In this Experimental Essay Lab, I invite writers to play on the page and design innovative essays with an open mind around experimentation. By using less traditional essay structures, we can explore the multiplicity of themes within our stories and find unique, unexpected connections that breathe new life into our ideas. Braided essays offer us a unique opportunity to weave together three or more ideas into one cohesive story; hermit crab essays inspire us to take on new shapes to house our stories; and collage essays encourage us to write in vignettes with the same abstraction we’d use to build collages.

In addition to weekly generative writing sessions, I’ll assign essays for workshop participants to read independently and we’ll discuss them in class. We’ll explore braided, collage, and hermit essays from authors such as Kendra Allen, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, Athena Dixon, and more. Every participant will have a chance to workshop an in-progress experimental essay and receive feedback from me and the other participants. 

Black Writers Program workshops require all participants to identify as Black. Please do not register if you do not identify as a Black writer. Visit our website for more information about our Black Writers Program. 

Please do not register if you are unable to attend all six sessions. If you're unable to commit to all 6 weeks, please do not buy a ticket as your purchase is non-refundable (though it is transferrable).

This workshop will be available on a sliding scale from FULL COST, at a 25% DISCOUNT, or a 50% DISCOUNT. Please visit our website for full details about pricing, discount codes, and scholarships.