Instructor: Vanessa Friedman
Two three-hour virtual sessions on two consecutive Saturdays, July 23 & July 30, 2022
12:00pm to 3:00pm EST
Workshop is limited to 12 participants
$320

Course Description

How do we as writers tell the Truth with a capital T? How can we do it effectively in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and every genre in between?

In this class, we won’t focus on one particular genre or writing style — our focus will be on Truth. What is the Truth, how do we hold space for multiples Truths, what is the difference between truth with a lowercase t and Truth with an uppercase T, and of course, as the course is titled: how to tell the Truth?

Part craft-based discussion class and part generative writing workshop, there will be some short reading assignments and plenty of time to write and share. When you’re finished with this class you’ll have the tools to write the Truth in whichever genre calls to you

Who Should Take This Class?

My goal for this class is to introduce students to writers they may not already know, encourage students to think critically about how to tell their own personal truths, empower students to generate new work and revise old work, create a supportive container for students to take writing risks, and honestly, make space for fun and joy in our writing practices, because in 2022 we all deserve that.

If you want to write toward the truth based on your own lived experiences, my classes are for you.

The Writing Institute is pleased to offer 2 tuition-free spots in this class to BIPOC writers on a first come, first serve basis. Email writinginstitute@sarahlawrence.edu for details. 

Your Instructor

Vanessa Friedman (she/her) is a queer dyke writer living in Portland, OR. She’s the community editor at Autostraddle and a teaching artist with 826NYC and Literary Arts. She received her MFA in creative nonfiction from Sarah Lawrence College, and she is a Tin House Summer Workshop alum and a Hedgebrook Spring Retreat alum. Vanessa writes about friendship, home, loneliness, grief, sex, and the body; her work has been published in Autostraddle, Nylon, Catapult, Alma, Shape, among others, and her essay, “If I’m Lonely,” will be included in the as yet untitled anthology based on Helen Gurley Brown’s 1962 classic, Sex and the Single Girl, forthcoming from Harper Perennial in Spring 2022. Vanessa is represented by Amanda Orozco at Transatlantic Agency and is currently at work on her first novel. You can find her online at vanessapamela.com.

Testimonials

Vanessa is relentlessly supportive of her students' work, honoring their voices while encouraging them to continue improving their technique and understanding of genre. — Naomi Solomon, Director of Education at 826NYC

I would not be the writer I am today without Vanessa’s feedback – every time she asked me to rewrite something with emotions at the center, new meanings emerged. — Mary Ann Thomas, Asking For Elephants

Shout out to Vanessa for making me feel so freaking happy and included every time she spoke. — Camper Feedback from Autostraddle Camp 2018

Vanessa is an extremely talented and generous teacher. She brought warmth and attention to each student's contributions, whether they were sharing work or sharing thoughts on a reading or just saying something in the chat -- she was conscious of making every person feel seen and included, which is a true gift and craft. She shifted the content of the course in order to best meet the desires of the class, which I really appreciated, and she was able to really foster a sense of community and place even though we were all tiny Zoom screens floating in space together. I cannot speak highly enough of this experience (and have already convinced two people to take her upcoming courses!). — former student

Vanessa is an amazing teacher! I'm so inspired by her and the way she encourages all of us. It was a really spectacular experience, I love the space she created for all of us. — former student

I loved this workshop so much and I absolutely do not want it to end!" — former student