In this course, we will explore the craft of writing and investigate storytelling as a communication method, with an emphasis on personal development. Students will complete a series of short writing assignments to develop their voice, explore styles, and practice creating powerful narratives and compelling characters. We will read—and watch, and listen to—genres including poetry, fiction, essay, script, and storyboard and discuss these sources of inspiration alongside our own written works.
Expected learning outcomes
- To be able to write a sample of 3 to 4 different categories of creative writing, including a personal essay
- To become familiar with various writing styles across mediums
- To learn to constructively critique one another’s work in a safe and supportive environment
- To gain confidence in their writing, storytelling abilities, and knowledge of significant writers
Instructor: Katrina Simonsen
Katrina Simonsen is an interdisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia. In 2016, she moved away from her hometown in upstate New York to attend the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She began using traditional methods of drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking as mediums of communication and storytelling, focusing on her personal experience with lucid dreaming. In 2017, she was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania’s coordinate program with the Academy. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2020, she continues to expand her practice to explore topics including memory, grief, and interrelationships between animals and people in sequential visual narrative art. In fall 2024, she was invited to participate in the Soaring Gardens artist residency program. In 2022 and 2024, she was a recipient of the Illuminate the Arts Grant.
