Class

6-Week Workshop: Writing the Braided Essay–Winter Edition

Do you have two creative lines of thought that feel inexplicably linked? Do you have a sense that two stories are in fact one? Do you delight in challenging a narrative from the inside out? The braided essay will help you explore this.

What is the braided essay? In its simplest sense, the form combines multiple distinct threads and braids them together. It challenges the myth that there is only one perspective, one single story, one fixed “self.”

The braided essay is a relatively new and exciting form that can add new life and texture to your personal essay. By going beyond mere autobiography, we can widen the narrative scope of an essay beyond the self. We can add nuance and multiplicity to the "I." Like contrasting colors in a textile piece, it can create a new theme, texture, or energy in the space where different threads meet.

In this class you’ll craft your own original braided essay. We’ll begin by identifying key components of the form, then delve into the business of craft by doing generative writing in and outside of class. You’ll then hone and strengthen your essay through class workshops, where you'll receive verbal feedback from your fellow students. Finally, you'll brainstorm possible revisions or expansions.

This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book; we encourage participants to be fully vaccinated and masked in the interest of everyone’s safety. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.