Writing Creatively in a Foreign Language: Vignettes, Haikus, and Poetry

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What is it like to teach writing creatively in a foreign language? How do I get even those students to embark on this adventure who have never even written creatively in their own language? The following article is based on my experiences teaching creative writing since 2008 at Leuphana University Lüneburg. While I mention a few pitfalls that need to be avoided, the article consists mostly of texts that always go over extremely well with students. Thus, it is a step-by-step approach for those who would like to embark on the adventure of teaching creative writing themselves. One short aside: I am a literary scholar by training, teaching mostly literature and culture of Canada and the United States, and have no formal training in the area of ESL. Therefore, readers will not get theoretical background information on how to teach creative writing from an ESL point-of-view, but rather hands-on, practical exercises that I have tried out numerous times and found to be successful. I am 100% self-taught in the area of creative writing.

Wie ist es, kreatives Schreiben in einer Fremdsprache zu unterrichten? Wie bekomme ich sogar diejenigen Studierenden dazu, sich auf dieses Abenteuer einzulassen, die selbst in ihrer Muttersprache nie Lyrik oder Geschichten geschrieben haben? Der folgende Artikel basiert auf meinen eigenen Erfahrungen als Dozentin für kreatives Schreiben an der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg. Der Artikel verweist auf einige Schwierigkeiten, die es zu vermeiden gilt und empfiehlt Texte, die bei Studierenden besonders gut ankommen. Daher ist der nachfolgende Artikel auch eine Art Einführung für diejenigen, die sich auf die Herausforderung, kreatives Schreiben in einer Fremdsprache zu unterrichten, einlassen möchten. Noch eine kurze Bemerkung: Ich bin von Hause aus Literaturwissenschaftlerin und unterrichte Nordamerikastudien (Kultur und Literatur Kanadas und der USA). Daher erwartet die Leserinnen und Leser im Folgenden keine theoretische Abhandlung, sondern tatsächlich erprobte Aufgaben im Bereich „kreatives Schreiben“. Ich in 100% Autodidaktin in diesem Bereich.
Original languageEnglish
JournalZeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht
Volume25
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)29-53
Number of pages25
ISSN1205-6545
Publication statusPublished - 10.2020

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