Writing the Autofiction Novella: 12-week intensive

with Frances Badalamenti

Autofiction is a unique genre (or non-genre) that combines the autobiographical with the fictional. In this course, we will take a close look at the craft of autofiction. We will read novel excerpts, short stories and novellas. We will also look at craft essays on the form. The goal over the twelve weeks is to work on a draft of a novella (if not a full draft, then you will get a solid head start), which can be anywhere from 20K-40K words.

This course will be generative. You will be expected to write and submit a substantial amount of prose per week (1500-2500 words). We will read about 25 pages  of excerpts and craft essays each week and discuss them as a group. And there will be an ongoing discussion around goal setting and accountability with your fellow writers. This class is geared towards all levels of writers. Students will be expected to keep up with the weekly assignments (both reading and writing) and have a solid commitment to the process.

Examples of (autofiction) writers that we will look at: Edouard Louis, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Ayah Akhtar, Ben Lerner, Zinzi Clemmons, Garth Greenwell, Sheila Heti, Tao Lin, Ocean Vuong, Brandon Taylor and others.

Access Program
We want our classes to be accessible to everyone, regardless of income and background. We understand that our tuition structure can present obstacles for some people. Our Access Program offers class registrations at a reduced rate. The access program for writing classes covers 60% of the class tuition. Most writing classes have at least one access spot available.