Summer update– announcing new Stanford classes

Hello, everyone. Thanks for visiting me here — including those of you who read my Father’s Day piece in the Washington Post and to everyone who is continuing to read and respond to Amy’s inspiring story from August 2023. Her essay continues to reach readers all over the world. I appreciate every one of you. I’ve been keeping very busy, which keeps me grounded and focused – and this is shaping up to be another full year for me. I’m excited to announce that I’m back for another round of small and intimate creative writing classes at Stanford University through their continuing studies program. Coming this October – a brand-new Stanford class called Strange Sparks: Unlocking Stories Through the Uncanny and Supernatural. The class is not yet open for registration but save the dates — the sessions will take place on Zoom on Thursdays, Oct 9, Oct 16, Oct 23, Oct 30, Nov 6, from 6 to 8 p.m….

My online creative writing class at Stanford: enrollment begins December 2. First class starts January 27.

The Cactus Eaters

Hello, everyone. I am proud to announce my return to leading brand-new writing classes for the first time in a long while. My online class is called: CW 83 — Unlock Your Creativity: Idea Generator and Block-Breakers for Writers. This is a spin-off on a popular in-person course I taught on-site at the Tannery and elsewhere called “UPWELLINGS.” Here is the link, and sign-ups will start December 2. This supportive, creativity-boosting course is designed to overcome writer’s block and spark fresh ideas for stories, essays, poems, and books. We’ll start with “radical defamiliarization,” making the ordinary strange and the strange familiar. Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s “Street Haunting,” you’ll take a walk through your neighborhood with fresh eyes, writing about it in new ways. This practice of “weirding” everyday life sets the stage for exploring the surrealist tradition. Next, we’ll delve into a story by Japanese writer Yukiko Motoya, examining how absurdist…

Remembering Amy Ettinger

Thank you so much for your messages of support. My wife Amy Ettinger died at home last month. In the months before her death she reached readers all over the world with her Washington Post story, “I’m Dying at 49: Here’s Why I Have No Regrets.” You can now read this story without a paywall by clicking on the Sunday Long Read edition edited by my friend Bronwen Dickey. Thanks again, and if you wish to reach me, the best way is to just email me at dwhitescruz@yahoo.com – you’re always welcome to leave a comment on my website but I don’t always see them because I get so much junk mail in the comments threads that legit messages often get lost in the junk pile. In love and gratitude to all of you — Dan

My in-depth interview with Jonathan Franzen in Catamaran lit magazine

This winter, Jonathan Franzen invited me to his Santa Cruz home where we talked about the consuming process of bringing characters to life. We also talked about his abandonment of satire, why he got sick of New York, how aging and life in the Central Coast changed his outlook, and while he still loathes social media. Here is my interview with him, which appears in the latest edition of Catamaran lit magazine. Make sure to go out and get a hard copy at your local indie bookstore, or send in to subscribe!