Writing Picture Books

Tuesdays: September 8 - 29
7 - 9:30 p.m. EST

Led by KYO MACLEAR
with guest authors Matthew Forsythe, Shaun Tan, Grace Lin, & Julie Flett

$450 $400 (until July 17)

The modern picture book is one of the most enduring and shape-shifting literary forms. Spare yet expansive, intimate yet collaborative, it asks writers and illustrators to think with the ear, the eye, the hand, and the heart. 

What can we learn as picture book makers from those who came before us? More specifically, how can we learn from the ways they engage the ear, the eye, the hand, the heart, the funny bone, even the feet? This will be a story laboratory where we’ll experiment with different ways of entering the world of story and explore alchemical interactions between words and images. Students will learn or deepen their grasp of techniques specific to picture books, such as the use of page turns, counterpoint, paratext, lettering and design; gain an understanding of the philosophy and practice of making books for children; and get a chance to pose nitty-gritty questions about the path to publishing.

This course is a master class for those ready to deepen their relationship to the form in conversation with visionary creators, both past and present. Whether you’re new to picture book writing or want to build on what you learned in Kyo Maclear’s last course at OA, this 4-week class will equip you with key fundamentals and present fresh material as well as dialogues with an array of brilliant guest authors. We’ll place our senses and selves under the spell of a different picture book maker every week, tracing their methods, lineage, and co-conspirators, while developing our own unique practice in dialogue with them.

Each week includes a craft discussion exploring the techniques of our featured guest; a writing prompt to bring those sensory, material, and kinetic methods into your own practice; and finally a candid conversation with the guest picture book maker about their practice and insights.

In this course, you will: 

• Study picture books through craft talks exploring rhythm and sound, formal play, childhood memory, street-level curiosity

• Stir up your writerly senses (voice, ears, hands, heart, mind, eyes, funny bone, and feet) as tools for the page and a way of creating under the influence of a wide sensorium

• Engage with four inspiring guest artist-writers, with the chance to ask your most pressing questions 

• Create new writing inspired by weekly prompts and discussions that will refresh your picture book practice

• Build community among writers in the picture book niche

This is a craft intensive, not a workshop. While there’s no direct feedback on your writing, you’ll generate plenty of new material through customized prompts and weekly assignments. This course will take place live on Zoom, but is designed for asynchronous value if you are unable to participate in all sessions; recordings will be shared each week.

About the Instructors

A limited number of scholarships for this course are available. Please fill out this form by July 24, and we’ll get back to you within a week after the deadline. (Please hold off on registering until you have received a scholarship decision.)

Payment plans are available at checkout via ShopPay.

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).

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Off Assignment’s Masters’ Series courses are unique four-session courses that delve deep into a specific writing topic by harnessing the expertise and craft tactics of a renowned writer in a particular niche, plus four celebrated authors. Participating writers gain a wealth of advanced techniques while benefiting from a cohesive community of disciplined writers.