Reading Like A Writer

Are you looking to transform your love of reading into a toolkit for your writing practice? "Reading Like a Writer" means drawing ideas and craft techniques from the books you admire. For six weeks, we'll read successful contemporary and classic stories, and ask how they work and how we can use these same narrative techniques in our own writing. We will read selectively from Francine Prose's book, Reading Like a Writer, and from works by such writers as: Sandra Cisneros, Martha Gellhorn, Sherman Alexie, Marilynne Robinson, James Joyce, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Italo Calvino, and Junot Díaz. We will also do short weekly writing exercises and take these narrative voices for a little joyride. By the end of the course, you'll be more equipped to take apart what you read and decipher what makes great stories work. You will also have a collection of narrative exercises that you can expand into your own stories. Please bring a copy of Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose to the first day of class.

Did you know that we have scholarships available for all GrubStreet classes? To apply, click the "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button in the top right corner of this page. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your scholarship application and await our Scholarship Committee's decision before registering for the class. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.