Schedule & Curriculum

September 6th – December 6th, 2023 (Twelve Weeks)

Class does not meet on October 11th.

Class meets weekly. Students will:

• Review the theory and basic tenets of the Writing to Heal genre, outlining guidelines and boundaries, steps and goals.
• Review Grub Street’s expectations and policies, and decide, together with the instructor, on specific expectations and guidelines for this particular workshop community.
• Have one individual meeting with the instructor to outline personalized goals and plans for the program.
• Read essays, poems, articles, columns, op-eds and memoir excerpts that demonstrate the transformative power of healing narratives.
• Study craft particularly related to this genre, and do weekly in-class writing prompts with on-the-spot feedback.
• Create and share a self-care list, which we’ll return to throughout each phase.
• Submit two pieces for full-class workshop.
• Write a process journal for every workshop submission.
• Learn revision guidelines and techniques.

January 3rd – January 24th, 2024 (Four Weeks)

Weekly group work and check-ins with instructor. No class meetings. Students will:

• Spend time on their own either generating new work or revising one or two pieces from Phase I.
• Meet in small assigned accountability groups.
• Check in with instructor over email for encouragement and trouble-shooting.

February 7th – May 1st, 2024 (Twelve Weeks)

Class does not meet March 30th.

Class meets weekly. Students will:

• Workshop new material or revisions from Phase II with the full group.
• If project-appropriate, polish revised pieces to get them ready for submission.
• Learn about the publication process for this genre.
• Have one individual meeting with the instructor to check in on writing goals and progress, and plan next steps.
• Have the opportunity to hear from and talk with guest authors.
• Write and share a final process journal for the entire Writing to Heal journey.
• Potentially participate in a community reading.