S2017IMO

Taught by:

Offered:

Thursday June 8th
Friday June 9th - CLOSED
Saturday June 10th - CLOSED

Experience level: All Levels

The best use of literature bends not toward the narrow and the absolute
but to the extravagant and the possible. Answers are no part of it; rather,
it is the opinions, the rhapsodic persuasions, the engrafted logics, the
clues that are to the mind of the reader the possible keys to their own
self-quarrels, their own predicament. – Mary Oliver, Upstream

In today’s world of 140 character tweets, shorthand texts rife with emojis and the preference for soundbites over substance, it might seem the value of a well-crafted essay has declined. The opposite is true.

Never have we been more in need of stories, viewpoints and ideas expressed with clarity and grace. And the resounding popularity of a column like the New York Times‘ Modern Love is proof that there is an audience hungry for your story.

Whether your goal is to be published in a magazine, to write with greater confidence on your blog or newsletter — or simply to begin shaping the stories of your life into an engaging form, this class will help you to see the structure and underpinnings of a powerful essay and to strengthen your skill in writing one.

Together, we’ll be delving into writing a personal essay. There will be a series of exercises to help you create a piece of writing with a beginning, middle and end.

We will read a number of examples and use them as a jumping off point for discussions around subjectivity, gender expectations and where the common pitfalls are.

Ultimately, we will explore one of the core gifts that a successful personal essay delivers which is, of course, to reach the universal through the personal.

Kit fee: 0 USD

Materials:

CLICK HERE for downloadable materials PDF.