Why Bother? The Importance Of Literary Citizenship In The Creative Writing Workshop

The act of submitting your writing for critique takes courage. On the other hand, providing feedback that is simultaneously encouraging and rigorous is a skill which takes time to develop. The same can be said about processing said feedback. Add all of the different socio-cultural realities and personal experiences each of us brings into the classroom, and workshops become a space filled with both artistic possibilities and potentially damaging dynamics for a vulnerable writer.

In this free session—designed to bring together GrubStreet instructors and students—we will use Grub’s own What Makes a Good Workshop Citizen podcast as a springboard for a larger conversation. We will discuss ways in which we can help each other make writing workshops more inclusive and productive spaces. We will cover some of the issues that commonly arise during workshops and what each one of us can do to ensure that the end result serves everyone involved. Instructors and students will have an opportunity to bring examples of pedagogical approaches, feedback, in-class discussions, and social interactions that they’ve found to be either beneficial or detrimental. Toward the end of the session, you will be provided with concrete practices to become a good workshop citizen and strategies to build on the sense of community a successful class can create. Honesty, humility, and generosity will be at the heart of this gathering, so please come ready to contribute and to listen.

NOTE: Refreshments will be provided. Registration is required to attend and space is limited, so please make sure to enroll as early as possible.