Creative Writing in French (307-0-20)

Instructors

Eric Essono Tsimi
847/467-5637
Crowe 2-140, 1860 S Campus Drive
Office Hours: https://calendly.com/tsimi
Éric Essono Tsimi is an associate professor, novelist, playwright, and political activist. He holds a PhD in French Civilization and Cultural Studies from the University of Virginia, which he received in 2019, and a European doctorate awarded in joint supervision by Université Grenoble Alpes, France, and the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2017. His forthcoming publications, both scheduled for Fall 2026, include the monograph L’auteur face à l’IA, to be published by the academic press of Université Grenoble Alpes, and the detective novel New Bell de nuit, to be published by Lettres Mouchetées in Congo.

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-331: Tues, Thurs 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Creative Writing in French is an advanced workshop that treats writing as craft, draft, and graft across genre. Through close reading, notebook practice, in-class writing and rewriting, draft workshops, revision conferences, and collaborative editorial work on a small class revue, students move from observation and sentence work to scene, dialogue, genre transformation, and substantial revision. Readings are largely excerpt-based and may include Claire Delannoy, Marguerite Duras, Annie Ernaux, Raymond Queneau, Georges Perec, Gustave Flaubert, Nathalie Sarraute, Dany Laferrière, and Alain Mabanckou. One assignment will ask students to write a letter to Alain Mabanckou in response to Lettres à un jeune romancier sénégalais; during an online November visit, he will read a selection of these letters and respond. Major assignments include weekly notebook and craft exercises, two creative portfolios, workshop feedback, and a final revised portfolio with author's statement, process dossier, and contribution to the class publication. Conducted in French.

Registration Requirements

Prerequisite: FRENCH 202-0 or consent of instructor.
No additional permission number is required beyond the catalog prerequisite unless enrollment management later requires one. Because this is a capped workshop, regular attendance and timely circulation of drafts are expected.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- analyze model texts as writers' texts, with attention to voice, syntax, rhythm, imagery, dialogue, and point of view;
- compose original prose in French across several forms, including sketch, letter, prose poem, dialogue, and short fiction, using craft concepts and formal constraints;
- transform the same narrative material across genres, registers, and perspectives to test how form changes meaning, pacing, and readerly effect;
- evaluate drafts—one's own and others'—with precise workshop vocabulary in French and identify revision priorities in structure, sequence, diction, and perspective;
- revise substantially through multiple drafts at the level of scene, syntax, structure, and voice;
- document and reflect on a creative process through notebooks, draft stages, peer feedback, revision notes, and ethical use of documentary material and authorized digital tools.

Teaching Method

Other: workshop/atelier format with draft workshops, individual conferences, and collaborative editorial work on a small class revue/publication.

Evaluation Method

Other: Assessment is revision-driven rather than exam-driven. There is no final exam; major pieces are expected to show substantial reworking across drafts and clear evidence of development from draft to draft.

Class Materials (Required)

Required book:
- Alain Mabanckou, Lettres à un jeune romancier sénégalais. Points, 2025. EAN: 9791041418213.
Additional required readings, model texts, and short craft materials will be posted on Canvas or made available through the library.
Students should also have a notebook or other dedicated writing journal for regular drafting and observation.

Class Materials (Suggested)

A good French dictionary is recommended.
Optional companion reading: Alain Mabanckou, Verre cassé.

Class Notes

This course is conducted in French.
Because this is a workshop, attendance, preparation, and timely circulation of drafts are essential.
Readings are largely excerpt-based; the emphasis is on writing, revision, and editorial judgment rather than lecture or exam.
One online November session with Alain Mabanckou will center on letters written by students in response to Lettres à un jeune romancier sénégalais.
Use of generative AI is conditional and limited to explicitly designated exercises or narrowly defined tasks authorized by the instructor.

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for French Majors & Minors.