Can We Be Friends? Writing Friendship in Fiction and Poetry
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Friendships can be some of the most important relationships in our lives—though in real life and in literature, they often play third fiddle to romantic entanglements and familial obligations. In this generative workshop, we’ll look at examples of fiction and poetry that foreground friendship and work through generative prompts to imagine how platonic relationships can inspire and expand our creative work.
The class will include in-class readings, with group-wide discussions of poetry and prose that centers on friendships. Works discussed will include pieces by Jamel Brinkley, Mary McCarthy, Ross Gay, Khalil Gibran, Emily Brontë, and others. Examples will be combined with generative prompts throughout the WordShop, so please bring writing tools.
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Emily Nemens is the author of the novels Clutch and The Cactus League, both of which were NYT Book Review Editor's Choice selections. Nemens, who received her MFA at LSU, spent over a decade editing literary quarterlies, including leading the Paris Review and serving as coeditor of the Southern Review. She teaches in the MFA program at Bennington College and lives in central New Jersey. |