Class

It's All Relative: Writing About Relationships in Creative Nonfiction

Personal essays and memoir are famously about the writer, but because humans are social creatures, it’s near impossible to write our own stories without also including other people. There can be challenges and responsibilities involved in how we portray others on the page.

In this 4-week class, we will discuss writing about parents, family, friendships, romantic partners, and more, reading essays by Melissa Febos, Jaquira Diaz, T Kira Madden, Sarah Gerard, Minda Honey, and more. We will examine techniques and devices that bring complex characters to life on the page and discuss the ethics of representing other people.

The first week will be devoted to discussion of readings, craft talks, and generative writing exercises. In the following weeks, each student will have a chance to share up to 1,000 words of their own writing for feedback from their peers and the teaching artist.

Please email [email protected] at least two to three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this class. PLEASE NOTE: the elevator in Open Book will be unavailable for use from July - August 2025 due to modernization. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.