In Defense of Fantasy

At first glance, fantasy seems to be a frivolous genre. Certainly it’s entertaining to some people. Why else would avid fans devour the latest Harry Potter novel in one day, stand in line at the theater for hours to see The Hobbit at midnight the night it comes out (which I might have plans to do this Thursday), or, if they’re really hard-core, dress up as their favorite characters and take their frayed, dog-eared books to ComicCon conventions? But aside from the entertainment value, fantasy as a genre is not widely regarded as great literature. By its very nature, it focuses on a different reality than our own. But good fantasy does explore themes relevant to our world and allows us to think about our perceptions of reality in a way no other genre does.  

Back Then: Poetry Prompt

Since our last prompt appealed to fiction writers, we decided to put up a poetry prompt this time around. I like this prompt because it encourages you to explore desire, nostalgia, and maturity all at the same time.

"Back Then"
In his poem “Refrigerator, 1957” (originally published in the New Yorker, July 28, 1997), Thomas Lux writes about a jar of “lit-from-within red” maraschino cherries that, as a boy, he never ate from. Write a poem about something that you longed for when you were younger, but was always off-limits.

Have fun exploring your imagery! My response to this prompt is posted below.

**

Ornament, Angel

By Lilly McGee

The crush of glass beneath your shoe is like:
grinding pepper, splintering bone.

Cherub of china,
birthed with thousands of seraphim sisters in a
faraway factory. Sold, packaged in crimson, green, tissue.

Clone of cherub,
one in thousands, hits the
floor and becomes thousands of ones.

Winking,
slivers like eyelashes,
shimmering shards of merstone.

Keep the child
away from the angels.
Hang them higher on the pine.

You know
she only wants to bring them to the floor,
and crush them with a sole.

Post by Lilly McGee

The Need for More Creative Writing

The go-to icebreaker for college students is, and will forever be, “What’s your major?” The question is a good one, we think, because it’s supposed to signal the person’s interests, and because it invites easy follow up questions, like Why did you choose that? and What do you plan on doing with that? At American University, the answers are less varied than at many other schools. Political science and international relations dominate the scene here. Creative writing does not.

In an earlier post, Lily mentioned that 25 undergraduates minor in creative writing (it’s not offered as a major), which is one-third of one percent of AU’s undergrad population. So it’s not surprising that the number of CW courses offered is small – between three and four, and they don’t vary by semester. There are workshops in poetry and fiction, and sometimes a course in nonfiction writing, called Advanced Composition.

But for a school that places such an emphasis on writing in the first year, with its extensive College Writing program, the subject soon falls by the wayside – whether you like to write or not. No major exists that stresses persuasive writing; a journalism degree is the closest thing. Lit majors – the only BA the Literature Dept. offers – can go all four years without taking one writing class. Missing is the ever-versatile English degree, a staple of most schools. By intertwining reading and creative writing, English degrees generate an original thinking that no other combination can.

While the selection may be slim, the CW courses American does offer are some of the most enriching and well-taught classes available. The writing professors here receive some of the highest student feedback throughout the university. Their mantra is one we stand by: your writing improves from getting feedback and giving it. You critique your peers’ work, and they critique yours. Yet, no professor’s methods are exactly the same. They set different limits, assign different readings, and question your writing in unique ways. Their strength lies in their variety.

At the same time, a lack of variety is what limits them. Alongside fiction and poetry workshops should be special topics, like the informal essay, genre fiction, and experimental poetry. Persuasive writing – a skill useful in almost any job, and critical in many – also needs more emphasis. One of the Lit Dept.’s hidden gems is Advanced Composition, which teaches you that all persuasive writing is creative, but since it doesn’t count toward any degree, it’s regularly overlooked.

Writing, in so many instances, comes down to the act of convincing. Be it a memoir or a magazine feature, a poem or a short story, the writer’s goal is getting us to see something in a new light. Both professionally and personally, that’s a skill worth having. So don’t be put off by the few CW minors. One class in creative writing will benefit any Poli Sci or IR student, but also anyone talking at a dinner table, going on a date, or sitting at an interview. In forcing you to think differently, creative writing improves your mind. An English major that emphasizes creative writing is a start; a university that emphasizes it is a dream.

Post by Nate Shelter

Phone Messages

This prompt came from creativewritingprompts.com. (Number 96.)

You come home and check your phone messages. You get to your third message and freeze. Begin from there.

I tried my hand at this prompt, and what came out was a little longer than usual. The point of the prompt is that it can go anywhere. This is where mine went.

Iz.

Welcome to "Across the Table!"

Creative writers are the viral disease of D.C. Most people don’t realize we’re there, but we’re a strong force and our presence often results in a lot of pill popping.

You know, ‘cause writers like to write about drugs.

This metaphor is a work in progress.

Anyway, D.C. was named one of National Geographic’s top ten literary cities for a reason. It’s home to renowned literary havens such as Busboys and Poets, Politics and Prose, Kramerbooks, and Capitol Hill Books. Naturally, writers flock to this bibliophilic city, and several of them choose to hone their skills at American University.

As of now, there are roughly 45 students in the MFA creative writing program and 25 undergrads with a minor in that same subject. The University’s arts and literature magazine, American Literary is currently in the running for a 2012 Pacemaker Award. AU is also host to several other creative outlets, such as the graduate journal Folio and various nonfiction publications like AmWord.

Creative Writing is extremely important to us at the Writing Center, not only because our program represents the way AU approaches writing as a discipline, but also because eight of our consultants are in the MFA program. For this reason, we created Across the Table. We wanted to build a space where those of us who love to scribble away can come to find prompts, read interviews with talented writers, and discover more about their favorite books and genres. We wanted a casual space, a learning environment outside of the classroom, where writers could come to have fun.

The name of our blog comes from a James Patterson quote: “I always pretend that I’m sitting across from somebody. I’m telling them a story, and I don’t want them to get up until it’s finished.” We love this quote for several reasons. Writing isn’t the daunting, torturous task we sometimes build it up to be. Rather, it’s the simple act of telling a story, something each of us does throughout the day. Writing is also a collaborative process between the author and the reader. Across the Table strives to create a sense of community between the writers and readers at AU and beyond.

We’ll be posting multiple times a week, so keep checking back! If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at acrossthetable.au@gmail.com.

Happy writing!

p.s. Best of luck to everyone who was ambitious enough to sign up for NaNoWriMo. I’m fourteen days in and I have 1000 words. Yikes.

Post by Lilly McGee