CW 88 — Writing through Grief: Finding Creativity and Healing in Loss
Quarter: Summer
Day(s): Tuesdays
Course Format: Live Online (About Formats)
Duration: 6 weeks
Date(s): Jul 18—Aug 22
Time: 6:30—9:20 pm (PT)
Refund Deadline: Jul 20
Unit: 1
Tuition: $510
Instructor(s): Caroline Goodwin
Limit: 21
Class Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
Summer
Date(s)
Jul 18—Aug 22
6 weeks
Refund Date
Jul 20
1 Unit
Fees
$510
Instructor(s):
Caroline Goodwin
Limit
21
Recording
Yes
Open
By the time we reach adulthood, most of us will have experienced some kind of profound loss: the death of a family member, friend, pet, or even a place or identity. With loss comes grief, a deep sorrow that can be experienced in a variety of ways. While grief often leaves us feeling raw, the practice of creative writing can provide the opportunity to make meaning out of this rawness, reflecting upon that which we've lost.
In this course, we will explore the experience of grief, using the writing of celebrated authors as inspiration and models. Each week, students will read a brief selection of contemporary literature, such as a chapter from The Disappearance by Geneviève Jurgensen, or Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. You will write to prompts generated from the reading and post drafts to small feedback groups as well as receive instructor critique. The goal is to create a safe space for reflection and to show how creative work can serve as a vehicle for healing. In addition to generating two essay drafts, each student will complete the course with a writing practice in place, a community of empathetic listeners, and an understanding of how to keep writing through their own individual grief.
In this course, we will explore the experience of grief, using the writing of celebrated authors as inspiration and models. Each week, students will read a brief selection of contemporary literature, such as a chapter from The Disappearance by Geneviève Jurgensen, or Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. You will write to prompts generated from the reading and post drafts to small feedback groups as well as receive instructor critique. The goal is to create a safe space for reflection and to show how creative work can serve as a vehicle for healing. In addition to generating two essay drafts, each student will complete the course with a writing practice in place, a community of empathetic listeners, and an understanding of how to keep writing through their own individual grief.
CAROLINE GOODWIN
Former Stegner Fellow, Stanford
Caroline Goodwin's recent poetry collections are Madrigals, Matanuska, and Old Snow, White Sun. Her essay "The Money Place" was listed as a notable essay of 2021 in The Best American Essays. She received an MFA from the University of British Columbia. Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Peggy Shumaker, Just Breathe Normally (ISBN 978-0803226418)
(Required) Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking (ISBN 978-1400078431)
(Required) Genevieve Jurgensen, Adriana Hunter (Translator), The Disappearance: A Primer of Loss (ISBN 978-0393320602)
(Required) Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking (ISBN 978-1400078431)
(Required) Genevieve Jurgensen, Adriana Hunter (Translator), The Disappearance: A Primer of Loss (ISBN 978-0393320602)