Class Description
Get your op-ed out of your head and into the headlines! Each week, we'll look at published op-eds, commentaries, and topical personal essays torn from the pages (and web-pages) of newspapers, magazines, and online publications ranging from WBUR’s Cognoscenti to the Boston Globe, Slate, Salon, USA Today, XOJane, New York Times, and elsewhere. We'll mine these exemplary works for inspiration and instruction. You’ll write a new 600- to 900-word op-ed focused on a different idea every week, to be read aloud in class for immediate feedback. Via lecture, discussion, and short exercises we'll explore: 1) how to hone your topic into a timely, seasonal, marketable idea that editors want; 2) how to leverage your personal experience and expertise; 3) how to use rhetorical devices, develop a sharp angle, and recognize both sides of a discussion; 4) basic op-ed structures; 5) how to establish a good hook and craft a catchy lede paragraph; and 6) how and where to submit them to newspapers, magazines, and online publications. You’ll be required to submit at least one finished op-ed for publication. Please bring 12 copies of a draft of a 600- to 900-word op-ed to the first class.
Did you know that we have scholarships available for all GrubStreet classes? To apply, click the "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button in the top right corner of this page. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your scholarship application and await our Scholarship Committee's decision before registering for the class. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
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.