For many writers, musicians, and artists the creative act takes root in a wound. This wound regularly varies in size, cause, diagnosis, and treatment. It can be vast in scope or long-lasting in its impact, such as a grave historical injustice visited on one’s ancestors. Or, the wound can be much more immediate to the writer — such as their grappling with the loss of a loved one, navigating past romantic ills, or experiencing physical or mental illness, to list a few. In our English 100 course, Writing as Metamorphosis, we will encounter a variety of texts, songs, works of visual art, and films that address and very often strive to redress wounds of both historical and psychological interests. Along the way, we’ll consider the ways in which history and memory are in conversation with the present: how they intersect, mirror, and contrast one another. We’ll explore questions of agency and complicity in writing and storytelling. This course will be a fusion of self-directed learning and deep communal integration whereby as writers we will strive towards empowering one another both critically and kindly. The end-goal for us is to cultivate a new (or renewed) sense of purpose in our writing.