Have you wondered why so many master writers get to break the rules of craft? Instead of dwelling on what you can and can’t do, in this four-week online class we’ll look at elements of craft by reading and analyzing fiction by Tessa Hadley, Leo Tolstoy, Kathleen Collins, Edith Pearlman, and Shruti Swamy. You’ll debate whether something worked and why, then try that
technique using your own characters, setting, and plot. Some of the craft elements we’ll imitate are physical description, tone, humor, realism and the "marvelous real," a term Alejo Carpentier
coined to describe an American form of magical realism.
This is a generative class. You’ll put your exercises into a final short story that you’ll share and receive feedback on in pairs, with instructor comments. Our time together will be light, fun, and
curious. My aim as an instructor is for every student to leave our month together energized to investigate your favorite fiction and see what you can imitate to grow your writing practice.
Sunisa Manning is the author of the novel A Good True Thai, which was a finalist for the Epigram Books Prize. It was published in 2020 and went into a second printing in 2021. She is the recipient of the Steinbeck Fellowship and residencies at Hedgebrook, Hambidge, and others.
A longtime resident of the Bay Area, she recently relocated to Philadelphia with her family.