Overview

Full Product Details

Author:   Dr Bronwen Tate (Assistant Professor of Teaching and Undergraduate Chair, University of British Columbia, Canada) ,  Dr John Vigna (Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning, University of British Columbia, Canada)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 1.00cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   0.500kg
ISBN:  

9781350427723

ISBN 10:   1350427721
Pages:   256
Publication Date:   30 April 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Available To Order  
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started: Establishing Your Teaching Context, Goals, and Structures a. Getting to know your students, getting to know your teaching context. b. Creating sound, inclusive course syllabi c. A brief introduction to backwards design and learning objectives. d. Mapping assignments and activities onto a calendar. i. Teacher resources: “Three Possible Students” Through Experiment, Backwards Design Worksheet, Institutional Information-Gathering Sheet. ii. Possible cameos: Claire Donato, Janelle Adsit 2. Assignment Design a. Scaffolding learning. b. Designing assignments that build incrementally. c. Balancing fixed and flexible parameters. i. Teacher resources: Assignment sheet template (annotated) ii. Possible cameos: PJ Raynor, Isabeau Iqbal, Erika Meitner 3. Serious Play: Prompts and Generative Writing a. Why assign writing prompts? b. How prompts build to larger assignments and encourage process. c. Fostering an atmosphere of serious play. i. Teacher resources: Self-reflection on structure in creative practice. ii. Student Resources: A sample of tested prompts and strategies for generative work across genre, level, and modality. iii. Possible cameos: Lynda Barry, Diana Khoi Nguyen, UBC colleagues in less commonly taught genres, i.e. Nalo Hopkinson, Tariq Hussain 4. In-Class Activities and Active Learning a. What happens when we gather? b. Matching activities to goals. c. Asking good questions. d. Beyond discussion: small group problem-solving, structured conversations, role-playing exercises, collaborative writing, student presentations, and more. e. Community partnerships and service learning. i. Possible cameos: Taylor Brown-Evans, Sarah Leavitt, Kate Schapira 5. Craft, Context, Culture a. Why situate craft terms within cultural contexts. b. System building and system critique. c. Collaborative knowledge creation. d. Negotiating, defining, and inventing craft terms e. A place for lecture. i. Teacher Resources: Craft Terms in Context Worksheet. ii. Possible cameos: Matthew Salesses, Paisley Rekdal, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Matthew Shenoda 6. Working with Models and Mentor Texts a. The case for connecting reading and writing. b. Why instructors hesitate to make reading part of their courses. c. Reading and ability. i. Assignments that put focus on the reading process. d. Reading and time. e. Reading and authority. i. Students co-authoring the reading list. ii. Assignments that offer students both structure and agency. f. Using mentor texts to demystify publication and professionalization. i. Instructor resource: Selecting Model and Mentor Texts: 6 Guiding Principles. ii. Student Resources: Ecosystem of a Book Assignment, Commonplace Book/Reading Journal, Craft Apprenticeship Assignment, Annotation Assignments. iii. Possible cameos: Hoa Nguyen, Noor Naga, Matt Bell, Nancy Lee, Amer Latif 7. Workshop Approaches and Alternatives a. Workshop options. b. Getting beyond “positive” and “negative” feedback. c. Coaching curious agentic writers. d. Coaching attentive generous readers. e. Audiences present and future. f. The writers’ room: working in collaborative genres. g. Strategies for asynchronous and large-enrolment courses. i. Possible cameos: Felicia Rose Chavez, Liz Lerman, other contributors to Critique is Creative 8.Revision and Iterative Practice a. Developing an individual process. b. Growth mindset, radical revision mindset. c. Messy middles and the long haul. d. Coaching reflection and metacognition. e. From exploratory drafts to radical practical notes: feedback at each stage of the writing process. i. Teacher resources: Process metaphor reflection ii. Student resources: Revision Log Template, Pre- and Post-Workshop Memo Templates, iii. Possible cameos: Peter Ho Davies, John Bean 9. Inquiry and Research a. The role of research in creative writing. b. Inquiry as engine. c. Information literacy and navigating sources. d. Embodied research: archives, interviews, field observations. i. Student resources: Questions for Going Deeper, Source Assessment Worksheet ii. Possible cameos: Melanie Boyd & Jason Nisenson, Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, Annabel Lyon, Bridget Whearty 10.Assessment and Grading a. Establishing expectations: fixed and flexible parameters. b. Assessing product, assessing process. c. Working with rubrics. d. Summative feedback in the context of grading. i. Possible Cameos: Sherryda Warrener, 11. Supporting Thesis and Capstone Work a. Coaching creative project management. b. Building sustainable habits. c. Supporting agency and self-direction. i. Student resources: Thesis timeline template; Goals: Establishing, Revisiting, Reflecting. ii. Possible cameos: Jessica Abel, Beth Pickens, Chelene Knight 12. Comfortable with Uncertainty: Navigating Classroom Challenges a. Acknowledging our power, knowing our limits. b. Balancing preparation and presence. c. Cultivating a teaching persona. i. Possible cameos: Pratt and Collins (UBC), Chris Abani

Reviews

This is a useful and inspiring book. The authors, Bronwen Tate and John Vigna, draw on their years of experience researching and teaching creative writing to discuss approaches to designing and teaching creative writing courses. These two authors are not afraid to expose the complexities involved with teaching creative writing and throughout the book question who we are as teachers and the purpose of teaching creative writing and provide us with tools to succeed. This book will be an invaluable companion for teachers and researchers of creative writing. * Vicky Macleroy * This is the book that Creative Writing instructors have been waiting for—in touch with a transformed world, a new generation of creators, the shifting contexts of craft and readership. A Practical Guide to Teaching Creative Writing is also a comprehensive guide. It outmaneuvers entrenched institutional expectations by offering new approaches to everything from designing a syllabus to developing research skills to grading to facilitating workshops. There are options galore, regardless of an instructor’s genre. Without hysteria, Bronwen Tate and John Vigna future-proof the field against AI, reminding us why this particular discipline thrives on human interaction, one mind in contact with another. This book is a timely defence of human decision-making, art-making, and cultural transmission. * Dr. Ian Williams *

This is a useful and inspiring book. The authors, Bronwen Tate and John Vigna, draw on their years of experience researching and teaching creative writing to discuss approaches to designing and teaching creative writing courses. These two authors are not afraid to expose the complexities involved with teaching creative writing and throughout the book question who we are as teachers and the purpose of teaching creative writing and provide us with tools to succeed. This book will be an invaluable companion for teachers and researchers of creative writing. * Vicky Macleroy *

Author Information

Bronwen Tate is Assistant Professor of Teaching and Undergraduate Chair in School of Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia, Canada, where she teaches poetry, creative nonfiction, and creative writing pedagogy. She is the author of the poetry collection The Silk the Moths Ignore, and her essays have appeared in venues including Contemporary Literature and Journal of Modern Literature. Bronwen has taught courses in literature, composition, interdisciplinary critical thinking, and creative writing across genres at institutions ranging from community colleges and a scrappy liberal arts college to large private and public R1 universities. John Vigna is Associate Professor of Teaching and Teaching & Learning Chair in the School of Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia Creative Writing program, Canada, where he teaches fiction. His focus is on pedagogical and curricular strategies for 5000 Creative Writing students across the MFA, BFA Major, and Undergrad Minor programs, including online edX innovations. His first book of fiction, Bull Head, was received with critical acclaim in Canada and the US in 2012 and was also published in France in 2017. It was selected by Quill & Quire as an editor’s pick of the year and was a finalist for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. John was named one of 10 writers to watch by CBC Books. His novel, No Man’s Land, was published in Fall 2021.

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