Writing the Personal Essay: An Advanced Workshop (Online)
January 21 - March 25, 2009
Fee: $525

This online course is designed for those familiar with the personal essay form and who are already convinced of its unique power to reach the masses.

The focus is on revising existing works, analyzing current markets and trends, and submitting for publication throughout the quarter.

Writers establish themselves as professionals by completing hands-on assignments rooted in the real world, participating in extensive peer review and receiving practical instructional support.

The goal is to refine works in preparation for submission to literary journals, newspapers, and other publications.

Prerequisite: Potential participants must submit a draft up to 3,000 words along with a brief letter of intent; for instructions on submitting a writing sample – visit www.uclaextension.edu/writers, on the left column see advanced submission guidelines.

Enrollment limited to 15 students.

Textbook: Art Of The Personal Essay by Lopate

Instructor: Shawna Kenney, MFA, award-winning author of Imposters and the memoir I Was a Teenage Dominatrix. Ms. Kenney's work has been published in American Writer, LA Weekly, and Florida Review, among others. Her essays are anthologized in My First Time: A Collection of First Punk Show Stories; Pills, Thrills, Chills, and Heartache; and Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class.

…My goal is to help students to believe that-- to help them feel the power of their own truth-telling. Wherever you came from, whatever you've endured, however it is that you live "it" is all fodder for your work, and your own unique experience is valuable…