Class Description
Just because you know the events you want to describe or the material you want to cover doesn’t mean you’ve found the right way to tell the story. Sometimes it’s not you, it’s the traditional essay form that’s got you down. In this six-hour class, we’ll ask radical questions about the essay form itself. Can a want ad be an essay? Can a resume be an essay? Can a recipe be an essay? And if so, how? We’ll deconstruct several nontraditional forms and see how writers have used them to tell surprising and moving stories. Then we’ll do exercises based on these forms, and forms you brainstorm on the spot, to inspire you with fresh approaches to your material. You’ll have the opportunity to share a few paragraphs of your new work with your classmates, and by the end of the day you'll have the beginnings of one or more pieces that will show editors that you can bend the essay form to your will.
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.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. 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!
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!