Writing About Religion Intensive

Faith—finding it, losing it, fighting wars over it, or having nothing to do with it—provides rich fodder for writers. In this one-week workshop, we'll analyze essays of varying length about religion by authors such as Dani Shapiro, Bret Lott, and others, and pose questions for discussion. What does it take to craft a successful essay about religion? How do you avoid sounding preachy? Where can you pitch your articles and essays? Which topics resonate with literary journals, magazines, and online religion-oriented or mainstream publications? Each day, we’ll do free write exercises to develop different techniques, including crafting a descriptive scene, the use of dialogue, and building suspense. Your goal for the week is to write a 600-800 word essay with religion as the theme. The essay, which likely will stem from one of the free write exercises, will be workshopped in class and also critiqued by the instructor.

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.