CRWR 2006 - The Politics of Writing

Why do we write? What authors have inspired us? Many of the books and stories we admire have been conceived during times of crisis and transformation. To what extent, and in what ways, is the literary imagination conditioned by its social contexts? What is political today? And how might we navigate the tensions between the aesthetic and the political in our own work? These and other questions form the basis of this course by challenging students to draw on their reading and life experiences to write creatively. Students will examine the work of Australian and international writers who might be considered 'political' in different ways. In so doing, students are encouraged to frame their work 'politically'. Readings will include speeches, poetry, short fiction, comics, essays, and novels, to demonstrate the wide range of 'political' writing in circulation.