Other Ghosts

From personal and national memory, we mourn, witness and become implicated in its retelling. Is it possible to mold language into the shape of usefulness, as Claudia Rankine attempted, and can we shape a memory, or life, into Albert Murray’s elegant form? We shall consider how genre and medium can augment personal and political stories through weekly reading discussions, workshops. We shall read and discuss interdisciplinary literature (which combines genres of poetry, fiction, criticism, memoir), visual arts (including cinema, sculpture, installation), music and short essays. We’ll make use of the workshop environment to build a practice of constructive feedback and revision as students develop their individual voice. Students will submit a piece for workshopping at least twice in the semester, and submit a final project on the last day of class. Students are encouraged to work in various mediums.