CREATIVE WRITING

at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco

Welcome! CW develops the art and craft of creative writing through instruction, collaboration, and respect. This blog showcases STUDENT WRITING and how to APPLY to Creative Writing.

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  • First Show of the Year- Vegas, Baby!

    Creative Writing Department presents…
    Vegas Baby! The 2011 Fall Semester Creative Writing Show
    Friday, Oct 14, 2011 at 7:30 PM
    Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts
    555 Portola, San Francisco, CA 94131
    SOTA MainstagCreative WritingJoin us for the 2011 Fall Semester Creative Writing Show.
    Poetry, Prose & Playwriting.
    Vegas-Themed Costume Contest
    Adults $10; Students $7; Tickets at the door.

    -Reba

  • Playwriting Classes

    PlayGround’s 2011-12 Playwriting Intensives

    Sign up for PlayGround’s monthly two-hour playwriting master class series with leading Bay Area dramatists and(re)discover your potential as a playwright. All classes take place at A.C.T. Studios, 30 Grant Ave, San Francisco on first Mondays, 7pm-9pm, October through March. Registration is $15 for the October 3 class only; $35 for all subsequent classes ($40 at the door); $100 for six-class subscriptions (a 46% savings!).

    For complete class descriptions and instructor bios, visit http://playground-sf.org/classes.shtml.
    To register, visit http://playground-sf.org/register.shtml.

    October 3 – The Working Playwright, Revisited: Everything You (Still) Need to Know with Aaron Loeb

    November 7 –Back to the Basics with Philip Kan Gotanda

    December 5 – Writing with an Eye for Staging & Physicality with Mark Jackson

    January 2 – Adaptations with Anthony Clarvoe

    February 6 – You Write Funny with Peter Sinn Nachtrieb

    March 5 – Finding the End with Lauren Gunderson

    Suggested Reading: Best of PlayGround series (2001-2011)

    Founded in 1994, PlayGround is the Bay Area’s leading playwright incubator. Over the past seventeen years, PlayGround has developed nearly 600 original short plays by 170 early-career Bay Area playwrights and in just the past eight years has commissioned 34 new full-length plays with 7 currently in development. PlayGround works can be seen at the monthly Monday Night PlayGround staged reading series, annual Best of PlayGround Festival and PlayGround co-productions in partnership with Bay Area theatres. For more information on PlayGround programs and the upcoming 2011-12 season, visit http://playground-sf.org or call (415) 992-6677.

  • Fort Mason Reading tomorrow

    Thursday 29 September 29, 2011
    6:30 pm
    Readers Café & Bookstore
    Building C, South End
    Fort Mason Center,
    San Francisco
    (415)771-1011

    Thursdays at Readers Cafe
    Al Young and Pauline Craig
    curated by Jack Hirschman,
    Friends of the San Francisco Public Library
    poet-in-residence

    – Reba

  • Laura Dufort in the Classroom

    This week, we C-dubs are lucky enough to have our own Isaiah Dufort’s mother, Laura, teaching us through abstract visual art and the concept of tangibility: what is and what isn’t, and how we can utilize it in our writing. Laura Dufort is an accomplished painter, most known for her work with circles, both in striking reds and softer golds and silvers. She has brought in a selection of her paintings; the luminescent simplicity of her work stirs in us awe and delight. “Painting won’t die,” Laura told the class yesterday. “There’s something about this medium; it’s so seductive. It still has value.”

    -Reba

  • This Week at SOTA…

    Wednesday, Sept. 28 – 9:00 am Late Start

    Friday, Sept. 30 – “Best of Boot Camp” (4:30 pm and 7:00 pm)

    Remember, guys, we need to attend two different performances by different art disciplines per semester! Department showcases as well as brownbags (lunchtime showcases) count, as long as you give Heather a program of the show signed by either the art director or someone in charge. All of the departments are extremely talented and great at what they do, and everyone is encouraged to go to as many shows as possible. Support your fellow SOTA students!

    For the students who take BART as transport frequently, here’s something from the main office:

    The first batch of Student Discount BART Tickets sold out almost immediately. We had no idea how great the demand would be. A new batch of tickets will arrive Thursday. Thanks for your interest and patience.

    SOTA is selling half-price, student BART tickets in the main office (see Paulette) during school hours. Tickets are $16/card (a $32 value) and we accept cash or checks (payable to SOTA). Students may purchase purchase a maximum of 4 cards at a time.

  • Calling Female Writers

    http://www.calyxpress.org/journal.html
    CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women is committed to publishing the diverse voices of new and emerging women artists and authors. We will be open for submissions of poetry and prose via our online system from October 1-December 31: http://www.calyxpress.org/submissions/

    Please visit our complete guidelines before submitting: http://www.calyxpress.org/submission.html

    The writer/artist guidelines are as follows:

    -Prose (includes essays, flash fiction, short stories, etc.) should be double-spaced and not exceed 5,000 words.
    -Poetry submissions are limited to 6 poems. When submitting through our online submission manager, please put all poems into the same document (.doc, .docx, .txt, .pdf)
    -Interviews should be double-spaced and limited to 2,500 words. Please submit these in the prose category
    -Book Reviews if you are interested in reviewing books, please send a resume and published samples of review writing to . After reviewing these, we will contact you about the book review list. Reviews should be double-spaced and from 500 to a maximum of 1,000 words. Reviews of chapbooks should be limited to 50-100 words. We’re always open for book reviews. Replace (at) with @ in sending e-mail.
    -Visual Art should be submitted (1) electronically to ; (2) on a CD; or (3) 5″x7″ or 8″x10″ glossy photographs. Limit of 6 images and/or slides and/or photos. All art media are considered and diverse approaches are encouraged. Please include a list of all titles, media, and dimensions for each piece; a 50-word biographical statement; and a 50-word statement about your artwork with your submission along with your contact information (address, phone number, and email). Submit art separately from prose and poetry.

    Online submissions (preferred):
    please include a 50-word bio statement in the “comments” field. Upload your document as a .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .txt and include your name, email, and address on each page. Submit poetry and prose separately. Click here to submit work through our online submissions manager
    http://www.calyxpress.org/submissions/

    Postal submissions:
    We will continue to accept paper submissions this year, but we prefer that you submit electronically to help us reduce waste. When sending paper submissions, include a 50-word bio statement; SASE; and please include your name, address, phone, and email on each page of your submission. Send materials to: CALYX Journal/PO Box B/Corvallis, OR 97339.

    – Reba

  • Mindful Artist in Residence

    Today was the last day of Daniella Salzman’s “Mindfulness and Writing” unit, wherein students learned how to pay attention to what was going on in the body, the mind, the emotional “heart” and the external environment. Daniella, who lives in Berkeley and works as a dance expressive arts therapist, also spends much of her time teaching mindfulness to youth. She recently came out of a 3-month period of silence, during which she did little but meditate and cook. Her voice was pleasantly soft, probably as a result. When asked if she could sum up mindfulness in a sentence, she answered with: “This might sound corny, but I would say that mindfulness is being in the here and now, with kindness and curiosity.” We hope to welcome her back soon.

    -Reba

  • “M” Friday, 9/23

    Art&Film is showing M this Friday at the Randall Museum, a German drama-thriller directed by Fritz Lang. A classic and hailed as Lang’s best work, this black and white film stars Peter Lorre, Otto Wernicke, and Gustaf Gründgens.

    Refreshments at 6:30. Movie starts at 7:00.

    from http://www.moviepostershop.com/m-movie-poster-1931/

    Movie is available online, with free download here.

  • Tainted Rainbows

    Come to Tainted Rainbows, an event with free admission and food at the Women’s Building for 14 to 24 year olds, with a photo booth, live DJs, and a fierce drag show!

    Friday, September 23rd

    7pm – 11pm

    3543 18th Street, The Women’s Building

  • Reading in the Mission

    Thursday September 22, 2011
    7pm to 10 pm
    Om Shan Tea
    233 14th Street, corner of Natoma,
    (bet. Mission & South Van Ness)
    San Francisco map

    Open Heart Poetry @ Om Shan Tea
    Open Heart Poetry
    Hosted by Marc Kockinos
    Featured Poet
    La Tigresa
    reading from her acclaimed new book, NAKED SACRED EARTH POEMS
    La Tigresa is a consummate performer, who brings a skilled theatrical quality to her readings.
    Her work praises Nature, and urges the listener to connect
    with the Earth and protect the environment.

    Open Heart Poetry is a weekly
    gathering to bask in the poetry of awakening.
    Please come with open ears, minds, hearts and words to share.
    $5 min. for tea and vegan food (support the venue that supports us!    )

    -Reba