Class Description
"An immigrant is just a person who knows home is a verb.” -Philip Metres
For some of us, migration is second-nature. A permanent state-of-being. Immigrants, children of immigrants, the displaced, and the modern nomad have a sense of relocation embedded under their skin. This class is dedicated to exploring the themes of spatial movement, including place, borders, and belonging.
Every week, we’ll read short non-fiction, fiction, and even some poetry by writers such as Noor Hindi, Jhumpa Lahiri, Sandra Cisneros, Ocean Vuong, and Sofia Samatar. Based on these exemplary works, we’ll discuss different tools for capturing the nuance and emotions of spatial movement. Craft talks will include integrating vivid setting without suspending plot, creating story around borders and migration, and developing strong perspective. Then, through a series of guided writing exercises, students will start and develop their own stories. The last class will be reserved for sharing our new stories and receiving light, on-the-spot feedback.
Writers will NOT be expected to write, read, or do any preparation outside of sessions. Writers will be asked to prioritize their creativity, authenticity, vulnerability, and play in their writing (as opposed to prioritizing productivity and “publishable”/”good” writing). Writers of all genres, from speculative fiction to memoir to hybrid forms and beyond, are welcome!
Please note: Class does not meet Monday, March 30.
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.