Craft Chaps offers substantive essays by contemporary writers on creative writing practice. Each chap focuses on one aspect of craft and also contains a writing exercise and bibliography for further reading. They are freely downloadable at Sundress Publications and can be printed and stapled as 5×8 booklets.
As creative writing teachers, we’ve been frustrated by the lack of affordable texts available for our students. Introductory textbooks from major publishers often include anthologies of creative work which significantly increase cost, while book-length works of aesthetic theory privilege one aesthetic perspective.
Craft Chaps aims to democratize creative writing education through making this material accessible for use both inside and outside the academy. We also recognize that “craft” is not a neutral term, and seek to contextualize it within a range of aesthetic and cultural contexts. Through offering chaps from different perspectives and literary communities, we encourage students to resist “universal,” often cis, white, male notions of “good” literature.
Download our first three years of Craft Chaps for free above by clicking on the cover image!
Please note that this series is funded by people like you and relies on contributions from our readers to continue. If you’ve enjoyed these chaps, do consider a small tax-deductible donation to Sundress Publications. We are an entirely volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
