The class:
This class will resemble a graduate-level workshop over the course of four weeks. Each week we will discuss an assigned prose work and then we will discuss student work. We will meet for 1.5 to 2.5 hours, depending on the class size. I will offer you: line edits, story feedback, and at the end of the course, a recorded voice note discussing your work overall and any additional thoughts I might have regarding your writing. Class cap will be 12. Minimum to run will be 4.
Reading list:
Ivan Turgenev,
“The Execution of Tropmann”
(translated by David Magarshack)Kazuo Ishiguro,
“A Village After Dark”
Álvaro Enrigue,
“On The Death of the Author”
(translated by Anna Kushner)Thomas de Quincey,
“The English Mail-Coach”
Genre and expectations:
Basically you can submit anything—fiction, nonfiction, history, journal, prose poetry, something in between. That said, you should already have work ready to submit before signing up for this class, as the workshop will begin with our first meeting.
Word maximum for your workshop submissions should be around 3,000 words, though we can accommodate a little more. You are responsible for reading the assigned writing and the writing of your peers. You aren’t required to provide them written feedback, but if you’d like to do this, you can. In-class verbal feedback is all that’s required. As stated, I will provide both written and verbal feedback to you.
Cost:
$300. $100 non-refundable deposit required in order to join, remainder due by the first class meeting. You can pay me over Venmo or PayPal.
Where/when:
Over Zoom, Wednesday nights, 6:30 PM EST.
Some questions I imagine people might have:
What are your credentials to do such a thing?
I’ve been teaching creative writing workshops every university semester of every year since 2014. Most of these have been undergraduate workshops, but I have also taught graduate workshops, and private workshops as well. If it matters to you, I’ve taught creative writing at: Temple University; the University of Pennsylvania; Sewanee; Stockton University, the University of the Arts (RIP); Moore College of Art & Design; and Poet’s House in NYC.
I am also a published writer of several books, etc., though honestly, as far as pedagogic bonafides go, that matters less than people think.
Do you offer scholarships or discounts?
No, sorry.
Why not?
Because I’m doing this to make money.
What if my work isn’t strictly prose, but a hybrid of multiple genres, such as poetry, etc.?
That is totally fine and I welcome you to submit formally inventive material.
I live on the West Coast and that time doesn’t work for me. Is there a chance we could meet at a different time/day?
Maybe! It really depends how many non-East Coast people would want to join. Message me directly about this.
Anything else I should know?
Once we have our roster, I’ll make a private Discord server you can all optionally join so that you can chat throughout the week. Maybe you will find a boyfriend or your wife or even best friend forever through this class. Just kidding. But as a creative writing teacher, this has actually happened to me. I believe the happy couple now lives in Australia.