4-Week: Emerging from the Abyss—Writing from Deep Emotion

When asked about her creative process, the writer Can Xue said: "Emotions are completely unleashed. I turn towards the dark abyss of consciousness and plunge in, and in the tension between those two forces, I build... my stories." In this generative writing workshop, we too will plunge into our deepest emotions and emerge with heart-driven new writing.

Each week's session will be structured around a single emotion such as joy, anger, fear, surprise, excitement, disgust, love, hope, etc. During the session, we'll read from examples in various genres by authors who have channeled that emotion into their work. From the seeds of these examples and other narrative prompts, we’ll plunge into our own consciousness and create new pieces of writing through ten minute sprints. After we emerge, we’ll share what we write with the group.

Authors we may read include Susan Choi, Han Kang, James Baldwin, Percival Everett, Clarice Lispector, Mariana Enriquez, Jose Saramago, and others. The emotions that structure the first three sessions will be of the moderator's choosing; the last session will be selected by the students through vote. Please note this class is a generative writing workshop rather than a feedback-driven workshop—this class's focus is not on how you should write, but on getting you to write. Ultimately, you will leave with new writing that you will want to continue working on long after this class is over.