College Topic: Creative Writing

10-second review: What is the purpose of creative writing at the college level? Should there be a department of “Creative Writing Studies?”

Title: “One Simple Word: From Creative Writing to Creative Writing Studies.” Tim Mayers. College English (January 2009), pp. 217-228. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Summary: There is apparently a growing interest in creative writing at the college level. What would be its purpose in departments of English? The author says that creative writing bridges the two major emphases in English departments, literature and writing: “That is, it may help bridge the traditional gap between literature and composition, a gap that has rarely been bridged thus far because it has been understood far too simplistically.” p. 227.

Comment: My problem with creative writing at any level has been defining it. At the risk of having my head taken off, I would like to define it now: understanding literature through practicing the genres of poetry, essays, fiction and plays. RayS.