Thursdays, 7-9 p.m.
May 4 - June 8
8 Students
Narration isn’t a window; it’s a lens. It shapes the way readers understand all other elements of a story—character, plot, and setting—and can be tied intricately to theme. It a conscious choice, or one of several, that fiction writers make. But how do you know when you’ve made the right choices? In this workshop, we’ll look at how established authors have used narrative voice, point of view, and time successfully, and concentrate on how you can use narrational elements to shape and enhance your own stories.
During this six-week intensive workshop, each student will workshop twice and have one individual meeting with the instructor.
"Sarah Gerard writes about love and loneliness in a new and brilliantly visceral way."
"In addition to being an exceptional writer, Sarah is also an incredibly perceptive, intuitive, and encouraging editor. Her comments and suggestions not only strengthen my work but also consistently lead me to a deeper and more thoughtful approach to my writing."
"I just wanted to get started on fiction again, which had stalled for me. This class EXCEEDED my expectations. My classmates were thoughtful, knowledgeable, and interesting, and the size of the class was PERFECT. As for Sarah, she was impeccably prepared every single time, with two readings each for us to do, where we focused on some aspects of fiction writing that were much deeper and more intricate than the usual plot, tense stuff you get in other workshops. It was a deeply intellectual exercise and really helped us delve deeply into all the ways a story could be constructed. She spent the same time and energy on our work and seriously, this is the best fiction class I’ve ever taken. I am blown away. I wrote so much and feel very prepared to use my time fruitfully. Great inspiration."
"Sarah is the rare kind of writer and editor who brings the same passion to other people’s work as she does to her own. I’ve never met someone else who has made me feel so sure that my voice is necessary and important. She makes people feel that they deserve to be seen and I can think of no better gift than that."
"These large-hearted, meticulous essays offer an uncanny x-ray of our national psyche, examining that American mess of saints and conmen, the peculiar, culpable innocence that American mess of saints and conmen, the peculiar, culpable innocence that confuses money and moral worth, charity and personal aggrandizement. Gerard’s prose is lacerating and compassionate at once, showing us both the grand beauty of our American dreams and the heartbreaking devastation they wreak."
"Sarah Gerard’s SUNSHINE STATE gloriously gutted me—and by that I mean changed me forever as a reader. Using Florida as a lens and the body as a ticket to travel, Gerard weaves her astonishing prose through land and corporeal truth. SUNSHINE STATE reminds us of who we really are underneath the skin we live in and the ground we stand on—and mercifully, there is still beauty, in spite of everything."
"Sarah Gerard writes with soulful clarity and keen intelligence about the cultish relationships and aspirational thinking that course through American life. This is a collection packed with bittersweet longing—for a life that’s fuller or wilder or wealthier, for a larger self that’s always out of reach."
"Gerard masterfully explores the environmental, economic, and regional complexities of Florida alongside the eternal mysteries of identity, home, family, trauma, and desire. A stellar essay collection by a writer in possession of a talent as singular and furious as Florida itself."