Summer Enrollment is Open! Courses begin June 23, 2025.

Personal Essay I

WRITING X 422.1

Learn to write essays, opinion pieces, and mini-memoirs about your life in this introductory course.

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READ MORE ABOUT THIS COURSE
Live Online
Online
Starting at $720.00
As few as 10 weeks
3.0
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What you can learn.

  • Learn to be a compelling first-person narrator
  • Work on theme, character development, voice, and pacing for your life stories
  • Complete at least one personal essay of at least 600 words

About this course:

"Personal Essay" is a broad term that encompasses essays, opinion pieces and mini-memoirs—but which always details the writer's journey through a specific experience. This workshop teaches aspiring personal essayists how to be a compelling first-person narrator and employ craft elements such as theme, character development, voice, pacing, scene-setting and exposition to tell their stories. The goal is to complete at least one personal essay (600-2,500 words) and develop material for future essays.

Summer 2025 Schedule

Date & Time
Details
Format
 
-
Tuesday 7:00PM - 10:00PM PT
Available
See Details
Instructor: Nate Dern
403532
Fee:
$720.00
Live Onlineformat icon
Location: Remote Classroom
Updating...
See Details
Notes

Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required.

Refund Deadline
Refunds only available from April 28, 2025 to July 06, 2025
Course Requirements

Internet access required to retrieve course materials.

Book: Tell It Slant, Third Edition by Miller, Brenda and Paola, Suzanne
©2019 McGraw-Hill Education
ISBN 9781260454598
Book: The Art of Memoir by Karr, Mary
©2016 Harper Perennial
ISBN 9780062223074
(Optional) Book: Body Work : The Radical Power of Personal Narrative by Febos, Melissa
©2022 Catapult
ISBN 9781646220854

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PUBLIC SYLLABUS FOR THIS COURSE.

Schedule
Type
Date
Time
Location
Online
Tue Jun 24, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Tue Jul 1, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Tue Jul 8, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Tue Jul 15, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Tue Jul 22, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Tue Jul 29, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Tue Aug 5, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Tue Aug 12, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Tue Aug 19, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Tue Aug 26, 2025
7:00PM PT - 10:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
-
This section has no set meeting times.
Available
See Details
Instructor: Michael Luongo
403531
Fee:
$720.00
Onlineformat icon
Updating...
See Details
Notes

Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required.

Refund Deadline
Refunds only available from April 28, 2025 to July 06, 2025
Course Requirements

Internet access required to retrieve course materials.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PUBLIC SYLLABUS FOR THIS COURSE.

Fall 2025 Schedule

Date & Time
Details
Format
 
-
Monday 6:00PM - 9:00PM PT
Future Offering (Opens July 28, 2025 12:00:00 AM)
See Details
Instructor: Brittany Ackerman
404809
Fee:
$720.00
Live Onlineformat icon
Location: Remote Classroom
Updating...
See Details
Notes

No Meeting November 24, 2025. Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required.

Refund Deadline
Refunds only available from July 28, 2025 to October 05, 2025
Course Requirements

Internet access required to retrieve course materials.

Schedule
Type
Date
Time
Location
Online
Mon Sep 22, 2025
6:00PM PT - 9:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Mon Sep 29, 2025
6:00PM PT - 9:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Mon Oct 6, 2025
6:00PM PT - 9:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Mon Oct 13, 2025
6:00PM PT - 9:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Mon Oct 20, 2025
6:00PM PT - 9:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Mon Oct 27, 2025
6:00PM PT - 9:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Mon Nov 3, 2025
6:00PM PT - 9:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Mon Nov 10, 2025
6:00PM PT - 9:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Mon Nov 17, 2025
6:00PM PT - 9:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
Online
Mon Dec 1, 2025
6:00PM PT - 9:00PM PT
Remote Classroom
-
This section has no set meeting times.
Future Offering (Opens July 28, 2025 12:00:00 AM)
See Details
Instructor: Victoria Zackheim
404808
Fee:
$720.00
Onlineformat icon
Updating...
See Details
Notes

Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required.

Refund Deadline
Refunds only available from July 28, 2025 to October 05, 2025
Course Requirements

Internet access required to retrieve course materials.

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