Rhodes University Short Courses In Creative Writing
Short Course: Creative Writing
Campus Creative Writing
Facilitators: Carol Leff, Paul Mason and Gillian Rennie with visiting teachers Crystal Warren and Jeannie McKeown.
Ths campus creative writing course has been running since 1998, and continues to attract students both young and old. The ISEA is grateful to Prof Paul Walters and the Grahamstown Training College for their very generous donation of R5000 which was used towards funding the four full bursaries and two half bursaries which were awardes to local residents who would otherwise not have been able to afford the course fees.
Fifteen classes ran on Thursday evenings during university term time from February until July, providing a structured but free space for students to exercuse their creativity and celebrate the process of writing. The diverse class this year comprises an intake of 32 participants, five of whom had enjoyed doing the course previously.
Feedback from the students at the end of the course include the following:
“This course has been one of the highlights of my time in Grahamstown. I really enjoyed having a space to be creative and to practice a skill. The exercises we did were so much fun and often brought up a wide variety of emotions”
“I really appreciated the opportunity to share things that I wouln’t , I feel braver now. I am very sad that this course is over so I would suggest that it be extended beyond its session run! I enjoy the in-depth sharing that happened in small groups so maybe there could be more of that””Overall, I absolutely loved this course – the facilitators were excellent, the work was inspiring and I had fun getting to know people I may not otherwise have met.”
“I looked forward to every Thursday evening. The coordinators provided a simple, open, supportive environment. The exercises were invigorating and shook my creative tree. There was sufficient scope to explore my own writing. Although a wonderful, enriching experience that has launched me into poetry writing.”
After the fifteen evening sessions came to an end, several students volunteered to join the Aerial editorial team, steered by Nina McFall, a final year journalism student. The publication of prose and poetry written by course participants is due to appear in print before university exams begin, and will be launched with some of students reading their work.