Events and classes

 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.” I’ll teach this version for Stanford Continuing Studies! It takes place on five Monday evenings this winter, starting on January 27.

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 twists and surrealistic flourishes can heighten the impact of fiction. Finally, we’ll focus on “world-building,” guiding you to create vivid, imaginative realms inspired by authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, and Charlie Jane Anders. Through close reading, experimental prompts, and the dynamic energy of our writing community, your creativity will be unlocked, helping you craft stories that linger long after they’re told. More importantly, this course will teach you how to tap into your hidden reserves of imagination, empowering you to break out of tired patterns and tropes.