Monthly Archives: February 2011

This is How You Do It: John Vanderslice (Part 2)

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Cathy Day
Share

Part 2 of my talk with John Vanderslice, a fellow writer-teacher who is experimenting with new ways to incorporate Big Things into the creative writing classroom. (You can read Part 1 here.) So, what did you do the third time … Continue reading →

Posted in CW Programs, Teaching | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

So This Happened

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Cathy Day
Share

Someone has created an elaborate parody of my Millions essay, “The Story Problem.” It’s a powerful mediation on creative welding that’s changed how I think about…well, everything. Enjoy.

Posted in Writing | 1 Comment

This is How You Do It: John Vanderslice (Part 1)

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Cathy Day
Share

From time to time, I’m going to interview people who have figured out ways to teach “Big Thing” creative writing courses. John Vanderslice is one such writer-teacher. He teaches at the University of Central Arkansas, blogs at Creating Van Gogh, … Continue reading →

Posted in CW Programs, Teaching | 8 Comments

This is How You Do It: Stop Using the Word “Story”

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Cathy Day
Share

You need to know this: I never forget my students. I forget their names, but never their faces, and I usually remember their stories. When my essay came out in The Millions, I read the comments with fascination and interest. … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

This is How You Do It: No Typed Critiques

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Cathy Day
Share

Update since my last post: I wrote a letter to the Chronicle of Higher Education, and they published it, along with a response from Elise Blackwell. Since then, she and I have emailed privately. We shared some ideas and experiences. … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Debate is Not Hate

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Cathy Day
Share

Let me be perfectly clear: I am not against MFA programs. My essay in the Millions was originally titled The Big Thing: 10 Thoughts on Moving from “Story” to “Book.” Wisely, the editors re-titled my piece “The Story Problem: 10 … Continue reading →

Posted in CW Programs, Writing | Tagged | 7 Comments

This is How You Do It: Require a Process Blog

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Cathy Day
Share

I want to get back to my series of posts about how to do it: concrete ideas about how to change the default setting of the creative writing classroom so that Big Things can be brought to the table. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching | Tagged | 1 Comment

Celebrating (and Celebritizing) Teaching Creative Writing

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Cathy Day
Share

Today, Fiction Writers Review is running “Where Are We Going Next? A Conversation about Creative Writing Pedagogy (Pt. 1),” a co-written article by myself, Anna Leahy, and Stephanie Vanderslice. This lively, wide-ranging conversation took place during the summer of 2010 … Continue reading →

Posted in CW Programs, Teaching, Writing | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Linked Stories Workshop

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Cathy Day
Share

What is a novel-in-stories? A linked collection? A story cycle? I find it hard to make distinctions between these terms. Instead, I think of it this way: On one end of the prose spectrum is the traditional linear novel. On … Continue reading →

Posted in Teaching, The Biggest Things | 8 Comments

Anxiety + Community = AWP

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Cathy Day
Share

[Note: This post has nothing to do with snow. ] AWP is like my Facebook feed. It’s where I go to feel connected to and learn from other writer-teachers. So many panel topics! So many great discussions! Sometimes I just … Continue reading →

Posted in CW Programs, Teaching, Writing | Tagged , , | 5 Comments