Three courses designed for a general audience will be presented during the week-long Summer Seminar program at HopeCollege this year.

The seminars will run Monday-Friday, July 30-Aug 3. The courses are "Creative Writing: What's to Fear? Writing Poems for All the Good Reasons," "Creative Writing: Short Fiction/Postcards and Radios," and "Creative Writing: Memoir."

The seminars will meet concurrently from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the air-conditioned Van Zoeren Hall on the Hope campus. Refreshments will be provided during mid-morning breaks.

All of the courses are available for undergraduate credit, on an audit basis or for graduate credit, depending on the needs of the enrollee. Class sizes are limited to 15 students per course.

"Creative Writing: What's to Fear? Writing Poems for All the Good Reasons"" will emphasize writing poetry, with feedback coming primarily from the class members with the instructor responsible for writing prompts and providing artistic information. The course will be taught by Jack Ridl, professor emeritus of English.

"Creative Writing: Short Fiction/Postcards and Radios" will explore short fiction, sometimes called postcards, and short creative nonfiction, sometimes called radios. Students will read examples of each and also craft works of their own. The course will be taught by Carla Vissers, adjunct assistant professor of English.

"Creative Writing: Memoir" will give students the opportunity to craft a variety of "snapshot" accounts of moments from their lives, ranging from everyday joys and sorrows to major events. The course will be taught by David James, adjunct associate professor of English and director of the writing center at Hope.

Enrollment for each seminar costs $220 for those who wish to audit, $360 for one hour of undergraduate credit or graduate credit, and $720 for two hours of undergraduate credit. Pre-registration is advised, although final registration will be on Monday, July 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Van Zoeren Hall, which is located along 10th Street between Central and College avenues.

Those interested in attending a seminar should call the Hope College Registrar's Office at (616) 395-7760.