Animals, Land, & Plants, Oh My! Nature as Metaphor - Remote!

Have you always felt a kinship with a specific animal or plant? Does the landscape outside your window feel like the embodiment of your inner world? Looking for the backbone that'll tie your latest project together? In this workshop, we'll pay homage to our favorite creatures and/or natural features by using them as metaphors in our writing. First, we'll read pieces that employ nature-based metaphor, such as Lily Hoang's "A Bestiary" and Alexis Pauline Gumbs's "Undrowned." We will discuss how, exactly, nature-based metaphors bring depth and perspective to these works. Then, we'll explore the parallels we innately see between our own chosen animal/land/plant and the story plots we're crafting. Bring your current project that's begging for a connecting theme, or come to start a new piece! Writers of all prose genres (memoir, fiction, non-fiction, etc) welcome!

Students will leave class with: a (re-)grounding in the natural world; a new, fresh theme for their current writing project; the beginnings of a piece; and a deeper understanding of metaphor.

This class will be hosted using live Zoom meetings! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

For a glimpse at how remote learning works, look no further than the deep Zoom discussion of writing and literature below:

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.