Polyphony Edits

Welcome to "Intro to Writing Short Stories," a course designed to immerse you in the art and craft of writing compelling short stories through a mix of theory, practice, and community.

This class aims to guide you through the fundamental tools in the fiction toolkit also while fostering a deeper understanding of reading and analyzing stories from a writer’s perspective.

Over 8 weeks, we’ll discuss essays, stories, and podcasts that showcase diverse narrative styles and techniques. We’ll dig into the mechanics of storytelling, peeling back the exterior to explore the way we can use different tools and strategies for building experiences in text.

In the first 4 weeks, you’ll receive writing prompts to take home that encourage you to explore and play with various storytelling techniques. These exercises are designed to help you build confidence in your creative expression and help to develop your voice on page.

In week 5, we’ll transition workshopping in addition to our readings and discussions. You’ll have the opportunity to share your work at least once (dependent on class size) with the group for constructive feedback. The workshop segment, which runs until the end of the course, provides a supportive environment where everyone can contribute, learn from one another, and refine their storytelling skills.

A note on who this is intended for: This is an introductory class that will cover a set of basics. It’s perfect for people who are brand new to writing fiction, who’ve always wanted to writer and were never sure how, or for who haven’t written in a while and what to brush up on things. It’ll also make a good primer for poets, essayists, screenwriters, playwrights, and those working in other forms. This course is limited to 12 participants.

This class will encourage experimentation, risk-taking, and embracing the learning process. Our hope is to provide you with insight into the intricacies and potentials of writing short stories, while participating in a community of writers who are as passionate and interested as you!

Pricing

The following pricing options are inspired by the payment model of Bayo Akomolafe’s class, We Will Dance With Mountains: Into the Cracks, as well as Corporeal Writing’s framing thereof.

To help price this class more equitably, this workshop has sliding scale based on a self-determination of your financial standing.

Please consider your financial situation, including present and anticipated income, when deciding, as well as the historical discriminations facing your peoples, your relationship to food and resource scarcity, and similar structural factors.

Different tiers do not receive a different class experience.

$550 Partner (~$69/class)

$400 Supporter (Note: This is the “real” value of this course; $50/class)

$250 Companion (~$32/class)

$200 Friend ($25/class)

With z kennedy-lopez

Thursdays, 6:30–8:3pm ET

March 7 – April 4, 2024

From $75

WORLDBUILDING | SETTING | DESCRIPTION

Embark on a journey into the realm of unconventional spaces with this generative writing course. We’ll explore the peculiar, challenging, and imaginative possibilities that arise when confronting spaces that resist definition, deviate from the norm, or in some way just…aren’t.

Why do spaces matter? What can happen when we write against the types of spaces we typically encounter and recognize in the world today? What happen when we set out to intentionally invoke, negate, bypass, or defy established notions of place and worldbuilding in what we write?

These are the sorts of questions we’ll set out to explore, using excerpts from novels by Samuel Delany, Renee Gladman, Anna Kavan, Cristina Rivera Garza, Juan Rulfo, Justin Torres, and Samanta Schweblin, paired with essays from Dorothy Allison and Freud and writings by healthcare workers and indigenous artist and poet Demian Dinéyazhi’.

The class discussions will delve into how the readings create and challenge spaces, and we’ll use the questions that come up as starting points for our own play and experimentation. After a brief break, we’ll write together for 45 or 50 minutes, then chat briefly about how it went and what came up in the process. A willingness to experiment and play are highly encouraged.

A note on who this is intended for: This class is open to writers working in all forms. We’ll touch on some foundational elements of setting and Freud’s definition of the Uncanny, but this will not be an essay-heavy craft course. We won’t dive fully into the tools of suspense or the gothic, but fans of the eerie, strange, and unresolved are encouraged to join and to bring their questions and interests. Similarly, if you’re feeling stuck, looking for an unexpected way to experiment, or are curious to learn more about what’s possible at the margins of your own work, this class will provide space to read, write, discuss, and play alongside others.

Pricing

The following pricing options are inspired by the payment model of Bayo Akomolafe’s class, We Will Dance With Mountains: Into the Cracks, as well as Corporeal Writing’s framing thereof.

To help price this class more equitably, this workshop has sliding scale based on a self-determination of your financial standing.

Please consider your financial situation, including present and anticipated income, when deciding, as well as the historical discriminations facing your peoples, your relationship to food and resource scarcity, and similar structural factors.

Different tiers do not receive a different class experience.

$250 Partner ($50/class)

$175 Supporter (Note: This is the “real” value of this course; $35/class)

$125 Companion ($25/class)

$75 Friend ($15/class)