In-Person Creative Writing Class: Writing Through Uncertain Times, Washington DC
I’m delighted to announce that I will be hosting an in-person creative writing salon this summer as a respite for anyone who has pent-up creative energy or a longstanding desire to dive into the form. I hope that includes you! Details below, and here’s a Google form where you can submit an application.
Why I’m Doing This
Times of transition, grief, or struggle can feel like moments to bury your head in the sand and numb out. But what if we treated this uncertain moment in life as creative grist? Washington DC is tough right now with mass layoffs and an authoritarian specter weighing on all of us, but the intelligence, creativity, and historic ingenuity of our city are steadfast. Like so many before us, let’s shape that tension into creative energy. Join me for five evenings this summer in my Kalorama apartment, which I’ve lovingly styled in the Gertrude Stein tradition. This salon-style creative writing class, modeled after the many that I’ve taken and led, that will help you harness your inner creativity and create a written work that is uniquely you.
What We’ll Do Classes are 90 minutes weekly –snacks provided!–and will include (over the course of five weeks):
- Short real-time writing exercises based on prompts to get you going. (It’s okay to be nervous! I have all sorts of tricks for anyone who’s stuck.)
- Discussion of short stories, essays, and poems, including ones that were written during times of transition in the artist’s life, or in which the character’s hard times are used to craft a vivid narrative
- Craft lessons on the “how” of creative writing, from ways to structure a story or essay or what it means to write with vulnerability and “literary truth”
- A supportive creative community for sharing our work with one another
- Feedback on your work from a trained writer (me!)
My Background
I (Emily Walker) have a Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing from New York University’s Paris Writer’s Program and a lifelong passion for bringing people together and getting them to speak (and write!) with clarity and honesty.
In the course of the twelve years I spent living and traveling around the world with my then-husband as part of the Foreign Service, I hosted writing salons like this one on an informal basis, often with people from wildly different backgrounds and comfort levels. Never once did I have someone leave without original words they felt good about. Try me!
In my own work, I’m currently revising my divorce memoir (see above) and have maintained a longtime blog, The Next Dinner Party. Outside of writing, I’m an avid dinner party host, cocktail enthusiast, hiker, art lover, and professional interior designer.
Who You Are
Perhaps you’re seeking a creative outlet to help you process the present. Maybe you’re already a writer with a solid practice but you’d like a little structure and to be part of a community. Or perhaps you’ve always had a hankering to write creatively but haven’t found a way in. No experience is necessary for this course so long as you have the desire and can commit to showing up. We’ll jump between fiction, poetry, and personal memoir, so you needn’t have a plan or an active project (but it’s fine if you do).
Structure and Cost
The course is $410, which includes five 90-minute in-person classes and snacks and beverages. The class will be held in my spacious and Metro-accessible apartment in NW Washington DC. Any one group won’t exceed 12 people to keep the setting intimate. The application includes listing your availability so we can accommadate everyone.
Interested?
I’d love to hear from you! You can reach me directly below or I encourage you to fill out this Google form which comes to me directly. I ask for serious applicants only, but there’s no commitment until you pay for the course after acceptance.
thenextdinnerparty.com 