Class

Writing from Experience: Identity and Fiction

In the past decade, the literary world has sought to publish more authors from historically underrepresented populations, resulting in a much-needed diversification of the American canon and many remarkable books about the interplay of identity and culture. In our current sociopolitical climate, investment in stories of difference and lived experience seems to be at an all-time high. Nevertheless, this may leave the writer deemed "marginalized" or "underrepresented" by the publishing world with some pressing questions: How much of myself do I share on the page? How are positionality and point of view influenced by identity and culture? What are the distinctions among fiction, memoir and autofiction?

In this workshop, we'll answer these questions and more as we craft artist statements, explore the stories we want to tell through scene and dialogue, and discuss what these ongoing literary and political trends mean for the individual artist.

All Classes listed on the Loft website take place in Central Time.

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.