Writing the Blues

Class Description

The color blue is a treasure. A soothing balm. A camouflage to blend your city into the sky (Chefchaouen, Morocco). Klein blue. Jardin Majorelle. La Casa Azul. A bone deep feeling.

Celebrating the infinity of blue, this class will inspire you to write your own expression of the color. In this seminar, we will consider a number of blue expressions and use them as a series of writing prompts. Of course, we’ll look at Maggie Nelson’s Bluets, but also, poems, setting descriptions, paintings, to inspire the blue side of our minds into writing. A portable record player (blue) will be taken out to play records like Nina Simone’s Pastel Blues, Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, Joni Mitchell's Blue. Through these inspirational and generative writing prompts, you’ll walk away with the starts to many different odes and moods to be applied to your own stories. Open to all genres, and generative focused.

Students are asked to bring necessary writing materials, and optionally, a small blue treasure of their choice. This blue object should be easy to carry into class and set on the table.

Class Format

This class will take place in-person at our Center for Creative Writing in Boston's Seaport neighborhood.

Covid-19 Update:

GrubStreet's space will be mask optional when Boston's Covid-19 Community Level is low or medium. When the Covid-19 Community Level is high, our space will require masks. Please check GrubStreet's Covid-19 page for the latest info on masking and Community Levels before visiting in-person.

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 detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.