7 Sessions, Wednesdays from October 4 to November 15, 7-9 pm EST
9 Students Max
$400
Enroll in this class.
If you’ve taken part in traditional workshop protocol—where the author sits silently while the class dissects their work—and found it frustrating or less-than-helpful in your development as a writer, then this workshop is for you. Essayists, memorists, and other nonfiction writers are welcome, though please note this is not a generative class. You may find it most helpful to enter with a couple of pieces prepared for workshopping.
We’ll spend the first class discussing published work and getting to know one another. The subsequent six classes are all workshop focused, during which we’ll engage in deep, accountable, author-led discussions about the work at hand. Authors will be asked to think about their audience as well as the intentions and aims of their piece, and will have the opportunity to pose questions about their work to the table. We’ll make space to talk process, not in order to label strategies “right” or “wrong,” but to share and brainstorm effective ideas and practices. Each student should have two opportunities to workshop.
In the margins of our workshops, we’ll take time to discuss craft and also, if students are interested, the publishing process. Even in the topics we cover, this class will be student-centric! At the end of our time together, authors will walk away with greater knowledge about what elements of their writing are meeting their goals, and with more confidence, enthusiasm, and insight that they can bring to bear on edits and revisions.
Writers will submit their work (no more than 10 double-spaced pages of nonfiction writing) to their classmates and instructor ahead of their workshop slot. Participants will be expected to read their peers submissions thoroughly prior to class. Students will provide their peers feedback in the form of written notes to the author, as well as verbally during class time. The instructor will provide written feedback on every piece.
Enroll in this class.
About the Instructor
Brian Gresko (he/they) is a writer based in Brooklyn, where they co-run Pete’s Reading Series, the borough's longest running literary venue. Their work has appeared in Poets & Writers Magazine, Slate, The Atlantic, Longreads, The Rumpus, and many other publications. Also a stay-at-home parent, they edited the anthology When I First Held You: 22 Critically Acclaimed Writers Talk about the Triumphs, Challenges, and Transformative Experience of Fatherhood. They received their MFA in fiction from The New School, and was the first in their family to attend college, at Oberlin.
Student Testimonials
Brian is a caring, kind, and intuitive teacher. In addition to being genuinely excited about writing and teaching it as a craft, he's responsive to questions and generous with his time. I learned a lot in the nonfiction class I took with Brian, and left with a deeper understanding of how to create emotional connections with a reader, follow the arc of a narrative, and choose details that move the story forward. – Luna Adler
I came in wanting to produce at least two chapters from my next haiku book, but instead I got the tools I needed to write an entire next book—one that is going to be challenging, but that I'm going to be really proud of. In Brian's class, I felt like I “leveled up,” learning creative strategies to organize and make my work more readable and interesting. I gained an excitement and enthusiasm for writing that I didn't have before - an energy that I plan to keep flowing now that the class is done! – Kristen Lem, author of Haiku to Fall in Love To
I took Brian's workshop in non-fiction and worked on two pieces with the class, while also reading and giving feedback on students' work. That experience reignited my writing process in a serious way. I continued to work on the second piece from the class with Brian one-on-one, and he encouraged me to submit it for publication. He helped me understand the submission process, and tracked down contacts at the publications on my short list. That piece kinda blew up on the Internet and the next thing I know I have a literary agent and am working on a full-length book project. Will you get an agent by taking Brian's class? Unclear. But you will gain an honest understanding of both your strengths and tics as a writer, and hopefully a kick in the motivation pants while you're at it. – Christina Wallace