In this creative writing workshop, writers will delve into what has made the personal essay a unique and captivating literary form for centuries, both for readers to read and writers to write. After all, we all know our lives are filled with facts stranger than fiction, but how do we get them on the page in a way that brings the audience into the story? From Michel de Montaigne to Joan Didion, Philip Lopate, and Eula Biss, the diverse works we read in this course will provide a jumping off point for our own writing. Each reading we cover as a class will come with writing prompts to spark inspiration and provide structure, culminating in the completion of a full-length, cohesive, and compelling personal essay developed through workshop and revision. Along with craft and workshop, the course will also include a discussion of the submission process, literary journals, cover letters, and publication. Be prepared to learn more about yourself and others than you’d ever imagined. To quote Joan Didion, “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”