New Summer Class: How to Be Vulnerable in Your Writing
Join Narratively's executive editor to learn how great essayists put their flaws, fears and embarrassing truths on the page.
If youâve been thinking about making this summer the time you dig deep and author that personal essay youâve been meaning to write for ***years*** we have just the class for you. Narratively executive editor Jesse Sposato has been thinking about this class idea for a long time, and weâre so excited to finally offer it this summer, in four intimate sessions. All classes will be recorded so you can attend all four live, but itâs still fine to sign up if youâre traveling this summer and will miss one or two. Read on for all the details!
Cost: $325
Class Size Limit: 15
Paid subscribers to Narratively Academy get 20% off all classes, including this one. If you already are a paid subscriber, scroll down to the bottom of the page to get the paid subscriber promo code. Or click here to become a paid subscriber today.
One of the hardest things we can do as personal essayists is to be vulnerable in our writing. Itâs also one of the most important. Being able to admit on paper our flaws, fears, mistakes, failures, embarrassing thoughts for all the world to see can be, well, very, very difficult. In this analysis-meets-generative class, we are going to look head-on at how some of the most successful authors write vulnerably in their own work, how they talk about it, what it means to write vulnerably when others are involved (often people we love!) and what weâre so afraid of.
We will do this through close readings of several exceptional essays from some of the top writers of today and yesterday â from authors such as Roxane Gay, Brian Doyle, Kiese Laymon, Meredith Hall, Meghan Daum and more â as well as craft pieces and author interviews. In class, we will discuss and analyze our readings, and then to give our learnings a test-spin â and because weâre writers who like to write! â we will end each class with a generative writing exercise and optional share aloud.
This class will meet four times this summer, on Wednesdays, from 12-1:15 p.m. ET, starting July 29 and running through August 19.
In this class, we will work to answer questions like:
What does it mean to write vulnerably?
How can we write vulnerably, well?
What does it mean to write vulnerably when other people are involved (often people we love)?
What are we so afraid of when we write vulnerably, anyway?
Does vulnerability have to be shocking and/or controversial?
This class is right for you ifâŠ
You write personal essays and wish to go deeper, but arenât sure how.
Youâre new to essay writing or youâve been doing it for a long time, but would like to take a close look at how the pros do it â and letâs face it, you probably wonât do that on your own!
You dabble in personal essay writing, but could use some accountability, guidance, inspiration, motivation, and/or someone to light a proverbial sparkler under you.
This class takes place on Wednesdays from 12 to 1:15 p.m. ET, starting on July 29 and running through August 19.
All Narratively Academy classes are conducted online and are accessible to students anywhere in the world. This class will be recorded and shared with all enrolled students, but live attendance and participation at a majority of class sessions is strongly encouraged.
Instructor Bio: Narratively executive editor Jesse Sposato is a longtime journalist, essayist and editor living in the Catskills. She has written about feminism, friendship, adolescence, culture, parenting and more for a variety of outlets, including Vanity Fair, InStyle, Slate, Gloria, The Rumpus, Memoir Land, The Bump and many others. At Narratively, she edits the Personals section, and has worked on many of the stories in our Memoir, Deep Dives and Secret Lives sections.
Prior to joining Narratively, Jesse was a regular contributor to Refinery29 and wrote Urban Campers, a series about people living in RVs in NYC, for New York magazineâs Bedford + Bowery for over two years. She also co-founded Sadie Magazine, an online counterculture publication, which she edited for six years. Jesse received an MFA in creative nonfiction from Columbia University, and has been awarded residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Vermont Studio Center and Wildacres. She is currently working on a collection of essays about coming of age in the suburbs, discovering punk rock and being boy crazy.
Testimonials from Jesse Sposatoâs Students
âI am a veteran of online workshops and this has been hands down the best course I have ever taken. Jesse is an inspiring and inspired instructor who wraps her talents in warmth and kindness.â âParvi R.
âThank you for expanding my writing universe of ideas. I enjoyed the class, which taught me a few things I didnât know, and reinforced and expanded what I knew. I left feeling enriched and inspired.â âMargo McKenzie
Registration Details: Seats in this class are limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Prior to the start of your class youâll receive an invitation to access the virtual classroom and view all class materials.
Cancellation Policy:
Full refund when canceling 7 or more days before the class start date.
50% refund when canceling less than 7 days before the class start date.
No cancellations after the class start date.
Questions? Email us at academy@narratively.com.
More: Check out all of our Narratively Academy online writing classes here.