Class Description
Just because you know the events you want to describe or the material you want to cover doesn’t mean you know the best way to tell the story. Sometimes it’s not you, it’s the traditional essay form that’s got you down. In this six-hour class, we’ll ask questions about the essay form itself. Can an eBay ad be an essay? Can a resume be an essay? Can a recipe be an essay? And if so, how? We’ll deconstruct several nontraditional forms and see how writers have used them to tell surprising and moving stories. Then, we’ll do exercises based on these forms and on forms you brainstorm on the spot to help you spark new inspiration on old material. You’ll have the opportunity to share a few paragraphs of your new work with your classmates, and by the end of the day, you will leave class with the beginnings of one or more pieces that will show editors that you can bend the essay form to your will.
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. Please visit the Resources tab to access the video-conference link.
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!