Writing Visceral Experimental Fiction with Marc Anthony Richardson

Exclusive First Access for Members Meeting Details: Thursdays, 9/3–10/22 7–9pm ET, 8 Sessions Online via Zoom “A book should be the axe for the frozen sea within us.” —Franz Kafka Writers have frequently abandoned linear narratives and conventional storytelling in favor of creative freedom to enhance the emotional, psychological, and aesthetic experiences of the reader. What makes this work innovative is its focus on pushing boundaries beyond traditional structures to be more immersive and genuine—this is especially true for marginalized writers, whose diverse experiences often require diverse formats. This workshop is designed to encourage writers to use different modalities of poetry and prose to transcend their reading and writing preferences, to be apprenticed by innovative literature and film—aesthetic achievements. The works that affect us deeply are the ones that might have wearied or even disturbed us. But upon further reflection, we find them rather informative—or even illuminating. We will write new work weekly and read aloud to develop our observational and listening skills in determining the effects of the spoken word, challenging our self-censorship in a safe and supportive environment. The books and films we will be studying may challenge you emotionally and stylistically, so you will be encouraged to experiment and to write with daring and deep emotion. In the course, we will explore recent examples of experimental poetry, such as Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz and Incendiary Art and Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith. Participants will also read short stories by James Baldwin (from Going to Meet the Man) and Tadeusz Borowski (from This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen), as well as excerpts of novels by Italo Calvino (Invisible Cities) and Micheline Aharonian Marcom (The Mirror in the Well), to understand these techniques in practice. Optional works include the films 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days by Cristian Mungiu, Hunger by Steve McQueen, A Woman Under the Influence by John Cassavetes, and Come and See by Elem Klimov. Course Outline: During class, we will discuss the previous week’s assigned reading or film to “open up” the work from a writer’s perspective—focusing on craft: description, figurative language, point of view, narrative, and aesthetics. The discussions will be led by the students—guided by the instructor—and will involve full-class participation. During readings, you (or someone else) will read your new writing that has been inspired by the assigned works. Weekly themes and instructions may be provided as guides. I will read and comment on your weekly writing; however, there will be no comments on any reading in class, only applause: this will be a creative space for a fresh voice to arise without premature critiques of an infant piece. At the end of the course, each student will present a final creative project in the form of an original short story, several poems, or a standalone excerpt from a larger narrative, which we will workshop and comment on as a class. Teaching Style: This course is conversational and participant-driven. Weekly original writings/sketches (read aloud) and discussions of the assigned works are crucial to “opening up” not only the class but one’s truest voice. Level: Intermediate / Advanced We offer a limited number of need-based scholarships for our Reading Groups and Writing Workshops, covering 50% of tuition. Applicants selected for scholarships will be notified one week prior to the first meeting. To apply for a scholarship, please fill out this form. Marc Anthony Richardson is a novelist. Year of the Rat, a work of autofiction, won the American Book Award and the Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize. He was also the recipient of a PEN America grant, a Hurston/Wright fellowship, and a Vermont Studio Center residency. Messiahs, his speculative novel, was a fiction finalist for the Big Other Book Award. His work has appeared in Conjunctions, Callaloo, and Black Warrior Review. He has taught at UPenn, Rutgers, and Stony Brook University. His work-in-progress, The Serpent Will Eat Whatever Is in the Belly of the Beast, received a Creative Capital Award, a Sachs Program Grant for Arts Innovation, a residency from Rhodes University and Art Omi, and a fellowship from Brown University.