Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22 from 11:00pm-5:00pm
Cost: $249
All too often, our sexual experiences--or just talking honestly about sex and sexuality at all—are dismissed as TMI. In this smart, introspective, and bawdy two-day intensive, writers will explore what their personal stories have to offer the world, and how best to share them. We'll open with an interactive conversation about the sex culture we live in and how this shapes the stories we tell (or don't). Using activities adapted from public health to broaden our understanding of the complexity of our sexualities, we'll mine our own histories for narratives we may have forgotten, or may never have noticed.
Although the term “sex writing” calls to mind the sex scene, this course places its focus instead on making meaning from our sex lives. During our two days together, we'll tackle craft challenges specific to writing about sexuality--diving into the opportunities provided by narrative distance, considering what authority looks like on the page (including how we might access our own), and processing what it means to write (and publish!) about real people. Beyond simply telling the narrative of what happened on any given night, this intensive helps writers build strong connective tissue between their individual stories and the larger questions about sex with which our culture grapples.
While writers will be invited to share their work from in-class prompts, we will not be workshopping our own full-length essays together.
Writers should arrive prepared to cultivate a fun, safe, and nonjudgmental atmosphere that is affirming of all sexualities and identities. Straight or queer, cis or trans, abstinent or asexual or sexually active, kinky or vanilla, poly or monogamous-- your stories are important, and you’re welcome in this course. While this class aims to offer a supportive environment for figuring out how to turn stories of sexuality into cultural critique and art, it is not intended to be a support group or provide a replacement for mental healthcare.
This class is designed to be trauma informed. The instructor draws on more than 30 hours of training at the Arizona Trauma Institute and has provided sexuality education to more than 8,000 people.
COURSE TAKEAWAYS:
A deepened understanding of the sex culture our writing lands in, and how this shapes what we write (and don't)
A supportive, sex-positive, and trauma-sensitive community with which to share your writing about sexuality
Increased ability to identify the craft choices that might help frame, focus and drive your writing about sexuality
Access to an instructor who has provided sexuality education to more than 8,000 people over the last ten years, and who has personal experience with what it means to publish sexually explicit work in high-circulation publications
A one-on-one conference with the instructor to discuss your work and chart a path forward
Access to Catapult's list of writing opportunities and important submission deadlines, as well as a 10% discount on all future Catapult classes
This class is hosted by Catapult in its New York City location.
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