How To Write a Reported Essay

Class Description

Personal experience can be a powerful tool to demonstrate why an issue matters. It's why personal essay writing is so powerful — it gives a human voice to issues and allows for others to identify with the writer's experience. Reported essays take that personal narrative and widen the scope. They allow you to use your personal experience as a window into an issue, but to look outward to show how others are affected by it, too, using other people's voices and expert insight. 

In this 6-week class, we'll learn how to write reported essays, which publications from The Washington Post to The New York Times to Marie Claire look to publish. In the first half of the class, we'll read examples and learn how to source and report. In the second half, you'll come up with your own topic, source it, and write a pitch and identify markets to submit it to. We'll workshop your pitches in class and you'll be able to submit your refined pitch at the end of class for instructor feedback. You'll come away with all the tools you need to write these essays, as well as a ready-to-go pitch and outline for a reported essay you can pitch right away.

NOTE: No class on January 21st and February 18th.

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.