CW 106 — Writing the Stories That Define Us: Personal Essay Workshop
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Alison Singh Gee
Date(s): Apr 2—Jun 4
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Class Meeting Time: 6:30—9:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 4
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Closed
Quarter: Spring
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 6:30—9:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Apr 2—Jun 4
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1000
Refund Deadline: Apr 4
Instructor(s): Alison Singh Gee
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Closed
“We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” Joan Didion wrote, reflecting on the human need to shape meaning from experience. In this course, writers of all levels will explore the dynamic possibilities of the personal essay: true stories told using the techniques of fiction. We will study, discuss, and write essays that may draw on personal history, trauma, humor, transformation, travel, or food. You will learn to mine your memories and transform factual experiences into imaginative narratives through a range of craft techniques, such as creating dimensional scenes, writing from photographs, and interviewing. Readings will include works by David Sedaris, Cheryl Strayed, and Paul Kalanithi. You will also have the opportunity to converse with acclaimed essayists such as New York Times best-selling travel memoirist Tim Cahill and Vogue contributor Marcia DeSanctis, who will offer insights into publishing and process. Each student will produce two complete essays and learn strategies for revising and submitting work.
ALISON SINGH GEE
Visiting Lecturer, Writing & Rhetoric, Scripps College
Alison Singh Gee is the author of the memoir Where the Peacocks Sing: A Palace, a Prince, and the Search for Home, a National Geographic Traveler Book of the Month that is being adapted as a streaming series. An international journalist for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, InStyle, and Vanity Fair, she received the Amnesty International Award for Feature Writing and a silver Lowell Thomas Award for foreign travel writing. She teaches at Scripps College. Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Jia Tolentino, ed., Best American Essays 2025 (ISBN 978-0063351592)