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A penchant for journeys and a fascination with strangers

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Fuck the Big Five

Sunday, June 29
3 - 6 p.m. EST

$110

Every writer knows of the “Big Five”—the handful of publishing conglomerates that dominate the literary world, making the “author platform” all the more determinative of a book deal these days. But what if your book idea or finished manuscript isn’t “Big Five” material? How do you go about finding a non-corporate publisher that is right for you? If you do go rogue, what kind of publishing experience can you expect? What are the upsides, and what are the costs? Do you need an agent? What are some books and authors that have made a splash without a Big Five publisher behind them?

Writing Humor

Sundays: July 13 - August 10
12 - 2 p.m. EST

$400

Can humor be taught? Of course not. It doesn’t need to be. Humor is innate—wired into our earliest interactions and responses. Setups and punchlines. Plot. Pacing. Voice. An awareness of the physical body on the page. All of these can be strategically deployed to surprise, delight, and even illuminate. Maybe humor can’t be taught—but it can absolutely be unlocked. How do we bring to light original stories that blast through shame, resist tidy morals, and sidestep cliché? How can we use humor not to cover pain but to cut through it? All in service of the most vexing (and rewarding) question of all: Is this funny?

Writing the Book Proposal

Mondays: July 14 - August 11
7:30 - 9:30 p.m. EST

$400

A book proposal must do the seemingly impossible: Pitch a project that doesn’t fully exist, while anchoring it in practical details like structure, audience, and timeline. It must function as sales document, project plan, and creative vision—all at once. How to craft such a thing? How to begin when there are so few examples of book proposals that are publicly accessible? How do you get agents and editors excited about a project that doesn’t yet exist? And how do you do it all while allowing space for the mystery and experimentation that’s crucial to the artistic process?

Writing the Body

Mondays: August 11 - September 8
7 - 9 p.m. EST

$400

We talk a lot in literary spaces about “writing the body,” but what does this really mean, and how can we practice it at an advanced level? Writing the body is not just writing about the body, but it is also writing about the meaning of the body, and the ways it determines our experiences. How do we occupy our bodies, what do we do with them, how do we feel in them? What is the relationship between the body and the self? What skills, craft tools, literary instincts, and embodied practices can we use to support our body work as writers?

Rethinking Travel Writing

Saturdays: September 6 - October 4
1 - 3 p.m. EST

$400

Travel writing is transforming. We’re finally seeing narratives questioning the environmental and human impact of tourism and hearing from those who’ve been shut out for centuries—global majority, queer, and disabled voices. But publishing still privileges leisure travel, and narratives perpetuate imperialistic language and imagery. This class is suited for those with some experience writing personal or travel narratives who are looking to add to their tool belt and are excited at the prospect of engaging with these complications and/or those who have felt shut out of the travel writing world.

Writing Picture Books

Tuesdays: September 16 - October 14
7:30 - 9:30 p.m. EST

$400

The modern picture book has become one of the most popular and protean of literary forms, ranging from playful biographies to contemporary fables to arty concept books, captivating child and adult readers alike. Whether you’re a prose writer with your first picture book idea, or an illustrator hoping to pair your art with words, this course is a practical and inspirational plunge into the world of visual storytelling. Together, we will examine the picture book from every angle—formal, literary, allegorical, biographical, physical, and interactive—and engage with some of the leading storytellers in the picture book genre. 

Past Courses

2025

 
 

2024

 

  • WRITING FOOD with ALI FRANCIS
    featuring Bettina Makalintal, Mayukh Sen, Jaya Saxena, & Alicia Kennedy

  • WRITING THE MODERN LOVE ESSAY with LAVINIA SPALDING
    featuring Susan Yoon, Kevin Renn, Staceyann Chin, & Miya Lee

  • WRITING MOTHERHOOD with RACHEL YODER
    featuring Angela Garbes, Louisa Hall, Sabrina Orah Mark, & Erika Morillo

  • WRITING TRAUMA with MARGO STEINES
    featuring Stacey Ramsower, Athena Dixon, T Kira Māhealani Madden, & Lacy M. Johnson

  • WRITING THIS WARMING WORLD with MEERA SUBRAMANIAN
    featuring Emily Raboteau, Helen Macdonald, Elizabeth Rush, & J. Drew Lanham

 

2023

  • HYBRID MEMOIR with LILLY DANCYGER
    featuring Melissa Febos, Esmé Weijun Wang, Jeannie Vanasco, & Tyrese L. Colemen

  • WRITING THE BODY with MARGO STEINES
    & featuring Aisha Sabatini Sloan, Melissa Febos, Natalie Lima, & Leslie Jamison

2022