Courses

Have you always dreamed of writing a cookbook? While there are more options for publishing one than ever before, sitting down (or standing up at the stove) and doing the work is still the hard part. In this course, you will learn the nuts and bolts of the writing process, from crafting a short headnote or a long essay, to developing and testing recipes that work, to adapting recipes and understanding when a recipe is yours to publish. You will fine-tune your concept and zero in on a title that will stand out in a crowded marketplace of ideas, then learn how to build a proposal around it. Using successful cookbooks as inspiration, we will examine storytelling through the introductions, headnotes, sidebars, and essays that turn a decent book into a great one. There will be guest speakers who will share their experiences creating cookbooks in both traditional and alternative formats. There will be writing prompts in each class and writing and reading assignments as homework every week. By the end of this course, each student will have produced a "mini proposal," including a table of contents for the book, sample recipes, and sample written copy, plus tips and strategies to use as a roadmap to completion.