Class Description
This workshop is for writers who already have some experience with the essay form and are eager to deepen their practice, polish their projects, and receive regular, thoughtful feedback in a supportive space.
Each week, we’ll workshop drafts, examine how successful essays work, and read exceptional published pieces to see how professional writers handle specific elements of the craft. In-class prompts will spark your creativity and help you experiment with different techniques. Together, we’ll tackle core essay elements like voice, memory vs. truth, universal resonance, emotional stakes, pacing, form, and structural choices. You’ll encounter essays by writers like T Kira Madden, Jaquira Díaz, Myriam Gurba, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, and Cathy Park Hong, and more.
Over the course of the 8 weeks, you will submit at least two drafts for feedback (up to 2,500 words each), focusing on one piece per workshop session. You can use these slots to workshop two completely different essays, or to submit an initial draft and its later, significant revision.
By the end of the course, you’ll have made substantial progress on your essay(s), honed your understanding of the personal essay form, and built a toolbox of strategies to carry your writing forward.
Please Note: Class does not meet Thursday, October 1st.
Writing Roadmap: We've created a simple, goal-based writing roadmap to help you find the perfect GrubStreet course for your writing needs.
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.