Interdisciplinary Arts 0286 - Beyond the Many-Tongued Umbrella: A Creative Writing Exploration of the Latinx Short Story

Hybrid creative writing and literature course examining the short story form to understand the myriad of Latinx voices encountered in the U.S. populace. This examination will allow us to consider competing categorical terms (e.g., Hispanic, Latino/a, Latin@, Latinx), and how such terms relate to the lived experiences and fictions of storytellers who come from such varied backgrounds. Our topics of discussion may include immigration, migration, marginalization, race and power, and assimilation. In addition, there will be an extensive focus on craft-based reading and writing skills. We will read short stories using techniques working writers embrace when reading, to learn how accomplished practitioners of short story craft engage in their practice. We will use these lessons to cultivate our own skills and our own stories. Writers we may consider include: John Manuel Arias, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Rodrigo Restrepo Montoya, Bryan Washington, and Justin Torres Keywords:Creative Writing, Literature, Workshop, Latino/a Studies, Latinx

In/Justice Students should expect to spend 8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time