6/25 Diamond in the Rough: An Essay Development Workshop
6/25 Diamond in the Rough: An Essay Development Workshop
Sometimes we begin an essay with excitement and an understanding of what we’d like it to become. But then our energy lags, something isn’t quite right about the middle, and the ending remains elusive. In this three-session class, you’ll dust off that essay start and work to add depth and meaning. We’ll spend time figuring out what our essays want to be about and then work to refine them. You’ll leave with an understanding of your piece’s strengths, your instructor’s feedback, a complete essay draft, as well as a strategies and approaches you can apply to all your creative work.
This generative class is for writers who have an essay draft well underway. We’ll begin the course by reflecting on what our essays want to be. Most essays address both a personal and universal question, so we will begin by isolating the personal strand of the essay in Week 1, further illuminating the universal elements in Week 2, and by Week 3, shifting our focus to elements that can add cohesiveness and depth to our essays. We will workshop brief excerpts of your essays in a supportive, encouraging environment, and each writer will have the option of sharing their draft with me for written feedback a week after the course concludes. Time will also be spent looking at published essays, but the course is more focused on highlighting the energy of your piece and building upon it.
Open to 8 writers.
By the end of this workshop, writers will…
Gain an understanding of what their piece is about and how they might further refine its personal and universal elements
Discover deeper emotional and intellectual connections to their work
Utilize a variety of prompts, strategies and practical tips to add depth and meaning
Practice elements of good writing
Have the option of sharing the draft of their essay with me for written feedback one week after the course ends
Who is the Instructor? Melissa Fraterrigo’s forthcoming collection of essays is The Perils of Girlhood (University of Nebraska Press, Fall 2025). She is also the author of the novel, Glory Days (University of Nebraska Press), which was named one of "The Best Fiction of 2017" by Chicago Review of Books. Melissa is also the author of the short story collection, The Longest Pregnancy (Livingston Press). Her fiction and nonfiction have appeared in a variety of journals including Puerto del Sol, Massachusetts Review, Fifth Wednesday Journal, Sou’wester and Shenandoah. She has twice been nominated for Pushcart Prizes.In addition to her publications, she has taught creative writing at Bowling Green State University, Southern Utah University, Penn State-Altoona, the Indiana Writers’ Center and IUPUI. Melissa currently teaching creative writing at Purdue University and is the founder of Lafayette Writers’ Studio.
To learn more or read her work visit melissafraterrigo.com.
When is this class offered?
This class is offered on three Tuesdays,: June 25, July 2 & 9 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. EST. This workshop is open to writers of all levels with a personal essay draft they’d like to complete.
Interested in the class but the date does not work for you? Don’t despair. All registrants will receive a recording of the class within three business days of the course.