Program Details
102 Hours of Instruction
For most of the 10-month program, students meet in three-hour workshops on Tuesday evenings. The majority of our time will be spent workshopping student essays. These workshops are led by instructor Ethan Gilsdorf who, along with each student, provides written feedback. Students are expected to read, provide written feedback and discuss their colleagues’ essays.
The instructor also offers prepared lectures and leads discussion on various elements of the craft of essay writing. Each class also typically includes analysis of published essays and impromptu discussions about the essay-writing process, and weekly writing prompts to generate new starts on essays.
Breaks between phases and in the middle of phases provide students with time to write, revise and recharge. Informal socializing out of class is encouraged!
6 hours of individual consultations with the instructor
Three times over the program, and at other times as needed, students will meet with the instructor individually on mutually agreed-upon dates and times. The goal of these meetings is to allow the writer to synthesize the multiple perspectives students have heard at the workshop meetings, identify craft issues, set goals for revision, identify target publications for their essays, as well as strategize a concrete plan for next steps.
In addition to these hours, the instructor will be available for informal "office hours" sessions to discuss their projects (usually before class), as well as additional feedback on drafts, as needed.
Guest speakers: Publishing professionals and established essayists
At least 5 guest speakers — writers and editors—will visit the program to enrich the program with their professional perspectives, giving students a unique opportunity to interact with them and ask questions. Established essayists and Essay Incubator alums will offer their advice on writing, revision, and submitting their work.
Editors at leading journals and magazines will offer inside information on submitting to their publications and the publishing landscape for essays.
In the past, writers and editors have included T Kira Madden, Jia Tolentino, Brenda Miller, Dinty Moore, Neema Avashia, Michelle Bowdler, Grace Talusan, Shuchi Saraswat, Theresa Okokon, Dorian Fox, Dennis James Sweeney, Mimi Wong, Patrick Madden, Joey Franklin; editors representing publications such as Ploughshares, Brevity, Catapult, Barrelhouse Books, WBUR Cognoscenti, Agni, Bellingham Review, Fourth Genre, The Offing, and Narratively have visited.
One Manuscript Mart appointment at the Muse and the Marketplace
The Muse and the Marketplace has become one of most successful literary conferences in the country. In this three-day symposium, participants choose from over 100 sessions on various writing-related topics. Sessions are led by established authors from Boston and beyond, top-notch editors and literary agents, and members of the GrubStreet faculty.
Each writer will also receive a Manuscript Mart session with one magazine or journal editor or literary agent (student’s choice), who will meet for twenty minutes at the conference to provide critical feedback on five pages of the student's manuscript. Essay Incubator students will also join the rest of the cohort for socializing and networking.
Party and reading
The class will celebrate the completion of the ten-month program with a reading party. Each student will read a selection from work they produced in the program. Friends and family are invited, with refreshments and pre-/post-reading mingling.
Tell-All Boston Reading Series
Students are invited to submit to Tell-All Boston, a seasonal nonfiction reading series run by graduates of the Memoir and Essay Incubator Programs. Current Essay Incubator students and graduates may join the Tell-All committee or work on other Essay incubator community initiatives.
The Essay Incubator Community
A student’s connection to the Essay Incubator doesn't end when the program ends! Current students and graduates of the program meet regularly online to write together, engage in support and feedback via a messaging app, and attend readings and community “homecoming” events. The goal of these activities is to stay connected, network, and offer mentoring and support going forward as writers continue to stay engaged with their writing.
The General Schedule & Timeline
The 2025-2026 program will meet on Tuesday nights, from 6:00pm-9:00pm (ET). The program is divided into 5 Phases, often with breaks in between. [Note: these dates are subject to change, based on group or program needs, school vacations and holidays.]
Essay Craft, Genre and Writing Process: September 16th - October 7th (Three Weeks) [skip Rosh Hashanah/ Tuesday, Sept 23]
In this phase, students will review advanced lessons in essay-craft to develop a common language with which to talk about the essay form and genre. We will look at examples from the history of the essay, as well as common contemporary examples, to better understand what makes a successful traditionally structured essay vs. an experimentally structured one, and a literary essay compared with a commercial mainstream essay, We will examine scene work, reflective writing, narrative structures, lyrical forms (braids, flash, hermit crab, etc), among other topics. We will also discuss good writing habits, writing practice and writing process. Weekly writing prompts will encourage students to try new craft techniques and forms.
Workshop and Craft, October 14th - December 23rd, 2025 (Ten Weeks) [includes 1 week off on November 25]
An intensive workshopping phase. On a round-robin basis, students will workshop 2 to 3 essays during this phase. Essays may be existing or newly drafted essays. Each writer will be given a thorough oral and/or written critique on each essay from the instructor and fellow students. Focus will be on craft, and suggestions for developmental “big picture” revision. Ongoing discussions of exemplary published work will focus on advanced craft lessons as they arise. Weekly writing prompts will encourage students to try new techniques and craft.
Phase II–III Break [4 Weeks] December 30th -January 20th, 2026
During this interstitial, 5-week break, class does not meet. Students are encouraged to write intensely on their own, generating new essays as well as revising essays in progress. Students are encouraged to meet and connect on Zoom during this time to offer support and guidance and informal feedback. Students may also meet informally with the instructor on an ad hoc basis. At the end of this phase, students will have a conference with the instructor to identify at least 1 craft goal to work on during Phase III, and a set of readings or other activities to help reach those goals.
Revision, January 27th - February 10th, 2026 (Three Weeks)
During this phase, which bridges the Phase II–III Intensive Writing break (that begins on December 17 and continues to January 28th and February 4th), writers will be introduced to a comprehensive framework and strategy for revision. We will discuss the revision process large to small, from formal choices and story/theme focus, to developmental editing, to fine tuning and wordsmithing. Exercises will encourage students to try new revision techniques.
Workshop and Marketplace, February 17th - March 31st, 2026 (Six Weeks) [potentially skip school vacation week in February – TBA]
An intensive workshopping phase. On a round-robin basis, students will workshop 1 to 2 new or revised essays. Each writer will be given a thorough oral and/or written critique on each essay from the instructor and fellow students. Focus will be on craft, and suggestions for logistical/production “final stage” revision. Guest speakers (writer, editors) will visit the program to offer their professional perspectives and advice on submitting work, publishing and the marketplace. Resources for publication and crafting cover letters will be discussed, and students will identify the marketplace options for their work, develop a short list of likely publications, consider revising with specific publication in mind, and begin to send out their essays. Weekly writing prompts will encourage students to try new techniques and craft.
Phase IV-V Break: April 7th- April 14th, 2026 (Two Weeks) [Passover, April 7; also potentially skip school vacation week in April – TBA]
___
Phase V: April 21st - June 23rd, 2026 (Ten Weeks)
During this phase, students will present a portfolio of 5 to 10 revised essays to the workshop, with a goal of having at least 3 essays in finished and ready-to-submit form by the end of this phase, and others which may not be fully ready. Students will receive brief final feedback on their essays, with recommendations for additional revision.
Students will target and familiarize themselves with publications pertinent to their work, receive practical advice on submitting to these publications and building their careers as essay writers. Additional guest speakers (writer, editors) will visit the program to offer their professional perspectives and advice on submitting work, publishing and the marketplace. Other sessions will focus on “life after the incubator”: developing a writing practice, staying connected to a writing community, staying on track with goals, submitting to contests/grants/fellowships, and crafting essays collections.
In advance of Manuscript Month, students will receive help preparing for their Manuscript Mart meeting. At the end of this final phase, in a private one-hour consultation with the instructor, students will discuss their progress in the program, their publication and career plans, and steps for moving forward in their work and career.