As Karen Russell says of writing the weird: “I feel as if I’m taking a real garden [and] inserting an imaginary toad.” But what exactly counts as weird anymore? Does it come from content, form, process? Is it a story about a two-headed amnesiac ghost told backward through dating app updates? In this class you’ll not only learn what weird specifically means to you but you’ll also experience how essential that weirdness is to your writing. You’ll read contemporary writers like Helen Oyeyemi, Kelly Link, and Ted Chiang. And in workshop you’ll share strange, exciting pieces to discover different techniques for enhancing strangeness. This class is for anyone wanting to drop some fake toads into their real gardens and ultimately discover that weirdness really means wondrous. Writers of all weirdnesses, from the subtle to the totally unhinged, are welcome.
Prerequisite: At least one intermediate or advanced class and permission from the instructor. To apply, please email a writing sample (three to five pages) and a brief description of your workshop history to [email protected]. If your application is accepted, you will receive a password to register for the class.
NOTE: Applications for this class are open to members of the Book Project, Portfolio Year, and Post-Grad Year only through Monday, April 27. Starting on April 29, we'll begin to process applications from the general public.
