No class Thursday, December 1

No class - I am sick.

Presentations on publication venues:
On Tuesday you will be giving presentations on your publication venues.  Post your "handout" on your blog as a visual.  It should have a link to the homepage of the journal you are reviewing, and from there you can follow links to the particular CNF pieces you will be reviewing to characterized the journal's peferred subject material, style, voice, politics etc.  ALso you should include a link to the submissions page - so you can point out what the editor;s say they are looking for.  Part of the purpose of your presentation is to call attention to (in)consistencies between what the submissions page says the journal is looking for - and your analysis of the CNF pieces the journal actually includes.  You do not need to review poetry, critical essays, etc,. included in the jourmal - as they are not relevant to work for this class.

These presentations are informal - though you will be expected to come to the front to click through the links so your classmates have a visual tour of your venue.

What we will do for the rest of the term

Note:  Post Revised Essay 3/4 as Blog 20 (yes it is true, I skipped Blog 19), and also send it as an attachment to the course email. 


Week 14
T Nov 29  Due: Revised Essay 3/4 
Writing journal: looking for possibilities for future publications
Portfolio check =>to make sure I have everyone's URL
Select piece for end of term presentation/reading - time and place TBA
Workshop essay of your choice
Blog 21: Post Draft Reflective writing

Th Dec 1  
In-class comments on reflective essays
Work on piece for end of term presentation/reading
Workshop essay of your choice

Blog 22: Post Rhetorical Analysis of Publication Venue

Week 15
T  Dec 6  Returned:  Essay 3/4   
Presentations on publication venues

Th  Dec 8  
Presentations on publication venues

Week 16
T Dec 13   
Turn in portfolio + practice reading for performance/reading

Blog 23: Reflection on the course

Th Dec 15   

Performance/reading
Congratulations!   You have completed ENG 4017!

11.17 Final "I" essay, brainstorming for Craft/reflective essay

Important:  Send your revised "I" essay to the course email as an attachment.  That way I can provide comments directly to the writing.


We spent some time in class working on invention/reflection writing to set up your craft/reflective essay = and we talked through the assignment sheet.  Hopefully the dates on the assignment sheet match the dates on the Blog with all the due dates.


In class on Tuesday you will set up the portfolio - and we will make a decision about where to have our final performance.

Thanks for your good discussion today!   Have a great weekend.

11.17 What to include in the portfolio

We will set up electronic portfolios using google.sites on Tuesday.  Today - you will do some brainstorming/analysis to get started on the Reflective/Craft essay that will introduce your writing.  The assignment sheet for the Craft/Reflective essay is posted to the right under "Assignment Sheets"..  

What to include in the portfolio

Craft essay (introduction to your portfolio)

Rough draft: Essay 1 - 4

Revised draft:  Essays 1/2, Essay 3/4

Polished work:  Best essay

Page with brainstorm writing to serve as "evidence" of your revising process: from your journal or from the blog

Any other writing you would like to include

11.15 Clarification about dates and conferences

I have had conferences with many of you - to talk through essay 3/4 drafts and about revisions, etc.

Remaining conferences:

Wednesday, 11.16
2:00 Lauren Frisoli
2:20 Catherine Roth
2:40 Neiha Bhandari
3:00
3:20Nicole Dreste

In class I talked about craft essays - about using them as a way to think about your own writing - and I introduced the fact that you will be turning in your work as an electronic portfolio - and that it will be introduced with a kind of craft essay where you write about the work in your portfolio in terms of its craft, its ethics, and your intentions.

We also agreed that this blog would list the due dates for all the many projects that have accumulated over the term. You will have most of the remainder of class days to workshop/develop your writing, and to listen to presentations by classmates. I will provide the assignment sheets for the reflective/craft essay and for the portfolio on 11/17 and 11.22, respectively..

Due dates for the rest of the term

11.17 Revised Essay 1/2 I essay

11.29 Revised Essay 3/4 Eye essay

12.1 Draft writing for reflective/craft essay (posted on blog for in-class discussion)

12.6 Rhetorical analysis of publiation venue (posted on blog)

12.13 Complete portfolio

12.15 Final performance, reading

For class Thursday:

Read: Joan Didion, "On keeping a notebook" 340; and Lee Gutkind, "The creative nonfiction police," 349.

Write: a description of your writing that will indicate characteristics of the kinds of journals that will "like" your work

You have spent some time looking at/analyzing publication venues. This blog is kind of the reverse of the rhetorical analysis assignment. Do an analysis of YOUR WORK = what is your style? what are the politics? how would you classify your subject material? length? and any other feature that you think might be a good indicator of what makes your work unique.

11.10 Analysis of Publication Venue project + sign up for conference

IMPORTANT NOTICE:   Since I will not be able to begin grading the Revised Essay 1/2=> you may have until Thursday to turn them in (even though it is posted as due on the blog for Tuesday.) In class we will talk briefly about the writing about writing essays in your anthology, and then you will work on the essay of your choice or on the rhetorical analysis project.

We spent most of class discussing + planning the Analysis of a pubication venue projec (assignment sheet posted to the right).  Everyone present in class signed up for a venue (list so far posted below).

Alison  Fourth Genre
Amanda  Silk Road?
Ashley  Fugue
Aydin  Collision
Brian  Word Riot
Catherine  Brevity
James  Splinter Generation
Jen  The Kenyon Review
Josh  The Big Ugly Review
Kathryn  Hunger Mountain
Lauren  Tiny Lights
Nicole  Creative Nonfiction
Neiha  Upstreet
Sam The Whistling Fire
Will  Narrative

Conferences. You spent the rest of class talking over your "eye" essays so far - and thinking about which one to revise.  I posted a sign-up sheet for conferences.  This conference is a place to talk about revising the "eye" essay - and to begin thinking about which essay is your "best" => the one that you will submit for publication.  The rhetorical analysis project will help you identify your audience - and the right place(s) to send your work.

You each should have received an email invitation (to your kean email for everyone but Amanda who received an invite at her gmail account) to the google.doc sign-up sheet.  If you can't find the document or edit (sign your name next to a time) let me know and we will figure it out.

For next class:.
Blog 18: Post Revised Essay 1 or 2


I will be reading Blogs 13-16 and providing comments over the weekend.  If you want to do some more tinkering with Essay 4 - go for it and we will use what ever you have posted at the time for your conference.


Have a great weekend! 

Corrected calendar

Check out the revised calendar.  I am hoping the dates are closer to correct than on the last one.  We will talk over the p.lan for the rest of the course in class on Thursday, 11/10

11.3 Drafts essays 3 & 4 + schedule for conferences

What an awesome discussion of description and how it is used in creative nonfiction.  Your "far back" descriptions were absolutely the best - and it was a real pleasure to be part of the discussion about how to use the different approaches to description represented by your posts.

I will be reading your essays and talking/writing to you with feedback.  I have glanced through a few and I am really excited about spending some time with them.  Thanks so much for your good work.

The schedule for conferences is as follows:

Monday
1:30:  Sam

Tuesday
1:20 James
2:00 Josh

Wednesday
1:45  Alison
2:00 Catherine
2:20  Kathryn
2:40  Aydin
3:00 Neiha

Written feedback:  Ashley, Jen, Will & Amanda.

For Tuesday:
comments on 3 classmates' work (individuals you haven't commented on before)

For next Thursday:
Blog 17:  Essay 4

In class I will introduce the publication venue assignment - and we will get started with the last part of the course.

Awesome class today .  Have a great weekend.