Modern-Day Flâneur: Writing The City
with Zoe Hardwick
Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, The Writing Life, Memoir, Essay, Writing for Performance
In Person
In Person Introductory, Intermediate
Introductory, Intermediate 6 Sessions
6 Sessions This class meets IN PERSON at Hugo House in Capitol Hill.
When Baudelaire coined the term, Flâneur, he was speaking of an affluent male figure with enough time and resources to wander the newly urban centers at his own leisure. He imagined a man who could slip in and out of crowds, sometimes as a part of them and sometimes judging them. In the 19th century when urban cities were booming and there was a mix of curiosity, horror, disgust, and joy to be felt in the streets, the Flâneur could get out in it and report back, often engaging in comedic retellings, keen observations, or social commentary. Although usually pictured as a man, many women partook in the tradition as Flâneuses. Think Virginia Woolf and later, Vivian Gornick.
The Modern Day Flâneur is no longer defined by socioeconomic status, gender, or sexuality. Instead, they observe the city through an intersectional lens. Writers like Teju Cole, Garnette Cadogan, and Aisha Sabatini Sloan convey what it means to engage with urban space while in their bodies with their identities and their perspective in a world where it is not easy to be them.
In this course, we will engage with Seattle as an urban center and ask: How can we write this city? What strategies can we use to do so? We’ll explore how our bodies feel in the city, ways to find new perspectives, and the imprint the city leaves on us as we move through it. And we’ll look for the joy, the pain, and the love, too.
We interrogate all of this through the lens of resistance and empowerment, always coming back to the question: where in this city do we feel safe? How can we feel safer? By the end of the course, you will view the city of Seattle through the lens of a Flâneur and be able to write about it as an urban space that is complex, intersectional, and that has a unique relationship to yourself.
You’ll partake in both group and solo writing activities. We’ll take group walks nearby in the area (please dress accordingly!) and journal to record scenes outside of class. Between classes, you’ll have interactive, embodied and observation-based assignments designed to help you feel into the way you relate to the city and vice versa. You’ll practice noticing, scene-work, note-taking, dialogue, transcribing, drawing, listening, and memory work. A journal will help in recording your thoughts about space and keeping track of your writing process.
You’ll leave with a piece you are proud of that engages with a place or space you’re interested in, in Seattle (or Puget Sound). In addition, you’ll have new tools for observing your surroundings: radical noticing, listening and attention to detail in writing. Finally, you’ll have a sharper ability to think critically about cities and spaces—what they have to offer their inhabitants and where they can offer more.
Perfect for anyone:
- curious about writing space, urban centers, cities, and identity
- who would benefit from a more experiential and immersive approach to push their writing and/or
- who want to know and understand their relationship to their environment more deeply.
Even spaces we have occupied for a very long time can be seen in a different light.
Required Materials: A journal
This class focuses on:
- Generative Writing: Focuses on producing new writing through prompts and exercises.
- Creative Play & Exploration: Focuses on playful, experimental writing activities designed to break creative blocks and spark ideas.
- Writing for Personal Growth: Emphasizes self-expression, journaling, or therapeutic writing practices.
- Community & Connection: Emphasizes collaboration, peer connection, and social writing experiences.
What to expect:
- Goal-Setting & Accountability: Includes tools or practices to help students stay motivated.
- Project-Based: Students will work toward completing a specific project (e.g., a story, poem, or essay).
- Class Discussion: Facilitated class conversation
- Prompts & Exercises: Class features guided writing activities.
- In-Class Writing Time: Class will include dedicated time to write.
- In-Class Sharing: Students are invited to share their writing aloud or in small groups during class.
- Instructor Feedback: Students receive direct feedback from the instructor.
- 1-2 hours of reading and/or writing outside of class per week.
Registration Dates:
- May 19: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- May 26: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- May 31: Last day of Early Bird discount
- June 2: Last day of Early Bird discount
Zoe Hardwick
Zoe Hardwick is a recent graduate of the MFA Writing Program at Columbia University. Her work considers Black radical life, spirituality, cityscapes, and the complexities of the mundane. Her work has appeared in Frontier Poetry.
FAQ
Complete FAQEach class description includes a breakdown of what you can expect in terms of in-class activity, feedback, and homework (if any).
Generative means you’ll be generating new writing, either in class or at home between classes.
Workshop means you’ll be sharing work to be read and critiqued by your instructor and classmates and that you will also be critiquing the work of your peers.
Reading means you’ll be doing close reading of a work with an eye toward craft.
Craft discussion means you’ll be looking at the tools writers use to do that thing they do so well and then trying it out yourself.
Class levels are designed for various stages of the writing journey. Simply self-select the level that sounds best for where you’re at.
Introductory: This is your first creative writing workshop, first writing class since high school, or first foray into a new genre or form. You’re looking to try something new, kickstart your writing, and/or establish yourself in the fundamentals.
Intermediate: You have a strong understanding of writing fundamentals and are eager to deep dive into craft. You’re honing your writerly identity and voice through independent projects. In workshop, you look for constructive feedback and are ready to do writing and reading outside of class.
Advanced: You’ve written a significant body of work and have taken it through several stages of revision. You’re getting ready to publish or are in the early stage of publishing, and you’re interested in refining the skills that will take you to the next level in the literary industry.
All Levels: You are any of the above and are looking to play with new possibilities.
Zoom information for both classes and events are now available in your account.
- Login to your account.
- Go to “My Account.”
- Select either the “Classes” or “Events” tab.
- Click on your upcoming class or event to view the Zoom details.
You’ll also receive an email including Zoom information three days before the first day of class.
If you have any questions please contact us at welcome@hugohouse.org
Write With Hugo House is our free monthly write-in program that takes place online via Zoom.
We also have payment plans available for most of our classes. These payment plans are available to all students. Additionally, we offer partial scholarships (covering up to 40% of class tuition) for students who meet our income guidelines.
Lastly, we announce flash sales, early bird periods, and special deals through our e-newsletter; sign up at the bottom of this page.
Payment plans are available for all classes and can be purchased through our website. To register for a payment plan, select “Pay in installments” on the class details page, select your preferred option, and proceed to add to cart usual. The following policy applies to all payment plans:
- We charge a 5% nonrefundable administrative fee for all payment plans.
- The administrative fee is calculated based on the general class price. Discounts through memberships, coupons, scholarships, gift cards, or other promotions do not affect the administrative fee.
- Extended payment plans up to 8 monthly installments and 16 semi-monthly installments are available upon request.
- We are unable to hold seats for prospective payment plan students. Students will be enrolled once their first installment has been paid.
- If you need to cancel, Hugo House will issue refunds according to its cancellation and transfer policies. Your 5% nonrefundable admin fee will not be refunded.
- If you withdraw from a class after it begins, you will not receive a refund and are still responsible for paying the full course tuition.
Asynchronous classes are perfect for students that need flexibility!
During an asynchronous class, instructors release new lessons once per week. Students then have one week to complete that lesson and any accompanying coursework. You’ll learn as much as you would in a traditional class but with the flexibility to work at the best times for your schedule!
While there are no live sessions, asynchronous classes are still a lively and rigorous experience. Async classes are not static lessons but an adaptable and energetic community space. Be ready to work in a collaborative environment, giving and receiving feedback on your writing, participating in discussions, and growing your writing practice in a way that works best for you.
Asynchronous classes take place through the website Wet Ink. Students receive an invitation to the class and to set up a Wet Ink account on the start date of the class. Each week of the class, a new lesson will be available through the Wet Ink portal. Classes close two weeks after the end date, and students receive an email containing their content from the class when it closes.
Hugo House will only process refund requests that are submitted 5 days or more before the class start date. To request a refund, log in to your account, go to “My Account,” select the “Orders” tab on the left-hand side, click the appropriate order, and request a refund for your specific class. Administrative fees apply. Please see our full refund policy here.
To request a refund for class credit, please note such in the message section of your refund request.
In general, we do not record classes. However, an exception can be made with instructor approval if a student has specific access needs.
We encourage students to only sign up for classes that fit with their schedule.
We do not tolerate racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic or any other oppressive behaviors, regardless of who commits them. Please check out our full community guidelines by clicking here. If an instance of community guidelines are violated and not resolved within the classroom, students may let us know by filling out the student incident report.
If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, you’ll receive a full refund.
You can apply for a scholarship by clicking the red “Request a Scholarship” text on class pages. The scholarship request text is located at the top of each class page, underneath the “add to cart” button.
Scholarship application dates can be found in our Academic Calendar.
Due to the limited number of scholarships, please only request up to two scholarships for two different classes per quarter if you truly meet the financial need requirements.
Hugo House members get to register early for classes – a full week before they open to the general public!, receive a 10% discount on events and classes, and more. See the full list of membership benefits here!
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If you’re interested in contributing your skills, Hugo House accepts volunteer applications for a variety of roles, including event support, administrative tasks, and more. Learn more on our Volunteer page.
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