Class Description
Mirrors, moons, trickster gods and talking lions — there's a reason we keep returning to our favorite fairy tales, myths, and folk tales. Through the bravery and cunning of heroes we learn how to navigate our own world in the language of symbols. But if we want to explore those themes and aesthetics in our own writing, how do we do so without completely copying or re-tracing faded steps? In this course, we'll identify our personal connection to myths and stories and learn how to identify their core and morality from their aesthetic. We'll interrogate Western conventions and themes and examine patterns in international fairy tales by exploring Bolivian folklore, American cryptids, Middle Eastern oral stories, Scottish ghost stories, Asian mythology, and African fables. By the end of this class, students will have completed several short “fairy tale field work” entries exploring their personal relationship to ancient stories, and workshop 2 creative pieces of prose, creative nonfiction, or poetry that examine, re-tell, or re-imagine existing tales and myths. The goal in our writing and feedback to each other is to analyze and articulate each writer's connection to these mythic stories, and how that will inspire and inform their own work.
*NOTE that while our handy dandy "Schedule" tab states a 6-7pm class time, there are actually no live meetings for this class! Assignments will be given on a weekly basis. Students will have access to the online class portal starting at 5pm on the first day of class. Instructions for logging onto the online portal will be emailed to registered students before 5pm the first day of class.
Scholarship Information
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 more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
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.