We’ve all had moments where we turned to illicit substances as a way of managing our anxieties, cutting loose, retreating from pain, and even finding a path to greater enlightenment. We’ll look at the work of Denis Johnson and others to understand the ecstatic prose that can arise from bad trips.

Steve Almond is the author of twelve books of fiction and non-fiction including the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football. His first novel, Which Brings Me to You (co-written with Julianna Baggott) was made into way-better-than-he-expected movie starring Lucy Hale and Nat Wolff. His last novel, All the Secrets of the World, is in development for television by 20th Century Fox. His work has appeared in the Best American Short Stories, the Pushcart Prize, Best American Mysteries, and the NYT Magazine. His most recent book, Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow, is about craft, inspiration, and how to keep going at the keyboard. Almond teaches at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and lives outside Boston with his family and his anxiety.

No Pain, No Gain: Violence on the Page, A Generative Class with Steve Almond