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Smith and the other colleges in the Pioneer Valley offer a wide range of courses in creative writing. At Smith, we also have the Poetry Center: an innovative program that brings about five well-known poets to campus each semester and provides opportunities for students to meet them as well as to study their work. (See the Poetry Center link: www.smith.edu/poetrycenter/home.php )
At Smith we offer the following advanced writing courses every semester: each is limited to fifteen students.
ENG 295 "Writing Poetry," taught by our Conkling Writer-in-Residence - Nikky Finney
ENG 296 "Writing Short Stories," taught by our Visiting Elizabeth Drew Professor
(2007-08) Amy Bloom
In addition, the following courses are offered at least once a year:
ENG 290: "Advanced Essay Writing: Crafting Creative Nonfiction"
ENG 292: "Reading and Writing Autobiography"
ENG 341: "Advanced Verse Writing"
Many students also take THE 261 and 262:"Writing for the Theater" (in the Theatre Department) and AMS 350:"Writing About American Society" ( a seminar in the American Studies Program).
We also offer special sections of ENG 120, the Colloquia in Literature, that provide practice in creative writing for beginning students: "Reading and Writing Short Stories" and "Reading and Writing Short Poems." Work in these classes can help you build a portfolio to submit for the more advanced courses. These classes, though limited to 18 students, are open to all students at the college; no writing samples are required.
Courses above the 100-level can be repeated for credit with the permission of the instructor and of the Chair. Only one course in writing may be taken in any one semester except by permission of the chair.
How to apply for the advanced courses:
Registration for the advanced writing courses takes place at the beginning of each semester, not during the pre-registration period. Please submit a sample of your work (usually about five pages) to the English department office in Pierce 105 before classes start. The teacher of the course will review these portfolios and will notify the students that have been admitted; the registrar will admit ONLY those students who have gone through this process and been accepted. Writing samples will be due on August 31, 2007 for this coming Fall semester.
Other courses in the Valley:
Many distinguished creative writing teachers teach at the other four colleges. We are trying to make our application processes more uniform, but at the moment the best way to get into a class at Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke, or The University of Massachusetts is to get in touch with the teacher during the pre-registration period and find out what he or she wants you to do. Amherst has detailed instructions for registration procedures for each class on their Website: http://www.amherst.edu/~cwc.
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