The course will meet in-person on Sunday, 3 and 10 July 2022 from 10:00 – 13:00 at Studio BloemDwars, Bloemgracht 167, 1016 KM Amsterdam (see map). Class size is 6-10 people.

The lyric essay is a form of creative nonfiction that borrows lyrical devices from poetry and narrative techniques from fiction. If you are a poet intrigued by the essay form or an aspiring essayist who wants to infuse your prose with fresh possibilities, this short course is for you.

This course covers the same material as the last summer’s online lyric essay course. We are also offering a more extensive 6-week online course on the lyric essay from 3 August to 7 September.

Note: If you are enrolled in one of our 6- to 8-week spring, summer or autumn ‘Level’ courses, don’t forget to use your members’ discount code when you register to receive 25% off.

In this intro course, we’ll cover the fundamentals of the lyric essay, including non-linear structures, associative thinking, and attention to sound. Specific forms of the lyric essay we’ll be looking at include the ode, the hermit crab essay, and flash memoir. We’ll unpack some sample essays and you’ll have the opportunity to write three exercises using the techniques discussed in class. You’ll receive feedback in class from the teacher and your fellow students.

The course is taught by Karen Kao. She is the winner of the 2022 Kenyon Review Short Nonfiction Contest and a nominee for the Pushcart Prize, VERA, and Best of the Net. Her debut novel, The Dancing Girl and the Turtle (Linen Press 2017) is the first of a quartet of interlocking novels set in Shanghai. Her lyric essays have appeared or are forthcoming in the Kenyon Review, The Common, The Shanghai Literary Review and NUNUM.

Please see our page on the measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 that we are putting into place and associated requirements for participation in this course. If you are unvaccinated or you or any members of your household are in a higher risk category, we recommend one of our online courses instead.