Class Description
We all know the components of a great trip, but what makes great travel writing? This intensive class explores how to take a writer's approach to travel. We will read several essays in advance, discuss different narrative techniques, and jumpstart new ideas with writing exercises. Authors whose work we’ll look at include Leslie Jamison, Shahnaz Habib, Katrina Woznicki, Josh Gondelman, and Pico Iyer. The second half of the class will be dedicated to discussing the nuts and bolts of travel writing, including how to research and pitching angles. You will leave the class with insight into how a travel writer actually works and a practical approach to publishing.
Readings to be completed before class:
- Sri Lanka: The Two Faces of Paradise, Leslie Jamison
- Welcome to your Airbnb, Josh Gondelman
- My new attitude to travel is to skip the iconic – and I thank my father for that, Shahnaz Habib
- The Escapism Business, Katrina Woznicki
- Why We Travel, Pico Iyer
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.