**This course will be held In-Person**
When Michel de Montaigne declared “the subject is me” in the 1500’s he heralded a new form of writing, an essay that was introspective, revelatory, intimate and often witty. This form prizes candor over air-tight reasoning, personal style over research and often speaks directly to the heart. This capacious style of essay marries the “figuring out” of traditional essays with drama, setting, dialogue and scene, the techniques of fiction. In this class we will read essays by masters of the form and with prompts and in-class writing exercises, begin work on an essay of our own. Each student will receive peer and instructor feedback on their writing.
Week by Week Outline
Week one: Definition of personal essay and useful terms for discussion. In class writing exercise - finding your story.
Week two: Discuss “Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow: How to Write the Unbearable Story” by Steve Almond. In class writing exercise – accessing family stories and the courage to write them.
Week three: Discuss “Such, Such Were the Joys by George Orwell. In class writing exercise: Accessing memory.
Week four: Discuss “Weasel” by Annie Dillard. Nature writing. The importance of emotive setting. Workshop.
Week five: Discuss “Loving Him Meant Facing My Greatest Fear” by Chloe Cooper Jones. Writing our bodies. Workshop.
Week six: Discuss “Of Power and Time” by Mary Oliver and “No Time to Spare” by Ursula Le Guin. Overcoming fear and making time to write. Workshop.
