Skip to Content

Welcome!

If this is your first time logging in on our new website, please first!

Log-In

Forgot your password?

Don't have a Grub profile?

Enter your email and we'll send you directions on setting (or resetting) your password.

Submit

Wait, I remembered! Let me .

Enter your your details to create a new account. To finish activating your account, please check your email for an activation link before you log-in.

Create your account here. Later you can fill out your full profile.

Sign-Up

Nevermind. I just need to .

  • Seminar
  • Online: Zoom
  • Adult (18+)

Writing: Working with Silence

No Longer Enrolling

  • $75.00 Non-Member
  • $65.00 Member

Class Description

What relationship does your work have with what is not on the page? How do you use the power of the unsaid to highlight the power of the said? When do you use silence and when do you break silence in your writing? And what are the social and political implications of writing in and through silences.
These questions are particularly urgent today.
From poems that work with white space on the page, to thrillers that leave readers eager to turn the page, to memoirs where the younger self might not yet have the tools to name what is happening, a wide variety of writing employs the technique of not saying. In this seminar, we’ll explore how to work explicitly with what is not said on the page to give more depth to what is said.

We’ll explore ways in which the unsaid can add new layers and dimensions to your writing. We’ll classify different reasons and techniques for leaving things out—from writing about trauma to working with the spiritual to creating a wordless understanding with the readers—and we'll look at specific examples in a wide range of authors such as Elena Ferrante, Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Jimmy Santiago Baca, and others.
There will be time to explore these ideas through class writing prompts and time to get feedback on your writing.
Scholarships Format/Location

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.