Taking Inspiration from the Masters: Personal Essay Workshop

The personal essay allows us to take small moments and use them as a portal into deep questions of human experience.

In this course, we will approach the personal essay the way painters approach their discipline: first analyzing, then “copying” our forebears.

To accomplish this, we'll devote one week to closely reading short essays by such diverse writers as Grace Paley, Ann Daum, Dinty Moore, Terese Marie Mailhot, and James Baldwin.

The following week, you'll draft one “imitation”—an original work that borrows a published writer’s structure or style—for feedback from classmates and the instructor.

By week six, you will have written three “imitation” essays.

For the final month, you'll tap your own personal mix of influences to produce an essay to be workshopped by the entire class.

Along the way, you'll learn to mine your richest material, make the most of thought-provoking images, and craft resonant endings.

By imitating the masters, you will, paradoxically, find your unique voice.