Ecstatic Exhibits: Writing Poetic Essays

Class Description

Essayists and Poets have a lot more in common than they think. After all, the latin origin of the word 'essay' is a verb meaning 'to attempt, to weigh, to ascertain,' and the ecstatic tradition of poetry is characterized as an attempt to capture fleeting spontaneous moments of awe in detail.

In this course, we'll be looking at poetic essays as ecstatic exhibits of cultural artifacts curated by their authors. We'll explore how essays by Hanif Abdurraqib and Ross Gay curate and connect strings of observations together to unearth tensions, overlaps, contradictions, un-said truths and ironies. These writers expertly walk the reader through a cabinet of curiosities rather than telling the reader how they should feel about each artifact. They bring subjects into conversation with each other, without limiting the direction those conversations go.

Through class discussion and craft insights from Annie Dillard and Angel Nafis, we'll acquire the tool set to curate our own exhibits, whether they be in the form of a poem, an essay, or something in between.

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

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.

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