The Personal Essay in Fragments

with Jen Soriano

Genres: Nonfiction

In Person

Open to all levels

4 Sessions

Start Date: May 23, 2023
End Date: June 13, 2023
Day of Week: Tuesday
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm PT
Capacity: 15 seats
Member Price: $216.00
General Price: $240.00

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Some of us view the world in fragments because of traumatic memory, neurodivergence, marginalized experiences, or simply because it's the way we think. In this generative class, we'll study and create personal essays that grow from flashes, images, and scenes. Beautiful essays can emerge from this prismatic vision, allowing for deeper truths than might fit in a traditional narrative. We will study examples from Natalie Diaz, Kazim Ali, Colleen J. McElroy, Maggie Nelson, and others. There will be in-class time for writing and sharing.

HAPPY HOUR FLASH SALE! All spring classes are 10% off now through Monday, May 15. Discount taken in your cart at checkout.

Registration dates:

March 13: Scholarship Donation Day (Learn more.)

March 14: Member registration opens

March 21: General registration opens

Jen Soriano

Jen Soriano

she/they

Jen Soriano (she~they) is a Filipinx writer and movement builder who has long worked at the intersection of grassroots organizing, narrative strategy, and art-driven social change. Jen has won the International Literary Award for Creative Nonfiction, the Fugue Prose Prize, and fellowships from Hugo House, Vermont Studio Center, Artist Trust, and the Jack Jones Literary Arts Retreat. Jen is also an independent scholar and performer, and has served as poet in residence with Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility. Jen is author of the chapbook “Making the Tongue Dry,” and co-editor of Closer to Liberation: A Pina/xy Activist Anthology. She received a BA in History and Science from Harvard and an MFA in fiction and nonfiction from the Rainier Writing Workshop. Originally from a landlocked part of the Chicago area, Jen now lives with her family in Seattle, near the Duwamish River and the Salish Sea. Her debut book, Nervous: Essays on Heritage and Healing, is now available from Amistad/HarperCollins.

Most classes are offered at a general and member tuition rates based on instruction hours, with Hugo House members receiving a 10% discount on classes fewer than six sessions.

Early bird discounts are available during the first two weeks of registration and apply to both general and member tuition rates.

To help provide financial accessibility to our class offerings, some classes each quarter are offered with a sliding-scale tuition model, allowing students to pay what they can for the class. For these classes, tuition increments starting at $5 and going up to 125% of the standard pricing will be listed on the page.

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Classes may be cancelled if less than the minimum number of students are enrolled within ten days before the class start date. If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, students can choose between receiving a full credit toward future classes or full refund.

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