Through this dynamic, generative seminar, writers will explore and develop work written in response to some of our latest and greatest literary icons, such as Amy Hempl, Sarah Manguso, Kathryn Scanlan, Brandon Taylor, Ross Gay, and more. This space encourages writers to play with crafting form and structure and present their written expressions in a safe and collaborative environment. Together, we will read a range of texts—including memoirs, essays, short stories, hybrid pieces, etc.—and compare their fundamental structures. After discussing and dissecting the work, writers will “borrow” from the most effective facets of the pieces and write their own version in their own unique voice. Writers will be encouraged to share their work aloud with the rest of the class in a casual format and receive vocal feedback from the group. Writing prompts will be given weekly, the rules of which are meant to be left to interpretation (or broken altogether).
This course is open to writers of all experience levels and of any genre in hopes that they will experiment with various genres and forms throughout our time together. We will focus our efforts on moments of energy, places where the work lights up with life, and follow this impulse to craft our own most powerful voices on the page.
Class meetings will be held over video chat, using Zoom accessed from your private class page. While you can use Zoom from your browser, we recommend downloading the desktop client so you have access to all platform features. The Zoom calls will have automated transcription enabled. Please let us know (classes@catapult.co) if you have any questions or concerns about accessibility.
Check out this page for details about payment plans and discount opportunities.
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
- Learn to read as writers using published works in each genre to illuminate craft elements such as image, voice, character, setting, story, development and revision, etc.
- Produce your own written work in a variety of genres through both take-home and in-class exercises, as well as revision techniques for literary magazine submission and manuscript building
- Form a community of thoughtful, constructive, and respectful writing peers
- 10% discount on all future Catapult classes
COURSE EXPECTATIONS:
Short, weekly readings will be made available by the instructor. Revision will be encouraged, and/or finishing imitation exercises given during class time. Note that this class is not a workshop, and there will not be any written feedback given on writing assignments.
COURSE SKELETON:
Week One: Introductions and What to Write About?
Week Two: The Art of Imitation- Crafting Form and Structure via imitation
Week Three: Writing from Memories
Week Four: Poetry as Memoir/ Personal Essay in all its glorious forms
Week Five: People, Places, and Things
Week Six: Endings and Revisions
Brittany Ackerman is a writer from Riverdale, New York. She earned her BA in English from Indiana University and graduated from Florida Atlantic University’s MFA program in Creative Writing. She teaches General Education at AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Hollywood, CA. She was the 2017 Nonfiction Award Winner for Red Hen Press, as well as the AWP Intro Journals Project Award Nominee in 2015. Her work has been featured in Electric Literature, Jewish Book Council, Lit Hub, Entropy, The Los Angeles Review, No Tokens, Hobart, Cosmonauts Ave, and more. Her first collection of essays entitled The Perpetual Motion Machine was published with Red Hen Press in 2018, and her debut novel The Brittanys is out now with Vintage.
Photo: Carl McLaughlin
