Narrative Prose Basics

A four-week prose course with Claire Light

[Four SESSIONS, Mondays 6-8pm] October 19, 26, November 2, 9] | via Zoom, Tuition: $0 (with $99 deposit, no absences, to be refunded upon completion)

Course Description: In 2020, understanding storytelling is more important than ever. The truth is competing with blatant, elaborate lies in the public sphere; longstanding tropes and structures of understanding the world have lost their power. At the same time, we are seeing an unprecedented upsurge of both activism and diverse storytelling in our media. To join our voices to the conversation, to learn together how telling new stories can reveal old truths, we must study (and perhaps subvert?) traditional western storytelling. In this class you will learn the basics of developing story ideas, characterization and world-building skills, structuring a story, and how to tune your voice. Whether it’s fiction (truth through lies) or creative nonfiction (retooled true tales), join us to firm up your grasp on how to tell your own stories.

WHY DO WE HAVE TO DEPOSIT $99 TO REGISTER? 
Because it is free, we want to ensure we have enough spots for people who are absolutely certain they can attend every class. The deposit will be refunded upon the successful completion of the entire course, or you can choose to donate it to KSW. Please email jason@kearnystreet.org if you have questions.

(KSW educational programming is focused primarily on writers and artists of color. Space is limited.)

About the Instructor

Claire Light is a Bay Area writer, cultural worker, and activist. She has worked since 1997 in nonprofit administration, particularly in arts and social justice, and was a co-founder of Hyphen magazine, KSW’s APAture festival, and disability justice organization BAD CRIPP. You can read her fiction in McSweeney's, Hyphen, and The Encyclopedia Project, among others. A short collection of her stories, SLIGHTLY BEHIND AND TO THE LEFT, was published by Aqueduct Press in 2009. Her fantasy novel MONKEY AROUND, written under the pen name Jadie Jang, will be published by Solaris in 2021.