"ENGLISH 3711: Creative Writing for Child and Young Adult Readers"
Fun 3000-level English course - counts towards your 45 credit rule
Wednesdays 6:30-9pm
Beautiful Downtown Hartford Campus
Professor: Margaret (Pegi) Shea
Book costs are minimal
Writing under the name of "Pegi Deitz Shea," I am an award-winning author of 16 books for young readers (as well as hundreds of poems, articles, and essays for adult readers). An adjunct and working author, I have received numerous Provost's letters for Teaching Excellence. I conduct the course at the Storrs campus in the Fall, and at the Hartford campus in the spring. Agents and editors are actively looking for under-represented voices including immigrants, first-generation Americans, and LGBTQ writers.
I do not require that students have the usual Introduction to Creative Writing (ENGL 1701) under their belts.
TEXTS: Giblin Guide to Writing Children’s Books
FREE: 3711 Handout Packet© Pegi Deitz Shea, of instruction aids, templates, skill worksheets, and publishing resources.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: to tailor students’ creative writing skills to the formats, quality, and developmental stages in the children’s literature profession; to develop analytical and editorial skills pertaining to children’s texts, and to writing poetry and prose in general; to write manuscripts for submission to editors/agents.
The course format is an instructor-guided workshop: a safe community in which I and peers constructively critique each other’s works, and then revise their own works. After our first meeting, there will be a written assignment, ranging from 1 page to 4 pages due for each class. (No illustrations required.) The assignments go in this order: poetry for any age, baby board book, picture book, nonfiction picture book, magazine piece (e.g. puzzle, article), novel outline and character sketches, novel chapter 1. Students can decide to continue with their novel (minimum 3 chapters) or return to writing short stories or poems. The course culminates in creating a professional submission packet to an editor or literary agent, containing a cover letter and manuscript(s). This equips students to begin a professional writing career in any format/genre, whether they intend to write for young readers or adults.
Grading: midterm portfolio, final portfolio, class participation (critique grade).
For more information, contact: Margaret (Pegi) Shea at margaret.shea@uconn.edu