Instructor Josh Krigman (he/him) is a writer, teacher, and facilitator in New York City. He has taught creative writing at Hunter College, the United Nations International School, Center for Fiction, National Geographic Expeditions, and more. He has been awarded residencies from Vermont Studio Center, and his work has appeared in the Summerset Review, Akashic Books, Necessary Fiction, and elsewhere. He received his MFA in fiction from Hunter College. He is also the co-founder and New York host of Club Motte, an international storytelling series that hosts live events in New York and Berlin.

Writing Past The Page uses observation-based exercises to keep you in a writing frame of mind more frequently, making it easier to find and stay in the rhythm when you finally have the time. All prompts are designed for writers at every level of experience and introduce new ways to make your relationship to writing more productive, more fun, and more you.

It’s often hard to make time for your writing, and even harder to feel like you’re using that time well. Too often, once you’ve finally warmed up, you have to stop and return to the rest of your life. But what if you could stay warmed up all the time?

In this six-week, generative course, we’ll explore ways of taking your writing practice beyond your desk, starting with building your own writing sketchbook. Unlike a notebook, a sketchbook isn’t for ideas to be used and developed later, but a place where you can practice writing for its own sake. Your writing sketchbook is a space for you to observe the world through language, and a tool that encourages you to stay open to those observations more often.

Through in-class prompts and ongoing assignments, we’ll slowly build our sketchbooks, expanding your relationship to writing from the status of your current project to the way you interact with the world and producing plenty of new pages in the process. Then, when it is time for your project, you’ll be warmed up and ready to go. All genres are welcome, no experience is necessary.

Readings may include 'May' by Ali Smith, 'Teaching A Stone To Talk' by Annie Dillard, and other PDF material that Josh will distribute via email each week.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Introductions, unpacking our writing biases and unconscious rules, and an exercise to shake the dust off and get to know one another’s practice.

Week 2: Ali Smith’s ‘May’ and new approaches to observational writing

Week 3: Distinguishing an observation from an assumption, and playing with the relationship between the two.

Week 4: Discussing Annie Dillard’s ‘Teaching A Stone To Talk’ and using our observations to write a poem.

Week 5: Inventing observations and using found objects to inspire new characters.

Week 6: Sharing our collected observations and using our own and each others to build new work.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

Develop a personal writing sketchbook practice - Create a dedicated space for observing the world through language and practicing writing for its own sake, separate from project-focused work.

Master observation-based writing techniques - Learn to distinguish observations from assumptions and use daily collected observations to fuel your creative process and generate new material.

Build sustainable daily writing habits - Establish a consistent practice that keeps you "warmed up" and in a writing mindset more frequently, making it easier to transition into productive writing sessions.

Generate new stories and characters from everyday life - Use found objects, collected colors, and shared observations to inspire fresh narratives and develop compelling characters across all genres.

TESTIMONIALS: 

"Josh’s workshops and one-on-one sessions have been invaluable to my growth as a writer. His approach to the craft is refreshingly fun and thorough, and his feedback on my writing sample directly contributed to my acceptance to Hunter’s MFA program. I really can’t recommend him enough!" — Alisa P.

"Josh is a patient, communicative, and inspiring writing instructor who guides without imposing. After taking two writing workshops with Josh, I would highly recommend him to anyone who wants to dive deeper into their narratives, flesh out their characters, and receive thoughtful, constructive criticism on their work." — Liz L.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE: