...for readers who love animals, and animal lovers who read!

Writing Classes & Coaching

Classes 2018

Writing Across Species

online via Iota Online

Tuesday, Apr 10 - Monday, May 7

Whales and cats, magpies and geese, dogs and lions and bears, oh my! Literature is alive with animals. They embody themes, enrich settings, move plots forward, serve as symbols, deepen emotions, and function as characters in their own right. They are critical subjects of scientific and activist writing about everything from climate change and deforestation to sustainability and food politics to pet ownership and feral cat colonies. Animals may be incidental to a written work, or they may be its very heart.

In this four-week cross-genre workshop we will explore writing about animals, wild and domestic, through a variety of readings and writing assignments. We will discuss craft issues including word choice, rhythm, structure, voice, and point of view. We will also examine ways to incorporate research into creative work and to avoid anthropomorphism and “extreme objectivity.” Participants will be encouraged (though not required) to write in more than one genre (e.g., memoir, essay, fiction, poetry, science-for-lay-readers) and the instructor will provide prompts for those who care to use them. Participants will also be encouraged to do some “field work” observing animals being animals (no hiking boots or binculars required). Additional reading suggestions will be provided.

Each week will start with a short video introduction and participants will use discussion boards to exchange thoughts about the assigned readings. Each week, participants will upload one or two short writing assigments for feedback from their peers and the instructor. The final assignment will be a longer piece of prose or set of poems which may or may not incorporate earlier assignments. In the final week, each participant will have an opportunity to meet individually with the instructor via Skype or phone to discuss the work. The instructor will also provide detailed written feedback on the final submission.



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