Class Description

Great writers aren’t born that way. They read and re-read and read some more, dissecting their favorite work for tools and inspiration. Writing often seems like magic—and it is—but with careful detective work we can figure out how the magic is constructed, and most importantly, how to wield it in our own, original work. In this class, we will be part sleuth, part wordsmith. We’ll use techniques from writers like Jennifer Egan, Caroline Kepnes, and others. For instance, how does Kepnes make a serial killer likable? And how does Egan take a familiar story—college, unrequited love—and elevate it? (Spoiler alert: her voice.) Classes will feature a combination of craft lectures, discussion of assigned reading, and in-class generative writing assignments. There will also be readings and exercises to complete at home, taking 1- 3 hours. You will be encouraged to share work and receive on-the-spot verbal instructor and peer feedback. Two reading assignments (about 30 minutes of reading) will be emailed prior to the first class. LEONORA DESAR'S writing has appeared in places such as River Styx, Passages North, The Cincinnati Review, Black Warrior Review, and Columbia Journal, where she was chosen as a finalist by Ottessa Moshfegh. Her work has been selected for The Best Small Fictions 2019 and 2021, Best Microfiction 2019, 2020, 2021, and the Wigleaf Top 50 (2019, 2020, 2021). She was a runner-up/finalist in Quarter After Eight’s Robert J. DeMott Short Prose Contest, judged by Stuart Dybek, and Crazyhorse’s Crazyshorts! contest. She holds an MFA in fiction from NYU and an MS from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.