The personal essay might be the original selfie: a snapshot of the self, written by the self. The beauty of the personal essay is its smallness, what Phillip Lopate calls its “access to the small, humble things of life,” and a “taste for the miniature.” A love of uneven potato chips, an errand in the city, and a trip to a lake—these are the slender plots of some of the most famous personal essays in history by MFK Fisher, Virginia Woolf, and E.B. White. In this class, we will read a series of contemporary essays by writers such as Ross Gay, Jaquira Díaz, and Diane Seuss to see how the personal essay today continues to thrive, keeping an eye open for discerning lessons of genre and craft. How do images work to convey ideas? How do writers navigate time and structure? How do writers reveal themselves honestly and still compassionately? How does plot give way to a deeper meaning, a resonance that lasts? By the end of the weekend, participants will have written a draft of a new essay, shared their work with others for informal feedback, and learned just how much this small vessel of the personal essay contains: a glimpse into the timeless complexity of the self.

Open to writers of all levels of experience who are interested in the personal essay.

In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our weekend.