“I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.” - Joan Didion
Perceiving. Thinking. Meaning-making. The personal essay has always been a space for people to make sense of their worlds, their stories. Take time off from the rush and frenzy of everyday life to think – really think – about what you see in the world around you and how your life fits into the larger scheme of things.
In each session, you get to discuss selected published writing, try your hand at short writing exercises, and receive on-the-spot feedback on your work. Each session is designed to introduce you to a different aspect of the personal essay, and readings will be provided a week before so you can enjoy them at your leisure and come for class ready to talk about them.
You can either just sign up for individual sessions that catch your interest or participate in the entire series. If you choose the latter, you will gain a broader understanding of this most fluid and capacious of literary genres – and as a bonus, you might make some new writing buddies along the way. So why not give it a go!
This masterclass is recommended for participants 21 and above.
Session 1: Introduction ┃ Wednesday, 17 February 2021, 7:30-9:30pm
What is a personal essay? Why write personal essays? Learn about the history of this dark horse of a literary genre and explore its possibilities in the context of contemporary Singapore.
Session 2: Observation┃ Wednesday, 24 February 2021, 7:30-9:30pm
We experience the world through our senses. How do we take the things we see, hear, taste, smell, and touch and make them new for our readers? What ideas and stories might emerge when we make time to take a long, loving look at the real?
Session 3: Reflection ┃ Wednesday, 3 March 2021, 7:30-9:30pm
Meaning-making is fundamental to being human. How do we connect the particular with the universal? Is it possible to think on the page without boring the socks off our readers?
Session 4: Narrative (1) – Reportage┃ Wednesday, 10 March 2021, 7:30-9:30pm
The world contains a wealth of stories waiting to be told. How do we craft compelling narratives from the raw material we see around us? What might these stories gain when we introduce the “I” into our writing?
Session 5: Narrative (2) – Memoir ┃ Wednesday, 17 March 2021, 7:30-9:30pm
Everybody has a story to tell. How do we tell our personal stories in ways that resonate with our readers? How might we rise above a narrow self-focus when writing about ourselves?
Session 6: Braiding┃ Wednesday, 24 March 2021, 7:30-9:30pm
“Have two or more if you can afford it.” When is this good advice for personal essayists? How do we “braid” different stories or ideas together to create insight and surprise that a single narrative cannot carry on its own?
An educator and former QLRS essays editor, Ruihe is also the recipient of the 2013 Golden Point Award for English poetry and co-editor of In Transit: An Anthology from Singapore on Airports and Air Travel. She holds an MFA in Writing (Nonfiction) from the University of Pittsburgh and is working on a collection of lyric essays.
VENUE: Zoom (online)
LINK: To be sent to registrants
EVENT WEBSITE: Peatix (for tickets)
DATE AND TIME
17, 24 Feb, 3, 10, 17, 24 Mar 2021, 7.30pm–9.30pm, $45–$300