Summer Week 1 | Small Echoes: Prose of Microcosms

This program is part of our Summer Program, beginning on Sunday (June 7) and ending on Saturday (June 13).  Class runs Monday morning through Friday morning, with additional programming on Sunday and Saturday.

This course inhabits the idea that the world’s whispers are worth writing down.

In this course, students will explore what it means to create literatures of scale: what does the minuscule have to teach us about the passage of time, the brevity (or longevity) of life, the interconnectedness of creation? What meaning can we discover by sitting patiently in our shared sea of molecules? When we grow still and pay close attention to not only our interior worlds, but the smallest elements of the world around us, whose voices speak?

The primary tools of this course will be the tension between subject and object and how those points of view can affect composition strategies. Whose story gets told when it’s the acorn speaking as subject? As object? Whose eyes can we borrow to tell the stories of our world as we move through our shared universe of small things, and what do those points of view have to teach us?

What creative modalities are used in this course? 

Writing

What can I expect to create in this class? 

Two finished, portfolio-ready works and one strong beginning/scaffold for students to nurture after the course is complete, as well as a range of notes, fragments, and experiments.

What will class time be like?  

Class will include time for writing, work-shopping, and instructor mentorship.

Will I need to work outside of class?

No. However, if you would like to take home a work sample that is longer than 2.5-3 pieces, you may need to write outside of class.  The instructor will be available outside of class for additional feedback sessions, as needed. 

Do I need experience to take this class?  

This class welcomes beginner and advanced artists alike.

What do I need to bring to class? 

Students are not required to bring any materials, though they are welcome to. If they would prefer to use a favorite writing utensil and personal notebook or sketchbook for free-writes, they are welcome to do so. Please wear clothes you’re comfortable moving around in! You may bring a laptop for writing drafts outside of class, though the class itself will be screen-free.