Class

4-Week Workshop: Writing Personal Essays About Pop Culture

Incorporating pop culture into an essay can be a great way to grab readers’ attention and widen the scope of your work. In this four-week class, we’ll discuss how to combine cultural criticism and personal stories in a way that deepens insights of both and reaches a broad audience. We’ll explore a range of pop culture artifacts, such as horror films, reality TV, pop stars, and social media influencers, with readings by Leslie Jamison, Samantha Irby, Hanif Abdurraqib, Carmen Maria Machado, and more. The class will also provide writing prompts, feedback on one essay up to 2,000 words, and resources for revision and publication.

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.

Some classes use a supplemental Google Classroom page. Should your teaching artist use Google Classroom, you will be invited to join the classroom via email at least 24 hours in advance of your class (check spam folders if you are not seeing this invitation). Please note that Google Classroom requires a Gmail address to access the Classroom. If you do not have a Gmail account, the email invitation will be sent to the email address we have on file and will prompt you to create a free account or enter an existing account to join the classroom. If we are unable to send an email invitation to your non-gmail account, you will be contacted by a staff member to provide a Gmail address. If you do not have a Gmail account, you can create a free account here. Should you have concerns about this, please contact a Loft staff member at [email protected] or 612-379-8999. For more information on how to use Google Classroom, please see our training manual here.