Class Starts Monday, April 17th, 2023

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button (lower left) to talk with us.

Led by Amanda Montei, author of Touched Out: Motherhood, Misogyny, Consent, and Control, forthcoming from Beacon Press in 2023, as well as Two Memoirs and The Failure Age. She holds an MFA from California Institute of the Arts and a PhD from the Poetics Program at SUNY Buffalo. Her poetry, fiction, essays, and criticism have appeared in Slate, The Believer, Vox, HuffPost, Rumpus, Salon, Ms. Magazine, as well as numerous literary journals and scholarly publications.

Memoirs were once conceived of as traditional hero's journeys, in which a narrator recounts their triumphant struggles. But most of our lives are far more complex than these sorts of narrative arcs allow.

In this class, you'll be guided through generative writing exercises, workshops, and revision exercises to help you find the form for your memoir.

We will look at a variety of experimental and traditional memoirs for inspiration, discussing texts by authors such as Maggie Nelson, Alexander Chee, Melissa Febos, Cathy Park Hong, Leslie Jamison, Esmé Weijun Wang, Rachel Cusk, Claudia Rankine, Mary Karr, Joan Didion, and others.

COURSE OUTLINE:

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Generate an outline, an introduction or first chapter for your book, and a sample chapter
• Organize new and existing book material
• Feedback from Amanda and classmates
• Generative writing and revision strategies for completing your manuscript
• Ideas for submitting work and moving forward with your project
• Supportive creative community

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

This class is entirely asynchronous which means you complete the weekly assignments on your own schedule. There are no set meeting times in order to allow for greater participation; your cohort will consist of writers from across different time zones, which allows for a wonderful diversity of voices.

Along with your weekly deadlines there is plenty of interaction with Amanda and your peers within Wet Ink, our dedicated online classroom. Craft materials, lectures, reading assignments, and writing prompts are all available through the online classroom. Students also post work and provide and receive feedback within the online classroom environment.

You can get the work done as you see fit week-to-week, so it is perfect for any schedule. There are discussion questions each week inspired by the assigned readings and topics in the lecture notes. Students are encouraged to take these wherever is most compelling and/or useful for them. Amanda engages with these discussions throughout the week and you will receive feedback from all assigned writing activities.

HOW DOES WET INK WORK?

Wet Ink was built and designed specifically for online writing classes. Wet Ink is private, easy to use, and very interactive. You can learn more about the Wet Ink platform by Watching a Class Demo.

TESTIMONIALS:

Cindy DiTiberio, writer; Publisher, Literary Mama
"Amanda's course was nurturing, generative, inspiring, and just such a powerful class. No one wanted the session to end which speaks to her ability to not only create a compelling course but also encourage healthy discussion and vulnerability. "

Kaitlin Solimine, author of EMPIRE OF GLASS
"This course buoyed me and made me feel connected to other writers at a time when I was feeling very disconnected from the writing world. I was blown away by the diversity and depth of readings, the spirit of support and camaraderie, and the quality of both submissions and feedback from fellow participants. Amanda led the course with such insight, compassion, and intelligence—I also thoroughly enjoyed the prompts… as well as the discussions and ways in which we were all inspired to engage with the reading material, and each other's work, on a weekly basis. I will miss it!"

October Moore, actor and writer
"It was a galvanizing and inspiring and safe place to be and listen and create."

Eleanor Burke, student
"This class nurtured, inspired, and challenged me."

Ariella Ruth, student
"[Amanda’s] course materials and writing prompts were impeccably curated and thoughtful, and she created an honest and supportive 'classroom; space on Zoom. I am grateful for the community I found through this course!"

Kristy Rose, student
"Amanda held a space that was simultaneously gentle and intellectually compelling, her feedback was prompt and through and the writing portals were well thought out and generative. I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity."

Heather Hewett PhD, co-editor of #ME TOO AND LITERARY STUDIES
"Amanda is a great teacher who gives fantastic feedback and knows how to steer writers in productive directions."

Victoria Livingstone PhD, writer and translator
"This course was fascinating and encouraged me to reflect deeply on a wide range of creative and intellectual topics. It shifted my thinking on certain issues, allowed me to connect with other writers, and helped me carve out space for magic and creativity. Amanda did a great job of making space for each student to contribute. She structured the class while still allowing for spontaneity."

Mahru Elahi, student
"The community created in the class was invaluable in furthering a sense of how collective the act of writing can be."

Nicky Torode, student
"It was a deeply thought-provoking class, with a superbly wide range of reading materials and writing prompts. The feedback on my piece was particularly helpful in highlighting substantive points [and] I was blown away by the quality of peers' feedback, care and dedication to each others' writing."

Stella, student
"Amanda provided thoughtful and creative writing prompts that were truly inspired by the readings, in a surprising but inevitable way. They unlocked my thinking and brought new energy to my own creative work. Amanda's welcoming, gentle, and listening energy created a nice sense of community even over Zoom. I learned a lot, had fun, and felt a sense of connection not just to the subject material but to the group."

Holly Spinelli, student
"Amanda's workshop is excellent. She does a great job creating respect, trust, and openness among the participants. "

Natalie S., student
"Amanda is an engaging and thoughtful teacher. She offers excellent insight and targeted feedback. I gained a wealth of information!"

Kate Warrington, student
“Amanda's course was both informative and inspiring. From the first class, she created a supportive environment that allowed for open and honest conversation. I especially appreciated how much thought and time she devoted to our individual writing goals and essays. I'd recommend this class to writers at any level and would even take it again myself.”

• Instructor: Amanda Montei
  

• Class Starts Monday, April 17th, 2023
  

• Course is fully ONLINE
  

Instructor Amanda Montei is the author of Touched Out: Motherhood, Misogyny, Consent, and Control, forthcoming from Beacon Press in 2023, and Two Memoirs (Jaded Ibis Press) and The Failure Age (Bloof Books). She holds an MFA from California Institute of the Arts and a PhD from the Poetics Program at SUNY Buffalo. Her poetry, fiction, essays, and criticism have appeared in Slate, The Believer, Vox, HuffPost, Rumpus, Salon, Ms. Magazine, as well as numerous literary journals and scholarly publications. She has been teaching writing for over a decade at the college level and in community arts programs. For three years, she was editor of the literary journal P-QUEUE, and she previously co-edited the small press project Bon Aire Projects. Amanda lives in California with her partner and two children. Visit her website here.