CW Courses

The School of the Arts Creative Writing Program

Currently Offered Courses

7^th & 8th grade:

Creative Writing Experience – Arts Exploratory: This introductory six-week course is designed for all new SOTA students to explore the art of creative writing and develop writing skills necessary to become a successful writer. This course is repeated in the 8^th grade with further introductory material.

9th grade:

Reading & Writing for Self Discovery: This course is designed to allow the student to explore his/her voice and develop writing skills necessary to become a successful writer. The course will explore the four literary genres: poetry, fiction, script writing and creative non-fiction. Students will be introduced to reading strategies and will be expected to read a variety of novels, books of poetry, plays, and other material.

Performance Word and Text: Students will explore the power of the spoken and written word for self-expression and as a means of communication with a larger audience. The course covers the basics of the communication process. Students in this class are expected to participate in our coffeehouse reading performances.

Writing for Publication: This course introduces students to the field of writing and publishing. The course includes instruction on technology and desktop publishing, the “art” of publishing and bookmaking, as well as the techniques of effective storytelling and oral interpretation.

Creative Grammar & Style: This course covers basics in grammar, sentence construction, and effective writing. Using a variety of projects and exercises, students experiment with syntax, punctuation, diction, tone, and other elements of style to learn how to write effective prose and poetry.

10th grade:

Craft of Writing: Students will use the creative process to create a wide variety of techniques and exercises to create writing on a regular basis.  Emphasis is placed on understanding the characteristics of different literary genres and practicing successful writing techniques in poetry, fiction, and playwriting. Through workshops, students will learn the editing and revision process. Students will read works from major literary authors as a source of inspiration and models of fine writing.

Creative Journalism: Students will learn the art of writing creative non-fiction within the field of journalism (print and broadcast) and new media (internet). 

11th grade:

Playwriting/Film Studies: Two courses designed for students to gain experience writing for the stage and the media. Includes possible original work produced in the Playwrights’ Festival and SOTA’s film festival. Students will read a variety of dramatic literature as a basic foundation for the writing of plays and scripts.

Contemporary Writers: This is a literature course designed for writing students to read works by numerous noted and award-winning contemporary authors. Reading selections cover a variety of writing genres.  These works will serve as a source of style and technique from which students can model their own writing and inspire student work in terms of themes and contemporary issues.

12th grade:

Advanced Poetry/Advanced Fiction: Designed for our advanced writing students, these two courses focus on analyzing the genres of poetry and fiction using college and professional writing workshop models.

Writing Across Cultures: This literature and research course introduces students to works by noted writers from a variety of world cultures. Students will examine writing from a cultural studies foundation. Students are expected to analyze different cultures, cultural groups and philosophical ideas as models to inspire their own writing. Students explore contemporary and traditional styles of writing, focusing on writing for world markets and engaging in research specific to the writing field.

The Creative Writing Program at the School of the Arts encourages students to participate in a variety of extracurricular enrichment activities. These include public performances, writing contests, and publishing opportunities. The following is a list of traditional SOTA extracurricular activities sponsored by the Creative Writing Department:

• Coffeehouse Readings – two public readings of SOTA creative writing majors’ original work.
• Sotacrat & Chronicle – SOTA’s school newspaper published throughout the year.
• Playwrights’ Festival – an annual production showcasing creative writing students’ original plays.
• Film Festival – an annual production showcasing creative writing and art students’ original films.
• Poetry Slam – an annual production showcasing the poetic stylings of our creative writing juniors and seniors.
• New England Young Writers’ Conference – selected 10^th and 11^th grade students are encouraged to apply to attend the famous Breadloaf campus in Vermont for a national weekend writing workshop.
• Writing contests – Students are encouraged to enter a variety of national writing contests. SOTA creative writing majors have published or won such writing contests as the National Virgilio Haiku contest, Gannon University, Sokol writing contest, Penfield Poetry contest, GeVa Young Playwrights’ contest, and many others.
• Writing scholarships & awards – Students are encouraged to apply for a variety of national scholarships. SOTA creative writing majors have won past scholarships such as the Orrin T. Shapiro writing contest, Scholastic Writing Awards, NFAA Young Arts award, and the Sally Rial award, among others.
• Guest speaker workshops & master classes – a variety of professional writers and guest speakers have visited SOTA to deliver creative writing master classes with our students. Recent guest speakers include: Cornelius Eady, Sean Doherty, Reenah Golden, and Will Hubbell.
• SOTA extracurricular activities and clubs – Creative writing students are encouraged to enrich their education by participating in school-wide activities including: Speech and Debate club, Haiku club, Reader’s Theatre productions, Masterminds, literary magazine, Drama productions and musicals, Yearbook, SOTA Government, SOTA Dance Concert, Heritage Choir, sports or athletic teams, and many more.