First-Year Seminar at the Kelly Writers House
- Julia Bloch
- Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing, College of Arts & Sciences, Department of English, Kelly Writers House
-
Curricular Support Grant
A program at the Kelly Writers House in April 2023 on Writing Food in Asian America. One of the hundreds of programs the Kelly Writers House hosts each year.
The Creative Writing Program will pilot a new first-year seminar embedded in the operations of Penn’s vibrant literary arts hub, the Kelly Writers House. Students will experience an in-depth introduction to the study of literature and creative writing—and will practice collaborative, intensive work with an array of visiting poets, novelists, journalists, and other writers and artists giving readings, workshops, and colloquia throughout the semester. Students will also collaboratively curate a public-facing literary event. This seminar emphasizes the ongoing present nature of literary production as well as the unique practice of learning craft from visiting writers. While the center of operations is the Writers House, the course will also explore companion communities across Penn and Philly. A field trip to Morris Arboretum will be the backdrop to a lesson about ecopoetics; field trips to the ICA, Penn Museum, and Arthur Ross Gallery will lead students to experiment with ekphrastic forms; and field trips to affinity sites across Philly such as Blue Stoop, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Story Slam will be the backdrop to lessons about psychogeographic writing and first-person storytelling. This first-year seminar is designed to give first-year students a launching pad for a college career that centers artistic community building.