6 Sessions, Wednesdays from November 8 to December 20, 7-9 pm EST

Note: no class on Wednesday, November 22

online; 8 Students Max

Chances are your education in essay writing was more like a miseducation. The academy instructs us in expository writing—essay as intellectual exercise—but most of us have little training or even exposure to the art of constructing and appreciating works of creative nonfiction, such as memoir, travelogue, and narrative journalism. Even that term itself might sound oxymoronic. If it's nonfiction, how can it also be creative?

In this six-week course, we'll discuss both classic and contemporary pieces of creative nonfiction in order to demystify some of the basic approaches and techniques utilized by writers of this genre, and in a low-pressure, highly-supportive environment, you'll workshop two short essays of your own. Along the way, you will learn how to closely read and analyze a literary work, from taking in the big picture to zooming in on the sentence level, and we'll deconstruct that oft-used but seldom defined term, “voice.” Throughout, we'll pay close to attention to structure and how writers not only tell a story, but develop a theme. The reading list will vary, from works about food and pop culture, to more pointed critiques of patriarchy and race in America. By the time this workshop is over, you will not only have a general understanding of what creative nonfiction is, you'll have read some examples of the art, and be on your way to developing fluency in the form yourself.

This course is designed for writers curious about creative nonfiction, but no prior experience writing in this genre is required.

Class Expectations

Each week students will have 1-2 essays to read, which will be discussed during class. Twice during the course they will submit short essays, which we'll workshop in class. I will assign some short writing prompts as well, which students can share with one another and we can briefly discuss.

About the Instructor

Brian Gresko (he/they) is a writer based in Brooklyn, where they co-run Pete’s Reading Series, the borough's longest running literary venue. Their work has appeared in Poets & Writers Magazine, Slate, The Atlantic, Longreads, The Rumpus, and many other publications. Also a stay-at-home parent, they edited the anthology When I First Held You: 22 Critically Acclaimed Writers Talk about the Triumphs, Challenges, and Transformative Experience of Fatherhood. They received their MFA in fiction from The New School, and was the first in their family to attend college, at Oberlin.

Student Testimonials

Brian is a caring, kind, and intuitive teacher. In addition to being genuinely excited about writing and teaching it as a craft, he's responsive to questions and generous with his time. I learned a lot in the nonfiction class I took with Brian, and left with a deeper understanding of how to create emotional connections with a reader, follow the arc of a narrative, and choose details that move the story forward. – Luna Adler

I came in wanting to produce at least two chapters from my next haiku book, but instead I got the tools I needed to write an entire next book—one that is going to be challenging, but that I'm going to be really proud of. In Brian's class, I felt like I “leveled up,” learning creative strategies to organize and make my work more readable and interesting. I gained an excitement and enthusiasm for writing that I didn't have before - an energy that I plan to keep flowing now that the class is done! – Kristen Lem, author of Haiku to Fall in Love To

I took Brian's workshop in non-fiction and worked on two pieces with the class, while also reading and giving feedback on students' work. That experience reignited my writing process in a serious way. I continued to work on the second piece from the class with Brian one-on-one, and he encouraged me to submit it for publication. He helped me understand the submission process, and tracked down contacts at the publications on my short list. That piece kinda blew up on the Internet and the next thing I know I have a literary agent and am working on a full-length book project. Will you get an agent by taking Brian's class? Unclear. But you will gain an honest understanding of both your strengths and tics as a writer, and hopefully a kick in the motivation pants while you're at it. – Christina Wallace

Foundations of Creative Nonfiction, 6 sessions with Brian Gresko