Instructor Samantha Mann is a Brooklyn based writer covering queer life, popular culture, mental health, and motherhood. She is a contributing writer for Vogue and The Cut. She has written for Elle, Today Show, Huffington Post, Bon Appetit, Bustle, Washington Post Magazine, Romper, BUST, and others. Her essay, "The Orgasm Gap and DJ Khaled," was featured in Roxane Gays newsletter, The Audacity. Samantha is the author of the essay collection, Putting Out: Essays on Otherness. In 2023 Putting Out was added to CLMPS recommended reading list for Women's History Month. Samantha edited and curated the anthology, I Feel Love: Notes on Queer Joy. And Buzzfeed Book review said, "This is the perfect collection for readers looking to appreciate and celebrate the many talented writers within the LGBTQIA+ community." Her sophomore collection, Dyke Delusions, debuts June 2025 with Read Furiously. 

In this 4-week intensive workshop, you will learn how to distill broad, complex ideas into focused, personal essays. Whether you're tackling themes of identity, culture, or social issues, this course is designed to help you find your unique voice within the larger conversation.

By examining works from celebrated authors and engaging in weekly brainstorming and drafting exercises, you'll develop the skills to transform your big idea into a compelling narrative.

Who Should Enroll:

This course is ideal for writers at all levels who have a big idea they want to explore through personal narrative. Whether you’re working on essays for publication, a collection, or simply looking to sharpen your storytelling skills, this workshop will provide you with the tools and support needed to craft impactful, resonant essays.

What You'll Learn:

Week 1: Understanding how specific recommendations can reflect broader themes. You’ll read a New York Times Letter of Recommendation (selection TBD) and learn to brainstorm and draft a personal essay that connects with a larger idea.
  
Week 2: Analyzing how a personal gripe can embody a larger concept, inspired by Nora Ephron’s I Feel Bad About My Neck. You’ll identify your own specific gripe related to your big idea and begin drafting.
  
Week 3: Exploring unconventional formats for personal storytelling, inspired by Samantha Irby’s Bachelorette Application. You’ll brainstorm various types of applications or forms that could serve as unique containers for your essay.
  
Week 4: Crafting a narrative that speaks to an object, as demonstrated by David Sedaris in Letting Go. You’ll explore the relationship between the writer and an object as a means to express a larger theme.

What You’ll Create:

By the end of the workshop, you will have drafted four essays or detailed outlines, each rooted in a big idea and refined through personal perspective. You'll also receive live feedback from both the instructor and your peers, with the option for more in-depth feedback on one essay after the course concludes.

This workshop will equip you with the tools to transform expansive concepts into compelling, personal narratives, leaving you with a deeper understanding of how to place your story within the bigger picture.

Course Takeaways: 

• How to identify the difference between a broad idea and an actual story.
• Take away exercises to use to flesh out larger ideas into more specific ideas.
• How utilizing various forms (braided essays, application/fill in the blank form style pieces such as a dating profile or medical record, letter of recommendation format, etc.) can illuminate the specific picture of the story you are telling.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE: