Overview

If we wait long enough everything takes on the quality of a myth or a fable. In 500 years, the life of Abe Lincoln will have the feel of stories from antiquity.

What if we, as creatives, start working as if that were already true?

Is it possible to use historical figures in the creation of new myths and fables?

Course Description

In this class we will explore classic myths like Gilgamesh and King Arthur, and examine the content and structure of fables and ancient stories.

We will then examine briefly the biographies of historical figures and write short stories using these people as characters.

As an example: What if Theseus was the lead singer in a Punk band?

What if Lancelot was a private detective hired to find the Holy Grail?

We will write short stories, share them and discuss them with close attention to craft and the specific details of publishing (the nuts and bolts of how to get your stories into print, how to deal with agents, and publishers).

Teacher's Bio: MA/Creative Writing, Johns Hopkins. Two novels published with 8th House of Montreal, short stories and poems published in numerous magazines and former editor of The Troubadour, A Journal of International Writing (featuring work by, Nadine Gordimer, Czesław Miłosz, Annie Dillard, A.S. Byatt, and others).

Style of Offering: Classes will be one on one discussion via Zoom. Attention to different styles and theories of the craft of writing fiction. Writing exercises every week followed by in-depth discussion of the work. An atmosphere of flexible conversation , q & a, humor and an appreciation for both the extraordinary and the absurd in art.

Max Attendance: 3 - 4 (with 1 student per session)

Signup Deadline: 48 Hours in Advance

Creative Writing: How to Write a Modern Mythology

Overview

Course Description