Meredith Talusan

It's an old adage that "writing is rewriting," but workshops often don’t spend adequate time exploring what that rewriting actually entails—such as the various methods that effective writers employ to improve their work and how they motivate themselves to keep revising in the midst of boredom, frustration, and despair. This craft class will consist of readings on revision by the likes of Peter Ho Davies, Annie Dillard, Matt Bell, Zadie Smith, and others, as well as conversations with guests about their revision processes. There will also be weekly revision prompts, where students will be asked to examine and re-examine the same material throughout the semester so they can find new ways to reimagine their writing and turn revision into a process that is just as, if not more, generative than the initial draft.

While many books delve into the writing process, it’s rare for a semester-long class to treat the creation and maintenance of that process as a project in itself—which is what we’ll be doing—with an emphasis on prose and, especially, nonfiction writing. Through writing prompts, workshops, and the work of other writers, we’ll explore the conditions under which writers produce their most effective work and what a sustainable writing process can look like for each of us. Routine, productivity, mental obstacles, family, relationships, perfectionism, writing by hand vs. on computer, internal vs. external rewards, and tapping into the unconscious are issues that will be explored, unpacked, and questioned, along with any other issues related to the writing process that come up. Readings will include Melissa Febos, Annie Dillard, Zadie Smith, Natalie Goldberg, Samuel Delany, Ross Gay, and Jenny O’Dell. Students taking this for workshop credit will have biweekly conferences and are expected to produce two workshop pieces—between 10 and 20 pages each or one new piece and a substantial revision—that come out of our explorations of writing process. Craft class members should expect weekly writing prompts to be shared and discussed in class, with the option of further feedback during professor’s office hours.

While many books delve into the writing process, it’s rare for a semester-long class to treat the creation and maintenance of that process as a project in itself—which is what we’ll be doing—with an emphasis on prose and, especially, nonfiction writing. Through writing prompts, workshops, and the work of other writers, we’ll explore the conditions under which writers produce their most effective work and what a sustainable writing process can look like for each of us. Routine, productivity, mental obstacles, family, relationships, perfectionism, writing by hand vs. on computer, internal vs. external rewards, and tapping into the unconscious are issues that will be explored, unpacked, and questioned, along with any other issues related to the writing process that come up. Readings will include Melissa Febos, Annie Dillard, Zadie Smith, Natalie Goldberg, Samuel Delany, Ross Gay, and Jenny O’Dell. Students taking this for workshop credit will have biweekly conferences and are expected to produce two workshop pieces—between 10 and 20 pages each or one new piece and a substantial revision—that come out of our explorations of writing process. Craft class members should expect weekly writing prompts to be shared and discussed in class, with the option of further feedback during professor’s office hours.

This craft class, open to writers of any genre, will use methods derived from the world of dance to explore new ways to generate and revise compelling writing. Shifting back and forth between dance studio and seminar table, movement will be our starting point in finding connections between physical embodiment and literary expression—which will allow us to reexamine our writing practice. Areas of dance and performance from which we will draw and that overlap with writing concerns include techniques for heightening physical perception, movement through space as a gateway to memory, dance as a method for accessing heritage, the use of randomness in composition, and choreography derived from improvisation, as well as relationships between dance and nature. While the emphasis of the class will be on using movement to find new approaches to writing, participants are more than welcome to bring in works-in-progress and their own existing methods. For inspiration and insight, we will watch works and read from choreographers like Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, Yvonne Rainer, Bill T. Jones, and Simone Forti. A background (or perceived ability) in dance is absolutely not required.

This craft class, open to writers of any genre, will use methods derived from the world of dance to explore new ways to generate and revise compelling writing. Shifting back and forth between dance studio and seminar table, movement will be our starting point in finding connections between physical embodiment and literary expression—which will allow us to reexamine our writing practice. Areas of dance and performance from which we will draw and that overlap with writing concerns include techniques for heightening physical perception, movement through space as a gateway to memory, dance as a method for accessing heritage, the use of randomness in composition, and choreography derived from improvisation, as well as relationships between dance and nature. While the emphasis of the class will be on using movement to find new approaches to writing, participants are more than welcome to bring in works-in-progress and their own existing methods. For inspiration and insight, we will watch works choreographed by Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown, Bill T. Jones, Jiří Kylián, Donna Uchizono, and Pina Bausch, among others, and reading from works that reflect on dance and performance such as Paul Valery’s Philosophy of the Dance, Alan Lightman’s Pas de Deux, Colum McCann’s Dancer, Zadie Smith’s Swing Time, Caroline Brown’s Chance and Circumstance, Cecilia Vicuña’s Instan, and Cathy Park Hong’s Dance Dance Revolution. A background (or perceived ability) in dance is absolutely not required.