In this class, participants will explore the depths and perspectives of violence in their writing. Some questions we'll unpack include: (1) When should we include—and exclude—violence in our writing; what does violence do to our characters, to our readers? (2) How can we incorporate interiority and backstory to write violence more compellingly and to complicate victim-perpetrator dichotomies, tropes/stereotypes, etc.? We'll use various examples from fiction, nonfiction, and memoir to explore interpersonal, psychological, sexual, racial, political, structural, and generational violence. As a generative course, during each session, participants should expect to engage in various writing activities. While we will not be "workshopping" this writing in the traditional sense, students will be invited to share their writing and/or to reflect upon the writing process with the class. By the end of the spring term, we'll think more critically about our responsibilities as writers of violence while also developing strategies to write violence that effectively develops our stories. Especially given that this class focuses on violence, we'll prepare our discussions in a way that cultivates an inclusive, safe environment while avoiding triggers and retraumatization, and we encourage participants to take good care of themselves and excuse themselves when needed.
Writers can expect reading homework and in-class writing exercises. Note: As class will not meet the week of March 26, we will extend the workshop through the week of May 14.
