Writing the Complicated Self [Katherine Standefer]

Introductory | There is a great temptation to airbrush ourselves on the page, to fill in the pockmarks of our flaws—and yet this leaves us not only less trustworthy, but less interesting. Students will explore how the contradictions in their personalities—the gaps between dirty laundry and grace—are the most interesting spaces for both readers and writers. Together, we’ll discuss how craft choices around persona and structure can help us harness this charge and write into our gorgeous, complex selves.