Writing About Place

What does it mean to write about a particular place? Why does a story need to take place in Paris, and not in Boston or Dubai? How does a place shape a story, and how does a story reflect a place? In this ten-week course, we will consider these questions as we read authors such as Terry Tempest Williams, Pico Iyer, Annie Dillard, and John Elder. We’ll start with, and then look beyond, descriptive language to examine the social, historical and/or political implications of place-based writing. Class time will include reading discussion, writing prompts, field trips, and workshops. Each student will work on a course-long project about one particular place, which will be workshopped and then presented in final form at the conclusion of the ten weeks.

Did you know that we have scholarships available for all GrubStreet classes? To apply or find out more, check out our scholarships page.