Autumn creative writing course list announced at Some Blind Alleys

The new courses for autumn 2009 have been announced at the Creative Writing Workshops at Some Blind Alleys – the unique, entertaining, demanding and rewarding creative writing courses.

The Creative Writing Workshops at Some Blind Alleys (http://someblindalleys.com) are for people who are interested in discovering or rediscovering a love for great literature and embracing the influences of classic and contemporary masters.

Why are Some Blind Alleys creative writing courses unique?

Aspiring writers can expect detailed, line-by-line edits on everything they hand in. All longer work is discussed in a workshop. There are no lessons about technique or “how-to-write” exercises. People who take these courses can expect a serious critical response to the completed work they hand in.

Why are they so tough?

The Workshops at Some Blind Alleys teach judgment, not technique, and this requires a reading-intensive approach. Each week, participants will take home and read three to four short stories and essays by the greatest writers who ever lived. We discuss these in class before moving on to a discussion of writing by participants. (Work by participants is also always taken home to be read.)

Why are they so rewarding?

All participants will write new and complete essays and short stories by the end of each course. The Workshops at Some Blind Alleys cannot promise that participants will emerge from this class as great writers, but they will emerge as better writers, and, importantly, they’ll become great readers – they’ll learn to read as writers.

Why are they so entertaining?

SBA tutors teach what they love. They teach stories and essays that inspire them as writers. They treat encouragement and criticism of participants with equal rigor. Every minute of class is an enthusiastic and intense investigation into what we like about great writing by masters, and how their influence makes us better writers. Afterwards, the class usually takes a walk to the nearest pub for a drink and some less intense conversation.

Read more about the Workshops at Some Blind Alleys on the Some Blind Alleys website: http://someblindalleys.com/index.php/workshops/

All courses are directed by essayist and fiction writer Greg Baxter. Greg was a successful creative writing teacher at the Irish Writers’ Centre from 2006 to 2009.

This autumn, he decided to start his own creative writing workshops venture in association with the online journal of new Irish writing and visual art – Some Blind Alleys – which he edits.

Creative writing courses in the autumn 2009 list include:

• “Russian Short Stories: Howl, Suffer, Ignite, Lament, Celebrate, Tell the Truth”
(http://someblindalleys.com/index.php/workshops/russian-short-stories/)

• “Women Who Changed Literature” (taught by new SBA tutor Bernadette Smyth)
(http://someblindalleys.com/index.php/workshops/women-who-changed-literature/)

Creative Writing 1 and Creative Writing 2 are also on offer – ‘boot camp’ courses that bring talented and committed young writers in contact with the best stories and essays ever written. As always, socializing after class remains a big part of the course.

For more information, contact Greg at editor [ at ] someblindalleys [ dot ] com.