Class Description
Have you ever felt constrained by having to tell a story through the lens of a single character in a piece of fiction or nonfiction? Have you wondered how you might use that character’s point of view in a more expansive way? In this seminar, we will look at a range of literary examples, including writing by Elena Ferrante, Aleksandar Hemon, and Sigrid Nunez, and consider how these authors use first-person POV to get the most out of their stories. We will do in-class writing exercises and discuss them. Bring to class a partial or full draft of a first-person story-in-progress, or an idea for one, and we’ll explore how you might use first-person POV even more effectively in your narrative. You will leave with a greater sense of what is possible and a wider set of options and solutions for storytelling from the vantage of a single character. Some readings will need to be done in advance; these will be emailed by the instructor the week before the class. The principles discussed will be useful for writers of both fiction and nonfiction. Writers of all levels 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. 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!