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Personal Essay Writing: Advanced

Course is closed.
Personal Essay Writing: Advanced

WHEN 8 weeks, September 10 - October 29
Online chats Wednesdays, 9-10 pm ET

WHERE Online. Click here for more information.

LEVEL Advanced

PRICE
$499 ($475 for )
more info

Course Details

Readers and editors seem to love the personal essay -- so why is writing them sometimes such a challenge? How can we expand on the personal aspects to achieve something with a more universal meaning? And what can we do when the well seems to have run dry?

This intensive 8-week online class is for experienced students who are ready to dig deeper and demand more from themselves and each other. We'll be looking at examples of published work in magazines and anthologies and discussing how they succeed. Students will generate and workshop short drafts of new ideas -- and work on revising longer work that has you stuck.

In this class, you will learn:

  • How to identify what makes your experience compelling for others
  • How to explore the hidden narratives that can and should shape your work
  • How to use "ordinary" details and events to create extraordinary insights
  • How to reshape your tale using the techniques of fiction while retaining the integrity of the truth
  • How to approach editors and submit your work

By the end of the course, you will have:
Six short pieces with notes on how to expand them into essays and at least two complete and salable personal essays

Admission Requirements
Please submit a letter of interest (including a brief work history) and a writing sample (less than 2,000 words).

The online classroom has several interactive components:
  • Instructors post lectures once a week. You can read them online, print them, or download them at your convenience.
  • Students post completed assignments for feedback and discussion by the instructor and class.
  • Weekly chats allow your class to get together via instant message. Transcripts are available for review if you can't attend.
  • Technical support is available from mediabistro staff.

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Instructor Bio

Ken Foster's Courses

No courses available at this time.

Ken Foster
Ken Foster is the editor of two anthologies, including Dog Culture. His collection of short stories, The Kind I'm Likely to Get, was a New York Times Notable Book. His work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney's, The Bark, The New Orleans Times-Picayune and The Believer. His latest book is a memoir, The Dogs Who Found Me. He has taught at The New School, Florida State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. He lives in New Orleans, with at least three dogs.

Testimonials


Ken is a gifted instructor and his talent for engaging students shines through the online course structure. His assignments and feedback pushed me to explore radically different topics and styles. Everyone's essays improved dramatically and many of us were inspired to submit essays from the class for publication. -- Kerry Rubinstein

"Taking Ken's class was the single best thing I have ever done to improve my writing. Working with Ken and my online classmates, I felt my technical skills and my ability to select subject matter improve on a weekly basis. Anyone who has ever worked in first person would benefit from working with Ken." -- Dave Adamshick

"I came out of this class with several pieces on subjects I never would have thought of writing about, and ideas for dozens more. Ken is remarkably patient and very human, bringing out the best in his students, both as writers and critics. At the end of the class every one us wanted to continue studying with him." -- Linda Berris

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