Thursday, November 30th, 2023 | 7-9 pm ET
20 students max, online
$60
Enroll for this class.
The blank page can be a blessing or a curse. Perhaps something has caught your attention—a question, a memory, even a character appearing fully formed in your mind. Any idea is an opportunity, but it can be daunting to get started.
In this generative class, Jiordan Castle invites you to begin exactly where you are. Whether your tendency is toward flash, poetry, essay, or somewhere in between, together we will explore first lines and paragraphs, short forms, and prompts to help you evolve a free write into a first draft.
This class is a single session consisting of a quick introductory exercise, an interactive exploration of relevant published works (e.g., flash, poems, and opening lines and paragraphs of essays and stories), prompt-based free writing, and a closing discussion to help keep the momentum going. Participants will leave with a recommended reading list as well.
Writers of all experience levels are welcome, ages 18 and up.
Enroll for this class.
Jiordan Castle is the author of Disappearing Act, a memoir in verse, and the chapbook All His Breakable Things. Her work has appeared in HuffPost, The New Yorker, The Rumpus, Taco Bell Quarterly, and elsewhere. She is a contributor to the LA-based food and culture magazine Compound Butter. Originally from New York, she currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and their dog.
Testimonials
“Jiordan provided excellent prompts, gave knowledgeable and thoughtful commentary on my essay and the readings she assigned, and I also learned so much from my classmates through our conversations. Jiordan was very available and encouraging, and I trusted her.”
“Interrogating form as much as we did in Jiordan’s class really helped me be aware of not just what I was putting on the page but why, how, and when.”
“Jiordan’s class helped me to understand that it's better to get something out than nothing, and that it's not only possible but encouraged to rework it. (I definitely suffer from ‘if you don't know what to write, don't write at all’ syndrome otherwise.)”