Summer course early registration extended! Plus payment plans! Plus five things I am loving.
Early bird price ends Friday 6/2 for Lyric Essay, Memoir in Collage, and Flash Fiction: Form and Fracture
Hello!
If you’ve been toying with the idea of taking one of our July/August classes, I have some good news. We’re extending the early bird prices ($50 off) until Friday June 2nd. AND payment plans are available. You can pay in four installments or over twelve months. See the individual course listings for information.
These are the courses that run July 10th to August 13th. They are asynchronous classes on the Wet Ink platform. (You sign in to interact with peers and the instructor in writing on your own schedule. Plus there is one optional realtime Zoom meeting.)
Writing the Lyric Essay: When Poetry and Nonfiction Play
A course for essayists interested in infusing your work with fresh new possibilities, or for poets who wants to try essay!
Memoirist Megan Baxter returns to guide you through crafting a memoir from life’s twists and turns.
Flash Fiction: Form and Fracture
A course for writers of all levels and genres interested in creating unique and innovative flash fiction, taught by our new instructor, author of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction Kami Westhoff.
Five things I’ve loved recently:
This essay, “Onslaught,” by our new instructor Kami Westhoff over at Hippocampus. It is about her mother, hands, maternal intimacy, and grief. And it illustrates beautifully what Kami can do— and can teach you!— about experimenting with form.
Memoir in Collage instructor Megan Baxter has a new book out! Twenty Square Feet of Skin (Mad Creek Books/OSU Press) is officially out. This book is a masterclass (by example) in excellent essay writing. In case you missed it, I interviewed Megan here about this book and how she approaches one of her main subjects, the body.
Speaking of books, I provided an endorsement for Joanne Nelson’s new book of flash memoir pieces, My Neglected Gods, and I’ve just read the book again. I enjoyed it immensely. It’s one of those collections that makes you want to write, which is my highest compliment for writing! Joanne has taken courses with me, and she’s an accomplished writing instructor in her own right. (Stay tuned for an excerpt and writing prompt inspired by Nelson’s work on Friday!)
I have also been re-reading American Sonnets by Gerald Stern, and remembering how distinctive and direct, lyrical and loving Stern’s voice is. Here’s the opening poem, about being from Pittsburgh, which I used in my last online generative writing workshop.
I am also loving painting my living room. Every once in a while, I remember the way that sprucing things up around the house is a ritual for dispelling stale energy. (It’s always more fun to organize, for example, if you act like you’re doing a magic spell. Which you are!)
Happy almost June, everyone!