Begins Monday, March 25th, 2024

Class will meet weekly on Mondays nights via Zoom, 7:00PM - 9:00PM EST.

Open to All writers!

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Taught by Brysen Boyd, a playwright, TV writer, and essayist originally from Tacoma, WA. He served on the writing staff for HBO’s SUCCESSION (in a position created for him), is a 2023 Artist-in-Residence at Williamstown Theater Festival, the inaugural Playwright-in-Residence at Reverie Theater Company, and is a proud member of Youngblood/Ensemble Studio Theater.

In this course we will explore the intricacies of the flash essay and micro-memoir!

In a world inundated with screen time—short clips, dances, videos galore—it’s natural to gravitate away from the written word at times. But prose and visual media are not mutually exclusive! In this course, we will be looking at how new media can influence our own personal work on the page. How can we craft sentences so that they move as fast as a TikTok, how can we slow down our words so that the reader is taken through a scene in slow motion (without being bored).

Looking at largely flash works from Jaquira Díaz, Charles Simic, Danez Smith, Claudia Rankine, and others, we will first read how writers move through scenes with ease while keeping word counts low.

Then, for the second half of class, we will craft flash nonfiction pieces that harness the beauty of the micro-fast, exploring which scenes from our lives we can paint in under 1000 words. Every week students will be given custom prompts to jumpstart their work and then will bring in new creative nonfiction pieces to workshop.  

In this course, we will embrace what shifts in technology have brought us. It might be true that attention spans are shorter than ever, but rather than fighting against that, in this course, we will embrace it and see what art we can make when celebrating the world we currently live in. 

• Dinner at Uncle Boris's - Charles Simic
• Beach City - Jaquira Díaz
• Dinosaurs in the Hood - Danez Smith
• Excerpts from CITIZEN - Claudia Rankine

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

Ultimately, this workshop will be focused on three things:

• Exploring the world of experimental Flash Nonfiction 
• Understand the (I think) fundamental difference between a prose poem and a micro essay 
• Walk away with flash work of their own that they are proud of 
• Learning how to write compressed language in Flash CNF, paying attention to how each line sounds, can be applied to other forms and help your writing.
  

TESTIMONIALS:

"Brysen Boyd's imaginative prompts, thoughtful feedback, and insider industry tips made for a rich and delightful learning experience. As a veteran teacher, playwright and novelist myself, I found the class to be exceptionally well-designed. Brysen was so generous with his time and expertise. I'd yelp him all the stars!" -Dr. Jennifer Natalya Fink, Georgetown University

"A rare find. Brysen has mastered the complex art of drawing out great work from artists of all levels without demanding an effort that contorts a work’s true potential or the writer’s intentions. As a poet, it was a marvel to begin to uncover what I was capable of in other formats, and to have so much fun while doing it! I appreciated Brysen’s ability to craft a supportive, safe, and creatively stimulating environment. I’m still in touch with my classmates, and the framework provided continues to help me shape my creative writing life."  - Elizabeth K.

"​​Brysen Boyd gives experienced advice on the creation of characters, the structure of action, and the execution of story development in a laid back environment filled with solid advice and compassion. I highly recommend workshopping with Brysen! This workshop can nurture one’s first glimmer of an idea to one’s own finished script." -Michanne D

COURSE OUTLINE:

This course is a workshop -- so the first half of class will be devoted to examining a text, and the second half will be spent workshopping student work.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This class meets weekly via Zoom. Come prepared for a super fun class with live interaction on Zoom each week and plenty of writing, reading, and talking!

• Instructor: Brysen Boyd
  
• Begins Monday, March 25th, 2024
• Class will meet weekly on Mondays nights via Zoom, 7:00PM - 9:00PM EST.
  
• Course is fully ONLINE.

Instructor Brysen Boyd is playwright, TV writer, and essayist originally from Tacoma, WA. He served on the writing staff for HBO’s SUCCESSION (in a position created for him), is a 2023 Artist-in-Residence at Williamstown Theater Festival, the inaugural Playwright-in-Residence at Reverie Theater Company and is a proud member of Youngblood/Ensemble Studio Theater. His plays include FAMILY SIDESHOW (Playwrights’ Center Venturous Prize Nominee, O'neill Conference Semi-finalist, 2022 Juilliard Finalist, Winner of KC-Melting Pot National New Play Competition), CLOSING COSTS on 6101 NYANZA (Blue Ink Award Semi-finalist, Kennedy Center Short Play Semi-finalist) and others. His work has received support from Tin House, The Kennedy Center, Sewanee Writers Conference, Columbia University, Napa Valley Writers Conference, Kansas City Melting Pot, Seattle Playwrights’ Saloon and others. Having come to playwriting and creative nonfiction in undergrad by way of his first love, TV, his goal in life is to write stories that make others feel as excited as 9-year-old him felt when watching David and Keith on SIX FEET UNDER. Writing means everything to him—second only to his miniature wiener dogs, Simon and Alvin. B.A., Boston College MFA., Columbia University