Wielding words for change 

At ASFA, Alabama’s best young writers receive a foundation in the literary arts, exploring form and genre in an MFA-style workshop model. By reading a wide range of texts and authors, they gain a grounding from which to grow a distinct voice and literary identity.

How to live in your own head...

Our faculty aim to help students develop a sustainable, autonomous writing life that lasts beyond their years at ASFA. They learn to make use of the protected writing time that ASFA affords them, and how to make such time for their creative work in college and beyond.

—and know when to get out of it

Rejecting the notion of the solitary author locked in her room, ASFA students learn what it means to be part of a creative community and the importance of the arts and artists in society. They work together to produce ASFA’s literary magazine, Cadence, and take part in literary outreach events at Birmingham-area elementary schools. In the process, they gain a deep appreciation for the responsibility of authors to shine a light on injustices and write a more equitable world into existence.

Preparation for publication

ASFA students prepare and submit their best pieces for consideration by top literary journals and competitions, and many have had great success with their submissions. Faculty guide them through this process, while also engaging students in honest discussions about finding a balance between individual creative fulfillment and the desire to publish and promote their work.

Learn from top talent!

CURRICULUM

WORKSHOPS

Introduction to Fiction Workshop | Introduction to Poetry Workshop
(For 7-8th Grade Students and New 9th Grade Students)

• Focus: Generating work in different forms and genres; reading advanced (but age-appropriate) poetry and literary fiction these students probably wouldn’t read on their own; getting acclimated to sharing, analyzing, and talking about peer works in progress in a supportive, encouraging environment—i.e., strong emphasis will be placed on describing the work and appreciating its strengths.

Fiction Workshop | Poetry Workshop | Creative Nonfiction Workshop | Senior Thesis Workshop
(For 9-12th Grade Students)

• Focus: Generating original new work; sharing, analyzing, and talking about peer works in progress in a supportive, constructively critical environment. Readings will augment/amplify concepts addressed in workshop; outside reading load will be relatively moderate—i.e., generally speaking, packets of exemplary individual poems, short stories, nonfiction pieces, and/or craft essays that can be read in a single sitting.

FORMS COURSES

Forms of Fiction | Forms of Poetry (Prosody) | Forms of Creative Nonfiction
(For 9-10th Grade Students)

• Focus: Reading and analyzing a range of primarily contemporary (late 20th C. to present) literature within a given genre in order to give younger high school students a more extensive background and vocabulary in literary writing. Students will generate a fair amount of critical/analytical writing in response to course readings as they also create new work modeled after the course texts and in response to course concepts. This is not a workshop; students will not be required to regularly critique peer works in progress for Forms courses. The emphasis will instead be on exposing students to new texts, authors, and concepts, and for students to think critically about the material and to experiment with using course materials as new models for their own work without too much concern for how those experiments will be received by an audience.

PRACTICUMS

ASFA-CW Practicums are project-based courses designed to give upper-level ASFA-CW students (11-12th Grade) the opportunity to make practical application of what they have learned in our program. Equal parts seminar, independent study, and internship, these courses require students to take responsibility for their own creative process while also working side-by-side (and sometimes in collaboration with) other students.

Practicum I

(For 11th Grade Students)

• Focus: “Authorship” and the writer’s life, with special attention on helping students plan for and begin to develop an autonomous writing life that can last beyond their time at ASFA. Topics for discussion will include the pros and cons of submitting work for contests and publication; a general overview of the “business” of writing; exploring different publication venues and contest opportunities; and striking the proper balance between nurturing a healthy, sustainable writing process and publishing and promoting finished work. Students in this course are expected to begin conceptualizing their senior thesis, and therefore the group will periodically discuss the challenges/discoveries inherent in that process. There is also a college advising component to this course, with an eye toward preparing students for their continued study of writing at the collegiate level (and beyond). Finally, these students are responsible for coordinating a range of ASFA-CW community service projects, including conceiving and producing a fundraising event for the department, helping to promote and celebrate their peers' spring semester readings, and other similar activities in the community at large.   

Practicum II

(For 12th Grade Students)

• Focus: In the final semester of their senior year, ASFA-CW seniors are responsible for producing Cadence, the department's award-winning literary magazine. Time will also be devoted to producing their respective senior readings and finalizing and defending their senior theses.   

SHORT COURSES

Periodically throughout the school year, students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in various writing-related special topics electives under the guidance of ASFA faculty or guest lecturers. Ranging from one to six weekly sessions, ASFA-CW short courses allow students and faculty to explore emergent areas of interest that augment the formal curriculum in an informal setting that encourages curiosity, creativity, and experimentation. Previous short course topics have included horror films, humor writing, comparative myth, and the use of social media as a platform for community activism.    

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Each year, all ASFA-CW students give a public reading of their work on campus, and they submit their work for inclusion in Cadence. Students are also required to submit and defend a thesis of original creative work during their senior year. 

• Ashley M. Jones: Alabama Poet Laureata, Rona Jaffe Award winner, ASFA-CW faculty member, founding director of the Magic City Poetry Festival, and author of the poetry collections, Magic City Gospel (2017), dark // thing (2018), and REPARATIONS NOW! (2021).
• Emma Bolden: NEA Literature Fellowship recipient and author of three poetry collections, most recently House Is an Enigma (2018)
• Hannah Aizenman: Poetry Coordinator at The New Yorker
• E.E. Wade: Playwright in Residence at Gnome House Theatre Company in New York City
• Ramsey Archibald: Staff writer for Reckon and al.com
• April Adams, MD/Ph.D: Fellow and instructor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
• Chris Lawson: Artist, writer, filmmaker, National Gallery of Art, Saddlecreek records music videos/album art

Application

• The general application is done through an online platform.
• Submit the general application before submitting any department-specific materials.
• The parent questionnaire is an opportunity to provide important information on your student.
• The two student essays are an opportunity for the student to highlight their personality and passion for their specialty.
• A $25 application fee must be submitted with the application (if this cost is prohibitive contact Katie Gordon.)
• Applications open at the beginning of November.