Interdisciplinary Arts 0209 - Shaping Your Story: Form and Flow in the Personal Essay

From James Baldwin's recounting of being in prison in Paris to Joan Didion's recollections of 1960s Hollywood to Alexander Chee's meditations on the tarot, many great writers have used the personal essay to illuminate universal or cultural truths, moving from the minutiae of daily life to insights and observations about the human condition. This course will explore this dynamic literary genre, considering how different forms and structures (i.e., the braided essay, the lyric essay, the hermit crab, etc.) shape the stories we tell about our lives and experiences, and the world we live in. Students will read a range of personal essays of varying lengths, looking at how writers use form and narrative to examine the nature of truth, time, and memory, and raise questions about power, location, and identity. As we engage with published work and write, workshop, and revise our own short essays, we'll think critically about what stories and histories get told and what gets silenced, and how we can use writing to open up spaces for connection, reflection, resistance, and joy

Students should expect to spend 6-8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time Libraray Materials: Course Reader will be available for purchase at Duplications