Braided Essay Workshop: Weave Your Strands | Jan 2027 Online

Writing the Braided Essay Workshop: A One-Hour Nonfiction Seminar with Diana Spechler

Begins Tuesday, January 12, 2027
Class will meet once via Zoom on Tuesday, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET

🌍 Class Times by Time Zone:

• Los Angeles (PST): 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Chicago (CST): 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
• New York (EST): 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Now Enrolling!

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Instructor Diana Spechler is the author of the novels Who by Fire and Skinny and of the New York Times Opinion series Going Off. Her work has appeared in GQ, the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Harper's, Esquire, Playboy, National Geographic Traveler, BBC Travel, the Washington Post, Ploughshares, and many other publications. She is the recipient of a number of awards and fellowships, including a Hawthornden Castle Residency, a Yaddo Residency, the Steinbeck Fellowship, and the Orlando Creative Nonfiction Prize from A Room of Her Own Foundation. She is also a seven-time Moth Story Slam winner who has been featured on NPR. She writes personal essays about travel on her Substack, Dispatches From The Road.

Who is this class for?

If you've ever wondered how skilled essayists weave something cohesive and beautiful out of several seemingly unrelated subjects, this class is for you. This online writing class is open to nonfiction writers of all levels, including anyone who has never written a braided essay before.

What to expect:

The braided essay is a piece of lyrical writing composed of woven strands. In this live one-hour nonfiction writing workshop on Zoom, Diana Spechler walks you through the two most common braided-essay forms, using Jo Ann Beard's "The Fourth State of Matter" and Chloe Cooper Jones's "Such Perfection" as models. Diana will reference both essays throughout class, so reading them beforehand is recommended.

Through lecture, brief exercises, and interaction, you will build your own braid in real time and leave with the tools to turn your strands into a compelling and beautiful essay. Diana believes that any good piece of personal nonfiction includes some braiding, and the class will explore why.

Even if you've never heard of braided essays, don't write them, or don't care about them, this creative writing course will teach you to deepen your work. At its heart, the braided essay is an exercise in layers, and every piece of writing benefits from layering.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will build an outline for a braided essay and leave with the tools to turn that outline into a completed piece. Students will also come away knowing how to apply braiding techniques to all of their future work, from personal essays to longer nonfiction projects.

Readings

Please read these two essays before class:

• "Such Perfection" by Chloe Cooper Jones, in The Believer
• "The Fourth State of Matter" by Jo Ann Beard, in The New Yorker

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• An understanding of the two most common braided-essay forms and how they work on the page
• A close reading of two landmark braided essays by Jo Ann Beard and Chloe Cooper Jones
• An outline for your own braided essay, built during class
• The tools to turn your outline into a completed, layered essay
• A layering technique you can apply to all of your future writing

TESTIMONIALS:

"I just finished my first class, Online Personal Essay with Diana Spechler. I'm happy this introduced me to essays and she was a great instructor. I would take this class again in a heartbeat!"
— Former Student

"This class exceeded my expectations. I felt at ease writing about personal topics and especially enjoyed the community that Diana created."
— Former Student

"This was the most engaging online class I've taken. Diana had the class provide narrative comments as well as mark-ups on our drafts. WOW! I got some really great feedback this way. She also was online commenting on our posts more than I have seen in other classes."
— Former Student

"I just finished Diana Spechler's Introduction to Personal Essay. There was so much for me to learn that I decided to take it again one month later! When I began, I had not thought about writing since high school (a long time ago.) This class was both an introduction and an immersion into a writing style that was deeper and more truthful. Diana's choices of essays for us to read and analyze, her responses to our responses, the prompts she offered, and the sense of community she engendered made the sessions both marvelously difficult and simply engaging. And so useful. I was able to find stories I forgot I had, and language to describe them, and a deeper more honest foray into writing. Now, I need to take some grammar and punctuation classes (thank you Diana) and will be back. I recommend this class highly. Just take it!"
— Former Student

"Diana's workshop was transformative—I've never felt more confident in sharing my personal stories."
— Former Student

"Taking Diana's personal essay workshop was one of the best decisions I've made for my writing journey. The course material was rich and thought-provoking, and the feedback from Diana and my classmates was incredibly helpful. I learned how to navigate the complexities of writing about my own life with honesty and sensitivity. By the end of the six weeks, I had crafted an essay that I felt truly proud of and ready to share with the world."
— Former Student

"I was nervous about writing personal essays, but Diana's guidance and feedback were invaluable. By the end of the course, I had a polished piece I was proud to share."
— Former Student

"Diana Spechler's Introduction to Personal Essay Workshop profoundly impacted my writing. The weekly prompts and readings were both challenging and inspiring, pushing me to dig deeper into my own experiences. I left with not just one polished essay, but a newfound confidence in my ability to tell my story."
— Former Student

"I completed my first Writing Workshops class with Diana Spechler and it was actually my first writing class ever! It changed my view on writing/my writing. Diana was such a positive force for authentically and constructively encouraging the writer in me. I am forever grateful."
— Angie S.

"This class was incredibly supportive and informative and absolutely exceeded my expectations. The content and exercises were well structured, and Diana's feedback was encouraging but instructive. I found Diana's inline comments so valuable. I also found the topics exploring different themes and conversations surrounding them really helpful."
— Kelsie M.

"I cannot say enough about how much I enjoyed my online class through Writing Workshops with Diana Spechler. I was encouraged, challenged and had a blast; and my writing is finally getting the workshopping it needs. Thank you Diana for creating such an incredible experience! Will definitely be taking more classes ASAP!"
— Rebecca M.

"Diana's personal essay workshop was a very good experience. It provided some good direction and structure for my writing, and that is exactly what I needed. I may want to repeat the course in the not too distant future in hopes of taking the next step with my personal essay writing."
— Heidi N.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $99 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

• Instructor: Diana Spechler
• Begins Tuesday, January 12, 2027
• Class will meet once via Zoom on Tuesday, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET
• Tuition is $99 USD.