Writing: Poetry, Fiction, NonFiction An introduction to the writing of poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction through analysis of writings by modern and contemporary poets and prose writers and regular discussion of student writing. Different instructors may choose to emphasize one literary form or another in a given semester. Workshops will focus on composition and revision, with particular attention to the basics of form and craft. This course is a prerequisite to CRWR 0380, CRWR 0385, CRWR 0370, and CRWR 0375. (This course is not a college writing course.)

Advanced Fiction: Reading and Writing Short Novels Ian MacEwan once said that very few novels earn their length.  In this course we will read short works by Denis Johnson, Toni Morrison, Zadie Smith, Karen Russell, Julian Barnes, and Ocean Vuong to explore the power of short novels and take a close look at prose, style, and economic character development. We will examine the constraints of space, and the freedom to experiment with form. Students will generate and workshop the beginnings of their own novellas, and class discussion will be based on our reading and creative work.

Advanced Non-Fiction Workshop: Writing Truthfully in Turbulent Times To best assist us in finding our voices, this course plumbs the diversity of nonfiction as a genre and requires us to identify narratives larger than the self. So much is currently at stake. The work we read this semester will underline this for us. We will read new nonfiction works by an eclectic group of authors and thereby deepen our understandings of what it means to live in a time of severe ecological distress, extreme inequality, and virulent strains of all sorts of deadliness, as well as a time of intense hope, and we will write toward the conception of a book manuscript.

The Feminine Heroic In this class we will explore the hero’s journey in literature as it relates to women and the natural world: who gets to go on the adventure, and who arrives home, transformed? How do race and gender complicate the traditional man-versus-nature narrative? We will discuss character agency, narrative authority, and structure — and look at texts where women undertake the journey, including work by Annie Dillard, Camille Dungy, Rachel Carson, Anne LeBastille, Rahawa Haile, and Pam Houston. We will work on reading critically, editing, and practicing the art of giving and receiving feedback. This class will provide students with opportunities to create both critical and creative work.

Women in Conservation Writing In this exploration of women's contributions to environmental literature, we will read Rachel Carson, Camille Dungy, Janisse Ray, Carolyn Finney, Natalie Diaz, Anne LaBastille, and Robin Wall Kimmerer, among others. We'll discuss the cultivation of voice and authority, cultural impact, and relationship to place. We will respond to the work critically and creatively, with each student drafting a body of work throughout the term. 3hrs. sem.

Megan Mayhew-Bergman

Reviews and ratings for Megan Mayhew-Bergman at Middlebury College.Megan Mayhew-Bergman teaches Writing: Poetry, Fiction, NonF, Advanced Fiction Workshop, Advanced Non-Fiction Workshop and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Megan Mayhew-Bergman good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I thought the subject was interesting and MMB was really nice, but unfortunately, she was pretty absent. She didn't help us much outside of class hours, since I think she's pretty busy with her career. It's not a problem if you want an easy A, but it can be disappointing if you want to take a lot out of the class.

This course challenges you to write, write, write. Almost nothing is expected of you during the semester besides reading and writing. As long as you are passionate about writing and sharing your writing,, this is for you.