Class Description
In this course, we'll learn and practice the tried-and-true elements of fiction—style, voice, character, narrative, dialogue, point of view, and revision—with an emphasis on the short story form. Classes will include discussions on various elements of craft, close readings of essays on writing and published stories by Zadie Smith, Jhumpa Lahiri, Anthony Veasna So, Charles D’Ambrosio, George Saunders, Sarah Braunstein, and others, and workshopping of student work. We’ll write or revise at least two complete stories (up to 15 pages each), and receive detailed written feedback from classmates.
Classmates will be encouraged to incorporate content-based criticism (e.g. “how does this character challenge or reinforce stereotypes? what are the socio-cultural implications in this piece?”) with craft-based criticism (e.g. “how does the author use language to show this character’s change over time?”). This structure aims to give the writer a stronger voice in their own critique, for readers to thoughtfully examine and learn from providing actionable feedback during the workshop, and for everyone to leave class with a clearer revision strategy for their own work.
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.