Poet Adrienne Su says, “When we talk about food, we’re talking about culture, whether the topic is bouillabaisse, tandoori chicken, or macaroni and cheese;” even the lowliest dish can illuminate a “larger truth about humanity.”

Not only do food conversations cross borders and history, but the current frenzy of food blogging and food performance (celebrity chefs, popup restaurants, food television) has helped create what Ruth Reichl has proclaimed “the golden age of food writing.” This vibrant genre has changed to meet our increasingly sophisticated and international palates, with food comics/graphic novels; cookbooks blending recipes, family stories, photographs and cultural history; food adventure travelogues; memoirs that use a particular food as the organizing principle; and micro-histories investigating the history of foods with the power to start wars.

As Proust’s famous madeleine illustrates, much of our emotional memory is held captive in the senses. This 4-week workshop will use sensory prompts, generative exercises, and short readings to access body memory and pull story ideas and texture from our eating and cooking experiences. Writers of all literary genres interested in exploring the sensory and cultural potential of food in their writing are welcome.