Mining for Gold: Looking to the Everyday for Creative Inspiration

In 1917, Marcel Duchamp’s piece Fountain led to many great debates regarding what is and what isn’t "art." “If Duchamp can declare a urinal art, and if the art world can accept it as such," says instructor Shelby Hinte, "then where exactly are artistic lines drawn and who decides?”

In this 5-week class, we will use material from our everyday lives as starting points to generate our own creative prose, poetry, or hybrid works. We will look anew at the world and seek inspiration in unexpected places, mining the everyday for artistic leads. Emails, data entry, list making, and recipes are just scratching the surface of materials that might serve rich starting points for creative works. Flash fiction and experimental forms will help guide class discussion and serve as the foundation for writing both in and out of class. Out of class writing will be in the form of short, generative works and are intended to be easily adapted into busy schedules. While not a workshop, students will have an opportunity to share and discuss their own writing during class.

"The focus of this course is to generate new material and find creative leads rather than polish final drafts," says Shelby. "By the end of our five weeks together, students will have at least five first drafts of short works as well as a revised creative work."

About The Writing Salon's Remote Classes

You will be able to participate in live class meetings via Zoom videoconference. To attend classes, you'll need a phone, tablet or computer and access to the internet. You can participate in the class from wherever you'd like, whether on your living room couch or in your office. Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about Zoom and your remote class. If you have any questions about remote learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.