Finding the bird in the bush, or, “the material that appears”: rethinking the ‘creative’ in teaching ‘creative writing’

If we want to bring assessment into alignment with teaching and learning practices in creative writing, we will need to change our conceptions of teaching and learning themselves. I believe there is a precedent for a changed conception of teaching and learning and will sketch the outline of such a change. I will do so via a practical example of a course I teach in creative writing, as well as via theoretical interventions from current educational theorists. I take my lead from a call made from within the imperilled waters of creativity such as it exists in creative writing today, that we need to pay attention to ontological and ethical issues if our conception of creativity is to survive the slide into the hyper-cynical discourse of advertising. Without changing our understanding of the “what” of education we will never arrive at the how or the why.Keywords: Assessment, creativity, creative writing, ethics, Hughes Mearns, Gilles Deleuze