This course will offer instruction and practice in three genres of creative writing: nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. In her Nobel lecture, author Svetlana Alexievich explains, "In telling a story, humans create-they wrestle time like a sculptor does marble." This semester we will employ the lens of craft to inform our learning because, like the sculptor, a creative writer must first understand her tools and raw materials. At the same time, we acknowledge, as Matthew Salesses suggests, that there is no such thing as "pure craft," that craft decisions are inevitably affected by social and cultural factors. This course is an opportunity for students to hone their particular craftsmanship in a supportive and rigorous environment and to serve one another as members of a literary workshop community. In joining this workshop, we agree to write often, share frequently, and provide detailed feedback to our fellow writers. Together, we will study the work of expert poets and prose writers in order to analyze their craft techniques and broaden our conception of what is possible in literature.