An 8-week generative fiction course

Beginning Weds, Oct. 7

Named for the folk tool used to detect underground water, THE DOWSING ROD prioritizes writing out of—and toward—our deepest impulses and intuitions. At once a craft class, a generative opportunity, and an accountability group, writers will test new approaches to narrative that speak to their personal interests and proclivities. Class topics like “The Human Triangle” and “Found Stories” are designed to both spark new ideas and refresh our perspectives on works-in-progress. We’ll ask: what people, places, and experiences haunt us, and how do we translate these lurkers into prose? How can writers borrow from architecture, weather, and divination tools to refresh narrative form? And how might a single word, a lapsed memory, or an unanswerable question become the wellspring of a short story or novel?

In each 90 minute class, we’ll look closely at model readings, discuss actionable craft strategies, and write in response to flexible prompts. At home, participants should aim to commit to a regular writing practice of their own design (no goal is too small) and be able to budget 45 mins/week for class reading. We’ll consider texts by Grace Paley, Kathryn Scanlan, Karen Tei Yamashita, W. G. Sebald, Dionne Brand, and many more.

Instructor: Leigh N. Gallagher