Touchy Feely: How to Get Emotional Without Making a Mess

Class Description

One of our goals as writers is to effectively evoke emotion. But when we write memoir we’re faced with two opposing forces that guard the source of true feeling: sentimentality and frigidity. Write with too much unfiltered emotion and the reader may say, “This reads like a journal.” Write without enough emotion, perhaps out of concern about coming across as self-pitying, and the reader may say, “This feels too distant.”

This session will address the tricky process of finding the balance between these two poles. Together we’ll look writers who're good at getting emotional on the page - Jesmyn Ward, Grace Talusan, Jonathan Lethem, and others - and discuss strategies and exercises that will help draw out the true emotion in our own writing.

Class Format

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!

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.