Generating the Personal Essay
Mondays: January 11 - February 15, 2027
6 - 8:30 p.m. EST
Led by BRIAN BENSON
$530 $480 (until November 26)
Please register with the email to which you’d like to receive class correspondence and readings.
The hardest part of writing, often enough, is just getting started. And for those of us who write creative nonfiction, the problem is usually a glut, rather than a lack, of ideas. We essayists can choose to write about exactly everything we’ve ever done, thought, imagined, feared, regretted doing, celebrated not doing, etc. These limitless choices can be paralyzing. And whenever we’re feeling paralyzed, one of the best remedies is to simply reduce our choices. Constrain them. Channel them.
This six-week course, limited to 16 students, is all about overcoming decision fatigue, getting words on the page, and getting surprised by what we produce.
Through a mix of close-reading, craft talks, guided exercises, and weekly table reads of works-in-progress, we’ll generate reams of new writing, and we'll work together to polish that writing via in-depth, strengths-based feedback.
This course is geared toward personal essayists ready to generate new content or fill in gaps for pieces in progress. And while we'll work on essays of all lengths, our exercises will focus principally on reading and writing flash nonfiction or short excerpts from longer works, for a few reasons: it’s fun, quick, and easy to read and interpret flash; writing in the short-form allows us to laser-focus on building discrete skills; and packing a punch in a paragraph, micro-essay, or excerpt can lead us to produce work that demonstrates a knack for concision—something that many writers struggle with.
During each class, writers can expect to read some stellar short nonfiction, discuss craft techniques, write to in-class prompts, and share excerpts from their own works-in-progress.
In this course, students can expect to:
Read several short nonfiction pieces, discuss craft techniques, write to in-class prompts, and share excerpts from their own works-in-progress
Begin a dozen new pieces and get strengths-based, in-class feedback from their peers and the instructor on a couple of those works
Learn actionable, advanced craft techniques on writing the personal essay, from start to finish
Engage in in-depth conversations on publishing, literary citizenship, and building literary community
This is not a formal workshop with peer feedback, but you’ll generate plenty of new material through customized prompts and weekly assignments.
About the Instructor
BRIAN BENSON is the author of Going Somewhere, and co-author of This is Not For You. His essays have been published or are forthcoming in Pithead Chapel, Hippocampus, Reckon Review, Sweet, Bending Genres, and Hunger Mountain, among many other publications, and his work has been featured in several anthologies. He teaches creative nonfiction at the Attic Institute and out of his home, and volunteers with “Write Around Portland” and “The Immigrant Story.” He is at work on his third book, a lyric inquiry modern masculinity.
Details
Participants will receive a Zoom link prior to the course as well as a recording after each session, available for two months after the end of the course.
There is a 10% cancellation fee if you cancel your enrollment more than 1 week before the start of the course. No refund will be given if cancelling within less than a week of the course start date (or after the course has begun).
Please email courses@offassignment.com with any questions.