Dr. Mahaliah A. Little is a proud alumna of Spelman College and the UNCF Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. In addition to her research interests, she is passionate about feminist pedagogy, media literacy, and the teaching of writing. 

Check out some of her work without a paywall: See “Being Toward Trauma: Theorizing Post-Violence Sexuality,” published in Rejoinder: An Online Journal Published by the Institute for Research on Women. Little is also a contributing author for the forthcoming Naylor in the Archives anthology (University of Mississippi Press). Learn more about Dr. Little’s work here.

What is the assignment? 

Creative Short Story

Students will submit a 4-5pg creative short story involving a character from course readings in lieu of an in-class final exam. This creative story is meant to be a fun way to incorporate a character or characters from stories in Lesley Nneka Arimah’s What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky, Leone Ross’ Come, Let Us Sing Anyway, or Jesmyn Ward’s Sing Unburied, Sing. You are welcome to include elements or characters from Octavia Butler’s “The Evening, the Morning, and the Night,” as well as elements of magical realism that we’ve learned about in course readings and discussions. I understand that many or most students may not have experience writing creative fiction, but this will be an exercise in which you all can utilize your imagination. These short stories must involve at least one character, obvious element, or setting from one assigned class reading. 

How does it work?

I like this assignment because it gives students an opportunity be creative! It’s an approach to assessment that doesn’t rely on a purely formulaic academic essay, and I like designing assignments that deviate from standard forms of assessment. Unique assignments can sometimes be anxiety-producing for students, especially when they are more accustomed to routine or regimented assignments. To mitigate that worry, I include short story examples from previous students, a detailed rubric, and in-class writing time for students to get feedback in real-time from their classmates and from me.

What do students say?

“I really enjoyed the course content overall this maybe one of my favorite courses I’ve taken since starting college! However, if I had to choose one aspect it would be the opportunity to do our own creative writing!”  — Student A

“I usually only write/focus on research and analytical essays because of my major, so writing my own short story related to the material has helped me flex my creative writing muscles.” — Student B

Student Artifact: 

This student is deeply curious about the world around her, and I’ve had the pleasure of having her in two of my classes in the past two years. SaMiah’s assignment is a strong example of the creative short story assignment in my section of Gender and Sexuality Studies 170: Race and Magical Realism course for its detail, underlying social commentary, and its immersive quality. She successfully references themes and elements of three short stories we read during Winter quarter, and she innovates her own original protagonist, settings, and conflicts to flesh out the glimpse in time her story represents. One of the short stories she cites as inspiration, Lesley Nneka Arimah’s “What Is A Volcano?” is written in the style of a oral origin myth. The way that SaMiah incorporates the feel of an ancient story or legend that’s been passed down through generations is a sight to behold!

Excerpt from SaMiah’s Creative Short Story:

“Luckily for you I have been graced with a life long enough to have seen the manifestation of one other Secret Keeper prior to you unfortunately though,” the old woman pauses for a moment then let out a deep sigh continuing “unfortunately, Secret Keepers don’t tend to have very long lifespans. The one before you died when she was around your age, possibly younger.”

“How did she die?” The girl asked, feeling a deep and unexplainable sorrow in the pit of her stomach.

“Killed.” the old woman says simply.

Click here to read the rest of SaMiah’s story and see Dr. Little’s Rubric.

Why does this work?

Link out to resources