Unruly Fictions: Surreal, Experimental, and Unclassifiable Narratives - Remote!

Class Description

The Irish virtuoso of the short story William Trevor famously said “I think all writing is experimental.... I experiment all the time but the experiments are hidden.” In this class, we’ll look at writing that bends reality–and occasionally breaks it–and plays with language, structure, form, and narrative in a wide variety of ways. But this course isn’t only for writers who think of themselves as “experimental.” Rather, we’ll explore how innovative and subversive strategies can open up writing of all types, and how all writers benefit from stretching the boundaries of convention. Students will read short pieces and excerpts each week at home, try out exercises, and share the exercises in class. Whether you want to generate writing that is ostentatiously experimental or hide your experiments in plain sight, this class will give you an array of techniques and opportunities to set them loose.

Some writers we might look at are Georges Perec, Anne F. Garréta, Cristina Rivera Garza, Sofia Samatar, Lance Olsen, Adam Haslett, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Can Xue, Toni Morrison, Garielle Lutz, Karen Russell, and the Best Experimental Writing 2020, ed. by Carmen Maria Machado and Joyelle McSweeney.

Please Note: Class does not meet on November 24th.

This class will be hosted using live Zoom meetings! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

For a glimpse at how remote learning works, look no further than the deep Zoom discussion of writing and literature below:

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.