The personal essay is perhaps the most flexible of literary genres, sometimes leaning toward fiction in a storytelling fashion but often leaning toward journalism or scholarship or even poetry. In this workshop, we will read model essays that illustrate the options available to a nonfiction writer, including the narrative essay, the reflective essay, literary journalism, and the lyric essay. We will experiment with braiding and segmenting, and we will discuss when one form or mode of writing might be more suitable than others. Writers of all levels are welcome. Our aim is to expand our essay-writing horizons, finding inventive ways to generate new material that can be workshopped and strengthened during the time together. In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our week.