Much of fiction and nonfiction concerns itself with inner and outer belonging. In an age of fast and slow travel, authenticity within diversity, the exercise of coming home—to a place, to the self—emerges as a mission statement of our creative work. In this workshop, we tackle that mission together. From the haunted house story to memoirs of a life spent in exile, whether writing a domestic drama, opinion pieces, or travelogues, we will bring narrative strategy and focus to writing that faces, inhabits, or complicates the idea of home, locale, and (impossible?) returns.  

This course is designed for writers of all levels, whether you have work in mind or in progress or prefer to generate new ideas and writing in class. We’ll read and discuss successful essays and stories that bravely approach site and situation, including works by Isaac Babel, Noviolet Bulawayo, and Harry Crews. Expect an exploration of setting, exteriority, momentum, pacing, and arc, and the chance to brainstorm, examine, and improve prose written from your very own social location. 

This course will include a 20-minute conference with each participant. Our sessions will be comprised of reading discussions, lectures, an in-class writing practice, as well as sharing opportunities. All readings will be provided. 

In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; workshop writing you bring from home.