Autofiction Immersive
Classes will take place on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:30pm ET. The schedule can shift occasionally due to holidays and the needs of the class. Any changes will be discussed with the class as a team.
September 23rd–October 28th (6 Weeks)
Break: November 4th and November 11th
Class meets weekly. Students will:
- Learn about the various definitions and approaches to autofiction, primary examples in the contemporary realm, craft tools in autofiction ranging from point of view to plot models to hybridity, and the possibilities it allows in the realm between nonfiction and traditional fiction
- Read a wide sampling of autofiction from authors such as Ben Lerner, Elif Batuman, Miriam Toews, Teju Cole, Laura van den Berg, and more
- Begin a journaling practice about the project to experiment with treating real life as material, self as character, and interrogate the questions about ourselves fiction allows us to investigate that nonfiction cannot
- Submit one 10-20 page manuscript for a 45-minute workshop
- Experiment with a range of writing exercises designed to break out of the constraints of our self-knowledge and lived experiences to widen the scope of our autofiction project
- Hold a 30-minute one-on-one meeting with the instructor
- Be paired with an accountability partner to check in during break and discuss journaling practice
November 18th–December 16th (5 Weeks)
Break: December 23rd, December 30th, January 6th
Class meets weekly. Students will:
- Submit a 20-page revised or new manuscript for a 45-minute in-class workshop
- Learn revision strategies including “reverse outlining”
- Develop a revision roadmap for the next phase of the project
- Hear from two guest authors and have the opportunity to ask questions
January 13th, 2027–February 10th, 2027 (5 Weeks)
Class meets weekly. Students will:
- Submit a final 20-page revised or new manuscript for a 45-minute in-class workshop
- Learn about the agent querying and publication process for fiction
- Have one-on-one 30-minute meetings with the instructor to discuss the project progress and goals for the next phase
- Reflect through the journaling practice on how the project has evolved, how the questions and themes at the center of the manuscript may have changed, and how self-knowledge may have been challenged or expanded