Senior Seminar: Build a Writing Portfolio (Semester-Long)

Students will build a diverse writing portfolio for submission to academic writing programs and professional writing opportunities. Each work will show mastery in a literary genre: fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. 

I have a BA in English Literature and an MA in Professional Writing, with a focus in creative writing. I have worked in the writing and publishing industry for almost twenty years as a writer and editor. I also prepare manuscripts for self-publication and for submission to open calls or agents. My personal writing portfolio includes magazine articles, topical essays, short fiction, and an extensive assortment of tabletop roleplaying games. I have successfully mentored young writers as they began their professional careers, and have many years of experience as a writing instructor. 

Students will have regular weekly writing assignments, as well as assigned reading. The length of the reading will vary based on the week's topic, but students should expect to spend a significant amount of time outside of class writing and editing their work. Work should be submitted via Google Docs so I can provide copyediting markup and comments.

Student work will be read for grammatical consistency and narrative or structural quality. If your learner requires a letter grade or written rubric, please let me know in advance, and I will provide those. Otherwise, I will make notations throughout students' submitted works using the comment and suggestion features in Google Docs. 

2 hours per week in class, and an estimated 4+ hours per week outside of class.