Class Description
Is it time to move your writing from your journal to a public audience? Do you want to write your way into understanding your own experiences and beliefs? Intrigued by how to tell true stories in unexpected ways? And are you too busy or too far away to attend an in-person class? Introduction to the Personal Essay Online will introduce you to this inventive form, with the flexibility of scheduling your own weekly attendance. Although you will be asked to complete coursework and provide feedback to each other’s writing each week, there will be no time-specific online meetings or webinars to attend.
Over six lessons, you will write and revise two essays in two different forms to see how the characteristics of a specific form can spark unexpected directions in your writing. Weekly instructor videos, readings, and writing exercises will explore craft elements including scene and summary, reflection, narrator and character, and revision. Mini-exercises focused on language will help you enliven your essays at the sentence level. You will also learn how to provide, listen to, and incorporate constructive critiques; students will critique each other’s work and receive instructor critique on both a first draft and a revision of an essay. Each week will include a brief self-reflection exercise to help you think more deeply about how the assignments contribute to your personal writing practice. By the end of the course, you will have made significant progress on two short essays.
*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.
Did you know that we have scholarships available for all GrubStreet classes? To find out more, check out our scholarships page. To apply for a scholarship, click the 'APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP' button above.
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.