Class

Writing Sex for Queer & Trans Writers

Desire—including the pursuit of tangible material items, love, and longing--drives any story worth telling. This includes writing sex, which can be notoriously intimidating. Factor in the rise of regulations against trans/queer bodies and the frequent erasure of LGBTQIA2S+ people in the media and writers can easily decide it’s not worth the effort. But it is. Writing about sex is an exploration of our humanity. It is a craft issue. It is a radical and necessary practice for the writer interested in changing their world. We’ll start this class with the understanding that, yes, sex on the page can be done (very) well whether it is (or is not) explicit. Then we’ll consider some of the things sex scenes can do: how they offer powerful tools for exploring character, context, theme, and history. We’ll accomplish this through close reading a range of examples of sex writing from authors including Audre Lorde, Garth Greenwell, Bryan Washington, Melissa Febos, R.O. Kwon, Andrea Lawlor, Anna-Marie McLemore, and others. Writers in this class can expect generative exercises, take-home prompts, a supportive community, and the potential for sharing your work.

All Classes listed on the Loft website take place in Central Standard Time (CST); make sure you understand your time zone, and adjust accordingly

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.