At first glance, writing and studying literature may seem a little bland. Perhaps with certain teachers, it is. Many students’ views of writing are negatively skewed by schools and institutions. That is what makes the Creative Writing and Literary Studies focus area so special.
A typical day in this focus area consists of a few main parts. Short stories, projects, trips, and studying. For one short story, each scholar was simply given three words to build off of. At first, projects were collaborative. Once toes had been dipped, works transitioned into being more individual. Jay is very passionate about the way he handles class. “This class focuses on the ephemeral, that which is short lived,” Jay said. He believes in doing this through, “short stories, poetry, or even the making of quills because they don’t last forever.”
This passion does not go unnoticed. “Jay (the Creative Writing instructor) is honestly what really sets the class apart. A class like this can easily be very teacher dependent, and he teaches in a way that really engages everyone,” said Ben, a Creative Writing scholar. He could feel the effort and passion that Jay pours into his teaching.
On Wednesday, July 15, the Creative Writing focus area spilled ink on a hundreds-year-old way of writing. Every student received a feather and got the chance to carve and use it as a traditional quill. They got to experience how writers would have felt writing before having the luxury of computers and nice pens being cheap.
*Student Carving Quill Pen
This project was a fantastic demonstration of Jay’s teaching style. There is a large mix of verbal, visual, and hands-on material that leads to a very engaging class.
*Class Making Pen
Jay started teaching Creative Writing as a way “to try something different.” He explained that he “taught Psych for nine years at GSP and now (has also) taught Creative Writing for nine years. It was really out of a desire for that community, that interaction, that is built through that creative writing.” This class has been built up and pushed far beyond how it started. “My favorite part is definitely the creative writing side. I’ve been pushed to my limits in this class. The prompts he gives us, well, I had to write from the perspective of a fox and I’ve never done that before.” Scholars are encouraged not only to think outside of the box, but as if the box was never there in the first place. Creative writing teaches them to write from the heart.
Recently, the class took a field trip to the quilt museum
“[It] was an experience that no one could have expected to be so great. Seeing all the quilts was really insane. I swear they had to be A[rtificial]I[ntelligence]- no one should be able to make something that cool,” Molly said. They also visited the flood walls painted with murals. This field trip was used as inspiration for short stories.
Whether or not scholars decide to pursue Creative Writing later in life, writing is always an important skill to have. Madelyn plans on going into healthcare, or potentially psychology, but still feels that the class has been valuable.
“This class has surrounded me with some of my very best friends. I didn’t feel like my writing was the best, but now it’s getting pretty fire,” Madelyn joked.
This class challenges students to think far outside the classroom, and apply their skills in real-world situations. It serves as a fresh restart on what writing means. The class ignites a notable spark in its students.
