In this course we will develop/cultivate a relationship with research as a creative process—as an art—that is essential to creative writing, narrative problem solving, knowledge making, and the revelation of truth. We will explore, in reading and through our own writing projects, a range of research methodologies that move beyond more conventional modes into experimental, sensorial, somatic, affective and improvisational realms, including reenactment, ritual, pilgrimage, performance, dreams, among other forms of deep listening and imaginative/intuitive practices. We will consult creative research by writers/artists such as Diana Khoi Nguyen, Rea Tajiri, Don Mee Choi, Barbara Browning, Tina Campt, Alice Walker, and Bhanu Kapil, who writes, in her book Humanimal, “I put my hand on her grave and waited, until I could feel the rhythm, faintly, of breathing.”

An intermediate class in writing poetry through its visual attributes, space on the page, and positioning. Previous writing course is not required

This course uses Melbourne as both subject and classroom, embedding students in one of the Southern Hemisphere's most dynamic cities while developing their skills in cultural journalism and creative nonfiction. Based at Victoria University's city campus, we will explore Melbourne's status as a UNESCO City of Literature through multiple lenses: its thriving independent music ecosystem, its reputation as the sporting capital of Australia, and its internationally recognized food culture.

In this hybrid creative writing and literature course, we will read and analyze diverse voices in past and contemporary poetry and write poetry to discover our own poetic voices. We will reflect on our own experiences, interview writer activists, and explore literary citizenship beyond the page and classroom. We will delve into poetry of witness, ecopoetics, and place-based writing that helps us discover our activist writer identity.