Remote Session (OCWW is remote only through Dec. 2020)
This session examines the personal essay as a contribution to a greater cultural and political dialogue that centers the human being. We’ll start with the gut—what do you need to tell, the memories, fascinations, and questions that live not in your head but your bones—and move into craft—how to tell our own stories in ways that are equally urgent to an audience.
You’ll walk away from our time together with a piece in the works that best serves your individual artistic needs—is it part of a larger work? Does it tackle a specific publication goal? Do you need to get it out of your body so you don’t have to carry it for one second more? Let’s make it happen. Let’s get at your stories. We need them. We’re trying to remake the world.
Bio: Megan Stielstra is the author of three collections, most recently The Wrong Way to Save Your Life, winner of the 2017 Book of the Year Award from the Chicago Review of Books. Her work appears in the Best American Essays, New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Believer, Tin House, and elsewhere. A longtime company member with 2nd Story, she has told stories for National Public Radio, Museum of Contemporary Art, Goodman Theatre, and regularly with the Paper Machete live news magazine at the Green Mill. She teaches creative nonfiction at Northwestern University and is a 2020 Shearing Fellow at the Black Mountain Institute in Las Vegas.
We offer free student memberships at a discounted rate of $5.00 per session. You must send verification of your student status. Please contact Claudia Katz at ckatz17755@aol.com for details.
9:00-9:30 Socializing
9:30-12:00 Program
