Class Description
This class is designed to help writers who want to write about their real lives in a slightly fictionalized way, for a variety of aesthetic or philosophical (even legal!) reasons. In this class, we will explore the genre of autofiction, the opportunities it presents and the challenges it poses. We will look to some recent popular examples of autofiction for guidance; these may include Ben Lerner, Sandra Cisneros, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Jenny Offill, Ocean Vuong, and Sigrid Nunez. We will discuss how to write your life and yourself, or close to it, in a way that doesn’t read as naval-gazing, and how to decide what to fictionalize and what to keep as “true” as possible. In addition to in-class writing exercises, writers will have an opportunity to share and discuss their work with the group. Writers will come away from this class with a greater awareness of what is possible within the autofiction genre, some feedback and direction on their own work, and inspiration to return to the page. Writers of all levels, at all stages of their projects are welcome!
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 detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.