Objects tell stories. They have biographies. They embody memory, loss, and complex emotions. This creative nonfiction workshop, which fiction writers may also find useful, will help you build confidence in your own voice and your ability to transform your thoughts, impressions, and experiences about the material world into narrative. In particular, we’ll consider how to write about everyday objects – ordinary, not extraordinary, things. Maybe you have a beloved old coffee mug. Or a book. Maybe you remember an object from a trip. Or maybe you lost something years ago you still think about. We’ll discuss structure and organization (especially beginnings and endings), concrete detail (and omission!), and the role of memory in writing. And we’ll read several short pieces together and use in-class writing exercises as a way to build towards larger projects.

NOTE: For the safety of all FWR participants, masks will be required at all indoor IN-PERSON FWR workshops and events. In addition, you must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, including at least one FDA-approved booster shot, to attend any IN-PERSON workshop. Instructions for submitting proof of vaccination will be provided in your order confirmation.

Susan Harlan is a writer based in Winston-Salem, NC, who is particularly interested in the relationship between place, memory, and objects. Her essays have appeared in publications including The Guardian US, The Paris Review Daily, Guernica, Roads & Kingdoms, Racked, The Morning News, The Awl, Curbed, Atlas Obscura, Nowhere, The Common, Literary Hub, The Bitter Southerner, The Brooklyn Quarterly, and Public Books. Susan writes about feminist issues for venues such as Jezebel, The Toast, DAME, The South Carolina Review, The Belladonna, Queen Mob's Tea House, and The Hairpin. She also writes satire for McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Avidly, Janice, and The Billfold.