND PERFECTING THE PERSONAL ESSAY

Jesse Thiessen

This class will be focused on writing an amazing personal essay. We will discuss the different forms of presentation available to us as non-fiction writers, the troubles inherent in writing about both the most old of subjects as well as the most new, how to make a clear point in a short space without sounding contrived or didactic, how to write about topics sensitive to both society and ourselves, and of course, how to tell a compelling true story. Students will read some short pieces for discussion, do a few exercise assignments, and present a polished personal essay for critique.

Saturdays 1-3pm Oct 16, 23, Nov 6, 13, 20

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6. THE CONTEMPORARY LINE

Natalie Eilbert

Our understanding and appreciation of free-verse poetry has brought with it, inevitably, an uncanny evolution of the “line.” Whether you work in long or short lines, justified or disparate margins, readers are always struck first with these aesthetic choices, visual creatures that we are. The question of why we are struck is a question we will explore as we read and examine contemporary poets who have responded in a visceral or subtle way to line-breaks. More deeply, we will discuss, through the lens of line categories, the subject matter vis-à-vis the line sequence, the meanings and effects of end-stopping versus enjambment, and the page itself as a medium. The goal of this course is to consider and reconsider the singular impact of your own lines, and what they can do to the general experience of the poem. You will also have the chance to read your poems out loud each week in order to hear what dynamic lines can do for the performance of a piece. A brief workshop of your poem will follow.

Your reading packet will include the following poets: Robert Creeley, Charles Olson, Jorie Graham, Frank Stanford, Lucie Brock-Broido, Lyn Hejinian, C.D. Wright, Anne Carson, Frank Bidart, James Tate, D.A. Powell, Marie Howe, Ben Lerner, Emily Wilson, Richard Siken, and others.

Fridays 2-4 Oct 15, 22, 29 Nov 5

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7. WRITE IT USE IT BREAK IT FIX IT

Naomi Waletzky

This class will be both a casual study of the contemporary short story as well as provide a relaxed environment in which we can workshop and discuss our own work.We will read and discuss writers who have taken their work in innovative directions, developing voices that are wholly original but also respected by literary critics. How do these writers take the ordinary and make it extraordinary? What do they have in common that is odd, transgressive and compelling but also completely relatable? How are they advancing or changing the form of the contemporary short story? How do they compare to our favorite short stories we read in high school—i.e. Poe, Hemingway, etc.? How do they fit into what we generally define as a “short story”?

Readings may include selections from authors such as Junot Diaz, Haruki Murakami, Denis Johnson, Aimee Bender, Kate Braverman, Lydia Davis, Amy Hempel, Wells Tower, Mary Gaitskill, Sherman Alexie, Deb Olin Unferth and Kelly Link.

Writing exercises will be done in and out of class each week after focusing on an element of craft from the reading. The workshop submissions will be due on a rotating schedule in order to give each student a chance to receive feedback on their work. This is meant to help you grow and act like a writer. The goal is to support you as you develop your own particular voice and to encourage you to break it & fix it.

Fridays 10am-12 Oct 22, 29 Nov 5, 12

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8. THE FIRST CHAPTER

Sarah Ulicny

All writers begin with a blank page (or screen).   Whether you already have an idea fit for a novel or you only know you want to write a piece of fiction longer than the conventional short story, this class will help you sharpen and/or discover your idea and get you through those challenging first pages.  We will explore the differences between the short story opening and the opening of a larger work, be it a novel or novella.  Then we will put fiction-writing theory into practice through in-class exercises focused on idea-generating and the creation of the first sentence.   Later, we will examine voice, character, setting and conflict and how these elements come together in the beginnings of larger published works and our in-class exercises will focus on blending these elements into the beginning of your own work. At the end of the course we will workshop the first chapters (beginnings).

Your reading packet will include novel and novella opening chapters/pages by a varied group of acclaimed authors:  Edith Wharton(House of Mirth v “Roman Fever”), Sylvia Plath (1st chapter, The Bell Jar), Denis Johnson(“Emergency” v Tree of Smoke), Toni Morrison (1st chapter, The Bluest Eye), Ernest Hemmingway(“Hills like White Elephants” v A Farewell to Arms), William Faulkner (“A Rose for Emily” v Light in August), Jonathan Lethem (1st chapter, Fortress of Solitude) and Mary Gaitskill (“Romantic Weekend” v Veronica), Franz Kafka (1st chapter, The Metamorphosis). Junot Diaz (“The Pura Principle” v The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao).   Additionally, we will be looking at Anne Lamont’s Bird by Bird throughout the course.

Saturdays 12-2 Oct 16, 23, 30, Nov 6, 13, 20

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9. FIRST PERSON INTEREST:
A Fiction Workshop/Seminar

David Varno

Some of the most engaging works of fiction are narrated by a character with whom we as readers would willingly embark on a long road trip.  They are likable and interesting, and never run out of things to say.  Other successful first-person narrators aren't so likable, but they retain our interest and earn our sympathy.  This class will work to identify both types, through readings and discussion, and aspire to create works of fiction with compelling narrators.  After the first meeting, we will have five classes with opportunities for students to submit their own work for discussion and critique.

Along the way, we'll read very short selections from Roberto Bolaño, Grace Paley, Lydia Davis, Wells Tower, Donald Barthelme, Barry Hannah, Denis Johnson, possibly Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Albert Camus, Walker Percy and Richard Ford.

Fridays 2-4 Oct 15, 22, 29 Nov 5, 12

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10. POETRY PAST CONFESSION:
“Writing when the "I" isn't you to the people I have lied to.”
-Denis Johnson, dedication of The Incognito Lounge

Kate Jenkins

This course will focus on the writing of poetry in a post-confessional world.  Through in class readings and writing exercises we will explore the speaker (or "I") in contemporary poetry, paying special attention to the creation of poetic voice, as well as what the speaker chooses to include and just as importantly, exclude from the poem.  We will also spend a portion of each class workshopping student's work.

We will be looking at the work of poets such as Wallace Stevens, Weldon Kees, Robert Lowell, John Berryman, Sylvia Plath, Frank O?Hara, Michael Dumanis, Graham Foust, Mary Jo Bang, Heather Christle, Julianna Baggott, Michael Palmer and more.

Saturdays 12-2 Oct 16, 23, 30 Nov 6, 13

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11. NONFICTION WRITING FROM THE MARGINS

Dax Proctor & Tanya Paperny

Whether in essay, memoir or reportage, nonfiction writing employs many of the same literary techniques as fiction: narrative structure, character development, scene-setting, dialogue, voice and point of view. In this class, we place special emphasis on nonfiction that comes from marginalized voices (whether author or subject) that explore the politics of difference.

When dealing with sexual, race, class, gender, and other identities, how does one still use the techniques for giving nonfiction material dramatic and suspenseful energy (i.e. chronology, argument, juxtaposition and retrospection) without resorting to cliché?

In addition to workshopping student writing (including exercises on writing from a position or perspective other than your own), we will investigate the practice and process of writing (how I write, to whom I write, of what I write) and read and discuss nonfiction examples from authors who depart from convention.

Fridays 2-4 Oct 15, 22, 29 Nov 5, 12, 19

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12. BLOGGING NY-
A Writing Workshop

Victoria Loustalot

In this course we will explore the city beyond Columbia's gates through the five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and sound. Students will document their experiences in blogs that they will create specifically for this class and will learn how to reach and develop an online audience. In addition to reading works about the City from both bloggers and traditional writers (books, essays, articles), we will discuss the hows and whys of starting a blog and increasing readership. This portion of the class will include blog images, hyperlinking, commenting, and SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Fridays 10am-12 Oct 15, 22, 29 Nov 12, 19

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13. STORYTELLING: NARRATIVE NONFICTION
(aka: Writing Sense into Ourselves)

Bridget Potter

We all have stories. In this workshop you will write them. Whether you are a literature fanatic or a math whizz, whether an empty page (or screen) fills you with ambition or anxiety, whether your story writing is in need of tickling, tightening or teasing out, this workshop will be fun. Lopate’s introduction to his voluminous The Art of the Personal Essay will be required reading before the first workshop to provide context for our discussions. Other readings, few and fabulous, will evolve from the interests and proclivities of the group. But mostly we will write and workshop our stories with a special focus on voice and narrative.

At the heart of the class will be our own work, the giving and the getting of constructive criticism. One revision will be required. But should you choose to work on just one piece through the whole progression, that’s fine. Writing is re-writing, ’tis said.

Mondays 6-8pm Oct 18, 25, Nov 8, 15, 22

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14. FICTION WRITING WORKSHOP

Taylor Larsen

In this workshop, writers will learn how to manipulate the tools of fiction-writing (point-of-view, plot, characterizing detail, tone, etc.) to craft complete and unique stories that engage the reader. In-class critiques and exercises, as well as lectures and feedback from the instructor, are used to help students further develop their writing. The class will mostly consist of the workshop structure, spending time discussing individual student work.  This course is open to students who have had fiction writing and workshop experience and to those who are new to the craft of fiction writing.  Students will gain a better understanding of how to write a polished short story and how to revise a story once it's written. 

Saturdays 1-3 Oct 16, 23, 30, Nov 6

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15. LOCAL SITES OF CONTEMPORARY ART

Guy Ben-Ari & Leah Wolff

New York City is the world's center for contemporary art and there are so many resources available that many times, people feel overwhelmed by all of the possibilities.  This class will function as an overview of the main sites of contemporary art in the city.  Students will see a different gallery or museum show every class to learn about the variety of ways to experience contemporary art. At the end of each class, discussions will be held over coffee, to further contextualize the exhibitions and give students a deeper understanding of what they have seen. These discussions are meant to facilitate a richer foundation for students to take with them when looking at art in the future.

Saturdays 11am-1pm Oct 16, 23, 30, Nov 6, 13, 20

TO REGISTER- Email: gb2342@columbia.edu or lrw2119@columbia.edu

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16. LET’S MAKE A PLAY!

Christina Quintana & Raymond Zilberberg

In this introductory course, students will develop their own ten-minute plays, work as playwrights and directors and, in doing so, explore the nature of the collaborative process. The course will end in a presentation of the students’ short plays with a final reading or workshop performance.

Saturdays 3-5 Oct 16, 23, 30, Nov 6, 13

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17. ELEMENTS OF THE SHORT STORY

Swan Huntley

This class will focus on writing one good short story. Each week we’ll discuss a different element of short story writing—character, dialogue, voice, etc.—and do a reading and a short exercise that pertains to one of these elements. Each class will build on the last so by the end, students have written about the same characters/world for a while, and can construct their stories, which they’ll turn in to the class for critique.

Saturdays 3-5 Oct 16, 23, 30 Nov 6

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18. TREADING THE BOARDS

Tyne Rafaeli

This workshop welcomes anyone who harbors a desire to act, latent or otherwise, and to discover the secrets of the acting craft.  The class is open to beginners who have never spoken in public to those who want to apply to an acting program after college or to those who want to better understand the acting process for their writing, film making, music or directing interests. We will explore what it takes to bring a text alive, how to command a space, what is stage/screen presence, the use of the voice and the body, improvisation, how to control nerves, how to communicate with performers and how to channel what Simon Callow has famously usurped… ‘the x-factor’.  We will also explore what it is to be a great public speaker away from the theatre, a vital skill for all professionals, from medicine, to law, to business to teaching.

This will be an enjoyable exploratory workshop where you can sit back and watch or get up and work or be somewhere in between.

Though it will be mainly a practical workshop we will read material from a extensive range of sources including, Hamlet’s advice to the players, extracts from Stanislavsky’s An Actor Prepares, Patsy Rodenburg’s The Right to Speak, Declan Donnellan’s The Actor and the Target and we will use text from Shakespeare to The Godfather to Snoop Dogg.

Hailing from classical acting training in London, England and performing at theatres from Shakespeare’s Globe to The Royal Court, to having my head blown off cinematically when Milla Jovavich should have saved me to collaborating extensively with the world renowned voice coach Patsy Rodenburg and the underground Theater company The Factory, I’m looking for people from any background and level of expertise to have an enjoyable, enlightening experience, treading the boards, venturing into the unknown and seeing what happens.

Saturdays 10am-12 Oct 22, 29, Nov 5, 12