Begins Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Tuesdays, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET

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Instructor Bio

Instructor Leila C. Nadir is an award-winning writer, social practice artist, creative-critical educator, and literary editor. Her work appears in scholarly and literary journals, in museums and galleries, and in forests, classrooms, and kitchens, and has earned awards and fellowships from MacDowell, Hedgebrook, Art Omi, Bread Loaf, de Groot Foundation, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and Maine Arts Commission. She founded one of the first Environmental Humanities academic programs in the nation and ran it for ten years before joining Los Angeles Review of Books as their environmental section editor. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Columbia University and is represented by Ayesha Pande of Ayesha Pande Literary in NYC.

Who is this class for?

This course is for nonfiction writers who feel stifled by traditional linear forms and want to explore new narrative structures. Whether you're working on a memoir, a personal essay, cultural criticism, or hybrid forms, this online writing class welcomes writers at all levels who are ready to experiment.

What to expect:

This lyric essay writing workshop studies essays that break from traditional form by experimenting with musicality, nonlinearity, interdisciplinarity, poetry, myth, speculation, fragmentation, association, criticism, multimedia, research, and more—and they do so because the idea, or content, demands an innovative structure. You will discuss excerpts of work by Alejandro Zambra, Grace Paley, Hanif Abdurraqib, Kiese Laymon, Eula Biss, Elissa Washuta, Saidiya Hartman, and others, and explore these works for inspiration in generative exercises that will support you in finding the form and style for your own narratives.

This online nonfiction workshop is especially designed for stories disrupted by absences caused by memory or archive gaps, spiritual or transcendent experiences, trauma, family silences, immigration and displacement, colonial erasures, ecological loss, emotional overwhelm, or simply the ineffability of life. Meetings will include craft lectures, generative exercises, informal first-blush feedback, and discussion. You will think about cultural practices that upend Western assumptions of narrative and the ways that experimental approaches create space for social critiques and personal, political, and ecological entanglements.

Each week focuses on a different lyric essay form—braided, mosaic, hermit crab, archival, and speculative—giving you a diverse toolkit of experimental structures to apply to your own creative writing.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will generate 5–6 drafts of lyric essays across multiple experimental forms. Students will receive in-class first-blush feedback on generative writing exercises, providing immediate, supportive response to new work as it develops.

Readings

Readings may include excerpts from: Ben Quick, "Agent Orange"; Alejandro Zambra, "My Documents"; Rowan McCandless, "Blood Tithes: A Primer" from Persephone's Children; Gwendolyn Wallace, "Math 1619"; Nadia Owusu, "Refugee Resettlement Form" from After Shocks; Claudia Rankine, Just Us; Victoria Chang, Dear Memory; Toni Morrison, "Site of Memory"; Saidiya Hartman, "Venus in Two Acts"; the Speculative Nonfiction journal Manifesto; and additional essays by Sei Shonagon, Grace Paley, Hanif Abdurraqib, Kiese Laymon, Eula Biss, Elissa Washuta, Porochista Khakpour, Alexander Chee, and others.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: The Braided Essay – Craft lecture on braiding narrative strands, discussion, and generative exercise. Explore how to weave past and present, personal experience and research, into a single essay.

Week 2: The Braided Essay – Continued exploration of the braided form. Building on Week 1's generative work with deeper craft discussion and in-class writing.

Week 3: The Mosaic and Collage Essay – Craft lecture on mosaic and collage structures. Discussion of how fragments, juxtaposition, and white space create meaning. Generative exercise.

Week 4: The Hermit Crab Essay – Craft lecture on essays that adopt borrowed or "found" structures (primers, quizzes, forms, recipes) to hold personal content. Generative exercise using preexisting forms.

Week 5: The Archival / Collage Essay & Multi-Media Essay – Craft lecture on incorporating archival materials, photographs, documents, and multimedia elements into essays. Generative exercise.

Week 6: The Speculative Essay – Craft lecture on speculation, imagination, and narrative invention in nonfiction. Discussion and generative exercise exploring how writers fill gaps in the historical and personal record.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Demystification and in-depth discussion of diverse lyric essay forms, including braided, mosaic, hermit crab, archival, and speculative essays
• 5–6 drafts of original lyric essays generated through in-class exercises
• A toolkit of experimental structures and strategies for finding the right form for your content
• Opportunities to share in-class generative writing and receive first-blush feedback
• Literary connections and community with fellow nonfiction writers exploring experimental forms
• An Ask Me Anything session with the instructor to address your pressing questions about craft, publishing, and the writing life

TESTIMONIALS:

"Leila brought both depth of knowledge and broad examples to the workshop, drawing on her academic training and her wide-ranging reading life. I especially appreciated that she shaped the course around the needs and preferences of the participants, creating a safe space that valued our varied experiences and backgrounds. Her clearly explained craft lectures were coupled with supporting examples that demonstrated how theme and recurring motifs strengthen a powerful conclusion. Overall, the course gave me new confidence in approaching rewrites and revisions for my nearly finished novel. This workshop was exactly the combination of expertise and thoughtful guidance I sought." — Kathy, 2025

"Leila is an incredible writing teacher with a sharp eye for editing, beautiful insights, and sincere care for her students. I was blown away at how she was able to make space for the diversity in our class—from backgrounds to subject matters. She creates an encouraging and supportive container for everyone to develop their work. She also makes herself available outside of class with thoughtful and thorough responses. Invaluable!" — Alyx, 2025

"After feeling so lonely and in my head during my writing process, Leila brought such a fresh perspective to my writing practice. Teaching us in class how to look at writing in the most nourishing and expanding way. She communicates so clearly what can often feel so abstract and difficult to pinpoint. I left with so many tools after taking her workshop and can't wait for more!!!" — Halleta, 2025

"Leila Nadir is an excellent writer and teacher. My writing skills improved, and my memoir moved to the next level during her class. This change occurred for two reasons. First, she used examples to teach us how authors organized their work and 'spoke' to readers. Second, we watched and learned as she helped each of us struggle with these same issues. I would like to add that Leila created a supportive environment for diverse students. I look forward to taking another class from her." — Leonard, 2025

"This course was incredibly helpful. I learned many craft skills to use for my memoir. Leila is a wonderful, knowledgeable instructor, who creates an amazing supportive and inclusive community for all." — Elizabeth, 2025

"Leila's course was one of the most enriching, productive writing workshops I have ever participated in. She provided a great balance of instruction, writing exercises, and discussion. Each week she incorporated relevant lessons and themes that we then applied to our reading and writing exercises. I was really impressed with the way she encouraged and inspired participation by creating a safe and comfortable workshop environment. I learned so much from her over a short period of time." — Katie, 2025

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $495 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: Leila C. Nadir
• Begins Tuesday, May 19, 2026
• Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Tuesdays, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET
• Tuition is $495 USD.