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 explore varying parts of your queer identity and distill them into one essay that is emotional thematic- joy, lust, anger, anxiety. Anything but trauma. 

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 any queer-identifying writer at all levels who want to dig into their identity in a fun new way! 

What You'll Learn:

Week 1: Understanding the variety of queer trauma tropes. Discuss the need to broaden tropes and expectations about what readers can gain from queer storytelling. Read Why Don’t We Kiss Our Friends More by Garrett Schlichte. Discuss and begin brainstorming ideas for an essay. Share ideas and get feedback in class. (week theme: queer friendship)

Week 2:  Read Mallory Pearson’s essay, All the Girls Want to Each Other (week theme: lust). Discuss. Begin outlining the essay. Have time for a peer review swap. Read aloud and get full class feedback if desired. 
  
Week 3:  Read Bobby Box’s How a “Grass Is Greener” Mentality Ruined My First Queer Relationship (week theme: jealousy/culture expectations). Discuss. Continue edits with the essay—another peer edit swap. Have time for read-aloud if desired. 

Week 4: Final edits in class and then salon, where everyone can read their work aloud. Time will be spent discussing the next steps for your essays and a Q & A on pitching and publishing. 

What You’ll Create:

By the end of the workshop, you will have one full essay rooted in a poignant emotion related to the queer experience that dosen’t center trauama. You'll also have the opportunity to receive formal feedback from one of your essays from peers and your teacher. 

This workshop will equip you with the tools to transform an experience into compelling, personal narratives, leaving you with a deeper understanding of how your youth has shaped who you are today.

Course Takeaways: 

• Learning about the history of the negative queer tropes.
• A completed essay on your unique queer experience.
• A new group of queer writer pals!

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE: