Topics in Composition

WRITING 4131

Students of this practicum study the landscape of literary magazines from an editorial perspective, using WashU's own online journal, "The Spectacle," for hands-on training. We observe and consider every stage of creating a magazine: developing a mission and aesthetic; soliciting poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from established writers; navigating Submittable to evaluate unsolicited work; conferring with other editors to determine what to publish and what to reject; corresponding and collaborating with writers to top edit, line edit, and fact check for publication; and creating social media campaigns to promote the magazine and its writers. Students complete assignments that prepare them for future editorial work and assignments that will help prepare the next issue of "The Spectacle." Successful completion of the course qualifies students to continue working for "The Spectacle" as editorial and/or social media interns (according to their preference) the following semester. This course counts toward the Creative Writing Concentration and the Publishing Concentration.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; FA HUM; AR HUM

Section 01

Topics in Composition
INSTRUCTOR: H. McPherson
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