WHEN 8 weeks, Tuesdays, June 17 - August 5, 7-10 pm WHERE New York (Downtown) LEVEL Intermediate PRICE $499 ($475 for ) more info

Course Details

From Anna Quindlen to Adam Gopnik, the work of personal essayists is increasingly filling the pages of newspapers and magazines, offering readers a tantalizing glimpse of inner worlds, and, in the process, casting a light on the larger world around them. But what separates a compelling personal essay from mere navel gazing? This class will explore the basics of writing and selling first-person narratives, starting with short (2-4 page) opinion and slice-of-life pieces appropriate for The New York Times op-ed page, and moving on to longer, reported pieces written in the first-person. We will read and discuss student work in class and prepare it for pitching.

In this class, you will learn:

• How to find a narrative voice to weave throughout your essay
• How to tell a personal story without being whiney
• How to tell someone else's story
• How to know what to leave in and what to leave out

By the end of class, you will have:
At least two complete and salable personal essays

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Instructor Bio

Helaine Olen's Courses

Helaine Olen's essays, reviews, and articles have been featured in The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Salon.com, AlterNet.org, and numerous other print and online publications. Her contribution to The New York Times' Modern Love column The New Nanny Diaries are Online is one of the most controversial and widely discussed essays in the series. She co-wrote Office Mate: The Employee Handbook for Finding and Managing Romance on the Job which was dubbed "The Rules for the office" by The New York Times. Her contribution to the recently published anthology The Maternal Is Political was cited by Publishers Weekly in their review of the book. You can view more details at her website, www.helaineolen.com.

Testimonials

Helaine was generous with advice and anecdotes, and she offered valuable information. She discussed family-related writing in the practical, personal, and political realms, and she underscored the art as well as the science of pitching stories. Her take on different kinds of forums for these types of writing was intelligent, and her advice to participants on specific works and submissions made me wish for a longer workshop with her. -- M-J Haronian,

"I would like to thank Helaine so much for her help. I learned an enormous amount from the class, which has given me the confidence to pursue freelance work." -- Pauline Pechin