Summer I 5/12/25 – 7/3/25

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:30-7:45 pm, Synchronous/Online
ENG 668: Creative Nonfiction Workshop – To Tell a Story
Instructor: Professor Robert Wilder
CRN: 20539
(Area III)

Nonfiction (essay, article, column, memoir, personal narrative, creative nonfiction, Substack) is a form of storytelling. Whether you are writing about learning to drive, odd insect mating practices, or your obsession with exotic sea salts, you are telling a story you want the reader to fully inhabit and experience. As a small, supportive community of writers, we will discuss the vital storytelling elements—scene, dialogue, conflict, structure—that help bring out the elements already present in the story you are trying to tell. Our goal is to meet each workshop piece on its own terms, understanding the authorial intent while trying to help the writer toward the next, more fully realized draft. In addition, we will examine exemplary published pieces of nonfiction, hoping to learn from them for the benefit of our own work.

Summer II 7/7/25 – 8/22/25

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:30-7:45 pm, Synchronous/Online
ENG 669: Poetry Writing Workshop
Instructor: Dr. Kay Cosgrove
CRN: 20538
(Area III)

Get ready to fall in love with writing poetry. In this class, we'll embrace the traditional workshop style where you'll be submitting your poems regularly, weekly or bi-weekly. Your peers and I will offer comments on your work that will be both verbal and written.  At the start of each workshop, I'll kick things off with a brief poem, sparking inspiration for a craft related prompt. These exercises aim to unleash new ideas, hone your craft, and pave the way for exciting new poems throughout the semester. The goal of this workshop is to give you an opportunity to hear thoughtful readers’ responses to your poems, generate work and to be enthralled. I'll be cheering you on to take risks, pushing you beyond the subjects, gestures, and forms with which you are already comfortable.

All classes will take place online. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Cristina Hanganu-Bresch at changanubresch@sju.edu. Thanks.