Describes instructional and departmental forces creating the following problems for undergraduate creative writing teachers: (1) they hold an uneasy position in the English department hierarchy; (2) courses are radically different from creative writing courses in either high school or graduate school; and (3) instruction has lagged behind…

Locates the tensions of disciplinary turf, professional allegiances, and unexamined teaching practices that intersect in first-year, writing-with-literature courses. Examines confusions that surround these courses for new teachers and for English departments in general. Suggests changes to be made. (TB)

Writing instructors and students alike need to cross the line between composition and creative writing far more often than they do. As students indicate in their essays, composition is often viewed as an unpleasant task, while creative writing is perceived as more enjoyable. Among teachers, creative writing instructors are phobic of critical…