Professor
Michelle Huneven
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2015 - Prof Huneven is a great instructor. She encourages all of her students and is very helpful. Writing a short story every week can seem pretty daunting at first and so can reading aloud, however, the class felt like a book club and everyone gave constructive criticism. There were a few times where Huneven was a little critical of the work that was being read aloud which I think made the students who received the criticism feel a little discouraged but he remarks were very fair. The grading is great and its very easy to do well so long as you take her advice. This class is a definite must for all aspiring writers.
Fall 2015 - Prof Huneven is a great instructor. She encourages all of her students and is very helpful. Writing a short story every week can seem pretty daunting at first and so can reading aloud, however, the class felt like a book club and everyone gave constructive criticism. There were a few times where Huneven was a little critical of the work that was being read aloud which I think made the students who received the criticism feel a little discouraged but he remarks were very fair. The grading is great and its very easy to do well so long as you take her advice. This class is a definite must for all aspiring writers.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2025 - If you are looking for a workshop that will help you find your voice and individuality as a writer, I would skip applying to any workshops taught by Huneven. Right off the bat, I was put off by her needlessly strict syllabus that prohibited any genre or topic of writing that wasn't "realistic fiction" -- she included a whole list of "banned" topics for the class, including settings like parties (??), rest homes, and garage sales. And don't get me started on anything speculative or genre, because that would get you publicly humiliated in front of the whole class. I get that her point is that a lot of stories submitted to literary magazines overuse these topics to the point of cliche, but that was my whole problem with Prof. Huneven's class: she was always too keen to criticize the brainstorming process and first draft of the writing process, to the point where I felt like I was writing only to appease her very regimented idea of a "literary" story, instead of truly discovering what **I** wanted to write about. I also thought her idea of what made a story "good" was really conservative and hard to parse; her feedback was very formulaic and seemed more focused on ticking off all the "criteria" of a good story (developed characters, sensible pacing, etc.) instead of delving into what Your personal strengths as a writer are (stylistic elements like dialogue, imagery, voice). Also the whole point of writing good fiction is that it's not formulaic and it breaks new creative ground ffs. We had to write 1 story of 3 pages maximum every week until Week 6 (then 1 longer 8-page story by Week 8/9), which is so ridiculously short that it's technically classified as flash fiction, not a short story! You'd at least think Prof. Huneven would assign short readings if the whole point is to gain proficiency in this shorter form, but no, practically every reading we had was 20+ pages-long and was supposed to serve as a "model" for our stories. Needless to say, Huneven's unnecessarily critical lens really damaged my own writing inspiration as I constantly shut down every idea I had, and I wrote what I personally think was my worst fiction over the course of this class. Nearly a year later, I can look back and say I'm glad I stayed in this class and had its experience, but if I could've taken a different prof, I would've. I have nothing against Huneven and think she is really sweet outside of the class, as well as a very well-accomplished writer herself. If you are a writer of realist literary fiction and actually crave relentless criticism because you're already confident in your own style, I have no doubt this class will be enjoyable and beneficial to you. But my experimental heart desired more rule-breaking from a writing class bearing the label of "creative," and sadly that was not delivered here.
Spring 2025 - If you are looking for a workshop that will help you find your voice and individuality as a writer, I would skip applying to any workshops taught by Huneven. Right off the bat, I was put off by her needlessly strict syllabus that prohibited any genre or topic of writing that wasn't "realistic fiction" -- she included a whole list of "banned" topics for the class, including settings like parties (??), rest homes, and garage sales. And don't get me started on anything speculative or genre, because that would get you publicly humiliated in front of the whole class. I get that her point is that a lot of stories submitted to literary magazines overuse these topics to the point of cliche, but that was my whole problem with Prof. Huneven's class: she was always too keen to criticize the brainstorming process and first draft of the writing process, to the point where I felt like I was writing only to appease her very regimented idea of a "literary" story, instead of truly discovering what **I** wanted to write about. I also thought her idea of what made a story "good" was really conservative and hard to parse; her feedback was very formulaic and seemed more focused on ticking off all the "criteria" of a good story (developed characters, sensible pacing, etc.) instead of delving into what Your personal strengths as a writer are (stylistic elements like dialogue, imagery, voice). Also the whole point of writing good fiction is that it's not formulaic and it breaks new creative ground ffs. We had to write 1 story of 3 pages maximum every week until Week 6 (then 1 longer 8-page story by Week 8/9), which is so ridiculously short that it's technically classified as flash fiction, not a short story! You'd at least think Prof. Huneven would assign short readings if the whole point is to gain proficiency in this shorter form, but no, practically every reading we had was 20+ pages-long and was supposed to serve as a "model" for our stories. Needless to say, Huneven's unnecessarily critical lens really damaged my own writing inspiration as I constantly shut down every idea I had, and I wrote what I personally think was my worst fiction over the course of this class. Nearly a year later, I can look back and say I'm glad I stayed in this class and had its experience, but if I could've taken a different prof, I would've. I have nothing against Huneven and think she is really sweet outside of the class, as well as a very well-accomplished writer herself. If you are a writer of realist literary fiction and actually crave relentless criticism because you're already confident in your own style, I have no doubt this class will be enjoyable and beneficial to you. But my experimental heart desired more rule-breaking from a writing class bearing the label of "creative," and sadly that was not delivered here.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2022 - Professor Huneven is a terrific instructor! She is really sweet and honestly so freaking smart. Her special topics often change, but "reading like a writer", had a focus on reading short stories, with a very strong emphasis on "realistic" fiction, most of the stories happened to be about everyday life. That being said, the stories she picked were fire. 6/10 stories came from the New Yorker. She curated a very fun reading list, which had me falling in love with nearly every story. I felt by the end of the class I could identify the tangible things an author did to make me feel some type of way. The "textbook" How Fiction Works by James Wood is excellent too. I'm a sophomore and I found the class very useful in honing my close-reading skills (if you don't have the prereqs just ask Janel Munguia, she'll enroll you regardless). During the 10-minute class break, Professor Hunven would step outside, and on one occasion I saw her through the window squirrel watching and it was probably the most adorable thing I have ever witnessed. I only wish she spoke more in class and lectured on her own literary interpretations (class time was almost entirely student-led), but every time she did share with the class it was like the clouds had opened up and a ray of sheer genius would shower down upon the class. Those moments were magic. She's definitely worth your time!
Winter 2022 - Professor Huneven is a terrific instructor! She is really sweet and honestly so freaking smart. Her special topics often change, but "reading like a writer", had a focus on reading short stories, with a very strong emphasis on "realistic" fiction, most of the stories happened to be about everyday life. That being said, the stories she picked were fire. 6/10 stories came from the New Yorker. She curated a very fun reading list, which had me falling in love with nearly every story. I felt by the end of the class I could identify the tangible things an author did to make me feel some type of way. The "textbook" How Fiction Works by James Wood is excellent too. I'm a sophomore and I found the class very useful in honing my close-reading skills (if you don't have the prereqs just ask Janel Munguia, she'll enroll you regardless). During the 10-minute class break, Professor Hunven would step outside, and on one occasion I saw her through the window squirrel watching and it was probably the most adorable thing I have ever witnessed. I only wish she spoke more in class and lectured on her own literary interpretations (class time was almost entirely student-led), but every time she did share with the class it was like the clouds had opened up and a ray of sheer genius would shower down upon the class. Those moments were magic. She's definitely worth your time!
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