Class

Notebook to Manuscript

In times of crisis, journals and notebooks can be a place of solace for us as writers. They have intrinsic value as a vehicle for documenting the impact of historic events in our lives, as well as for creative expression when living lives in extremis. As time passes, those same journals and notebooks become a rich resource for use in crafting poems, memoirs, lyric essays, or other literary pieces. Whether you have only recently begun keeping a writer’s notebook, or you already have a storehouse of journal material, this class is for you. We will review and practice the literary techniques involved in journal writing. We’ll consider methods for indexing and developing retrieval systems to facilitate accessing material in the notebooks when the time is right to transform them into crafted pieces. The class is designed as a focused lab and includes exercises for generating as well as identifying suitable material then crafting it into drafts for finished pieces. Through a layered feedback & workshop process, students clarify a project, begin drafts & devise a workable plan to complete it.

Please complete this request form at least two to three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this class. 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.