5 GYASI HALL – PERSONAL ESSAY – FALL 2021

The Art and Craft of the Personal Essay: The Personal is Political

Fall 2021

MWF 10:30 am – 11:20 am

Instructor: Gyasi Hall (they/them)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The second-wave feminist axiom “The personal is political” is, in many ways, the foundational cornerstone to writing great personal essays. We all exist at the intersections of so many different identities and experiences and histories and legacies that any attempt to write about the nuances of our own lives is always going to be an attempt to engage and reconcile with the sometimes harsh, sometimes tender worlds we come from as well. In this class, we will be examining our definitions of a “Personal Essay” through reading multiple genres (traditional Personal essays yes, but also critical essays, profiles, lyric essays, poems, short stories, etc) and exploring the work of Joan Didion, Ross Gay, Danez Smith, Hanif Abdurraquib, Layli Long Soldier, James Baldwin, and many, many more, using them all as a springboard to write more honestly, lovingly, and insightfully about our own lives.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• Read some stuff! – I’m a firm believer in the idea that the way we talk about art is the way we talk about one another, and so whether you’re new to the genre or have been writing it for years, I want you to leave this course with a richer understanding of this strange chimera we call creative nonfiction. To achieve this, we’ll read lots of different work by lots of different writers, and while I don’t expect you to love everything we encounter together (in fact, I’m banking on constructive/interesting disagreement) my goal is for you to leave this course with some new favorites and a deeper awareness of and keener ability to articulate your own literary tastes/reading habits, and how those tastes/habits tie back to the larger political realities of writing itself, whatever side of the process you’re on.
• Write some stuff! – I want this course to help free us from the idea that everything we write has to be perfect. It’s a bit cliché, but the truth about writing is that it’s a process, filled with nothing but drafts and experimentation and, yes, failures, working off of one another to get us closer to what it is we are trying to say. Everything you turn in for this class, whether it’s the weekly generative writing exercises or the pieces you turn in for workshop, are drafts, not final products, and so should bear the marks of your efforts. I want us to try and approach our writing for this course like we might approach any other experiment: with care, curiosity, and a willingness to follow unexpected new developments, embracing the imperfect nature of creative writing while also taking care of ourselves and one another.
• Talk about stuff! – It’s difficult to share creative work, especially stuff that is more explicitly centered on personal material. I want us to honor that difficulty while still being open and honest with one another in the most constructive and supportive ways possible. I want us to work toward learning how to read and workshop one another’s writing in a way that is rigorous as well as loving, and that challenges our own assumptions of authority in our perspective as readers. The core principle of the course is to try and get away from the often toxic “thing good/thing bad” default that so much of quote-unquote critique tends to fall into. I want us to embrace nuance and have real conversations about everything we read in this class, conversations that are fruitful for everyone involved in the discussion. This will involve re-tooling the traditional workshop model and reframing how we think about ideas of craft in many different ways.
• Make some frenz! – I hope that we can foster a genuine community in this class, and that we leave this course with new relationships and connections. You are all writers, and regardless of what the stereotypes may lead you to think, writers need community. Hopefully we can achieve something like that by semester’s end.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS

Even the most seemingly anodyne personal writing requires a dash of vulnerability, and it’s absolutely crucial that we respect that willingness to be open. The essays you read and write in this course will include real information about real events from real lives, and our readings and conversations will undoubtedly veer into sensitive territory at times. I’m expecting everyone to approach every piece of writing (published and classmate-written), every conversation, and every person with the utmost respect, curiosity, and kindness. Here’s how that will look for our class:

• I will not tolerate hate in any form, particularly attacks on the basis of identity, nor will I allow any other speech or writing or action that attempts to threaten or degrade others.
• I will not accept any work that contains graphic violent images, graphic sex, or any other content that is intended to offend me or your peers. I want you to create work that is complicated and that challenges both you and your readers, but there is a difference between complicated work and work that intends to shock and/or express hate. The latter is not welcome in this course.
• Note that if I read material that threatens harm to yourself or to others, I am required to report it.
• Do not repeat aloud slurs or other hate speech even if they appear in the texts we are discussing.
• Do not submit work about me, your classmates, or this class.
• Do not share any of your classmates’ writing with anyone who is not enrolled in this course unless they have given you explicit permission to do so.
• Take care to remember your classmates’ pronouns and how to pronounce their names. If you slip up, correct yourself and move on.
• Ask questions when you don’t understand.

The bottom line: Be respectful and be willing to learn from each other. If you are concerned about any of this, or if you feel at any point that our class is not living up to this promise, please write me directly.

REQUIRED TEXTS & TECHNOLOGY POLICY

Because we’re going to be writing shorter pieces, and because I don’t want access to be an issue, since the machinations of acquiring books is often way more limiting and unnecessary than the book itself is helpful, you won’t need to buy any books for this class. Everything we’ll be reading are going to be provided by me via link or pdf. In addition, to continue making things as easy as possible, and because I still have mental scars from desperately hunting down printers before class as an undergrad, I won’t require you to print out the readings: you’re allowed to use your laptops/various devices in class to take/look over notes and have access to whatever piece we’re talking about.

HOWEVER

This is a seminar-based class, and so it is up to y’all to engage with the work and with one another to have thoughtful conversations. I’m here mostly as a facilitator, not as some ultimate authority. What this means is that I’m trusting you to read the assignments thoroughly and to come to class prepared with lots to talk about: what you appreciated, what you didn’t like, questions you have, passages you dug, etc. Don’t use the chance to brings screens to class as a chance to half-ass your participation. You’re grade will suffer for it, and we’ll have to go back to the analog stuff if I get a sense that the various devices are too distracting. That’s dumb, I don’t wanna do that, don’t make me do that.

GRADE BREAKDOWN

Speaking of dumb, I personally don’t think grades in a creative writing class make much sense/are particularly helpful, but I have to format the class someway, so here’s what I’ve come up with.

Participation – 50%

Generative Exercises – 15%

Workshop essay 1 + Debriefing – 5%

Workshop essay 2 + Debriefing – 5%

Final Portfolio + Reflection – 25%

• Participation – Again, this is a discussion-based course, so I need you to come to class, read the work thoroughly, contribute to the discussion, take honest stabs at the prompts that I present, and just generally make a genuine effort to engage with me, yourselves, and each other. That’s literally it: show up and do the work and you’ll be fine. As far as attendance goes, I’m allowing up to 2 absences without penalty, and any unexcused absences after that results in a letter grade being taken off your final participation grade. Note that your two allotted absences only apply to non-workshop class days: unexcused absences on workshop days will result in a letter grade being taken off your final participation grade automatically. This may seem harsh, and it kind of is, but I’m very flexible and understanding when it comes to emergencies, sickness, mental health needs, family stuff, and just straight up not wanting to come to class. That’s not what this is about. These policies are in place to encourage you not to disrespect you classmates and leave them hanging by not contributing to workshop. If you need to skip class for whatever reason, skip our writing days and our reading discussion days. Miss my stuff, not each other’s.
• Generative Exercises – Most of our non-workshop Fridays are going to be dedicated to writing together: I’m going to give you a prompt on Wednesday based on questions and ideas brought up by our discussion of the reading, and we’ll all meet in class to free write and share/talk about our work. This is so A) you can get used to sharing work in a low stakes way, B) you can engage with the readings more pragmatically, and C), you have space to write stuff that may or may not turn into something you can submit to workshop. You’re then going to post these on icon so I can mark you as having done it for that week. I might give you little notes of encouragement, highlight stuff I like or things I’m interested in, but beyond that this part of your grade is all about completion: I just want to see that you are grappling with what we read/talk about in class. Because writing is about drafting, and this course is all about reconsidering our ideas around production and “the process” when it comes to examining our own lives, it doesn’t make sense for me to give you marks out of ten or whatever, because that’s not the point. The point is to think through these things creatively. I also know that the act of sharing your work with one another, of dismantling some of that preciousness, is already quite a lot to ask.
• Workshop essays + Debriefings – This is another thing that is just about completion. The essays you turn in for workshop are going to be between 2 and 8 pages, not including a cover letter, which will provide a bit of context about the process of writing the piece and a set of 3 specific questions you have about going forward in order to begin workshop conversation. After the workshop, we’ll schedule a time to meet on zoom to talk about how you felt the workshop went, where you’re heads at with the draft, some of my notes/comments, etc.
• Final Portfolio + Reflection – Your final portfolio will consist of:
• Your two strongest generative exercises (according to you)
• A substantial revision of Essay 1 or 2 (we’ll discuss what constitutes a “substantial revision”)
• The original draft of the essay you revised
• A 2-3 page (double-spaced) letter of reflection on your revision and selection process, including thoughts on at least one assigned reading that inspired your writing in some way

GRADING POLICY

I follow the university’s guidelines on what constitutes what grade, so it should be pretty self-explanatory.

A: 90-100%

B+: 87-89%

B: 83-86%

B-: 80-82%

C+: 77-79%

C: 73-76%

C-: 70-72%

D+: 67-69%

D: 63-66%

D-: 60-62%

F: 0-59%

A: Excellent work that shows initiative and sophisticated critical thought and dedication to the creative process. A-level work shows effort far beyond any given assignment’s minimum requirements. The writer can effectively analyze, reflect, and revise, and pushes themselves and takes risks in service of the work.

B: Strong work that shows an above-average commitment to critical thought and creativity. B-level work shows effort that exceeds the minimum requirements. The writer attempts to analyze, reflect, and revise, and takes some risks.

C: Adequate work that meets the minimum requirements of the course without exceeding them. The writer’s work would benefit from a stronger commitment to the creative process. The writer attempts to analyze, reflect, and revise, but the results are superficial, and any risks that are taken are not in service of the work.

D: Weak or undeveloped work that does not meet the minimum requirements and shows a lack of critical thought with an inadequate level of creative effort. The writer does not fully attempt or engage with analysis, reflection, or revision. The work submitted does not reflect the writer’s potential.

F: Unacceptable work that makes no attempt to satisfy the requirements of the course. This writer’s work exhibits a fundamental disinterest in the creative process and ignores feedback. The work is incomplete or plagiarized.

WORKSHOP GUIDELINES

You will be workshopping 2 essays with the class. We’ll talk more about what workshop entails when we get closer to our first one, but the gist is: each essay will be workshopped for about 20-25 minutes, and these will be writer-led workshops, meaning you’ll need to come prepared with questions about your own draft. I will share thorough workshop guidelines with you in the coming weeks.

The schedule is going to play out like this. If you’re being workshopped on a Monday, you’re going to need to turn in your essay/questions on that previous Friday by 11:59 pm. If you’re being workshopped on a Wednesday, you’re going to need to turn in your essay/questions on that previous Sunday by 11:59 pm, and if you’re being workshopped on a Friday, you’re going to need to turn in your essay/questions on that previous Tuesday by 11:59 pm.. This way everyone has two solid days to read the work.

If your workshop is within 48 hours and you still haven’t submitted your draft, or you are absent the day you’re scheduled to be workshopped, you will forfeit your chance to be workshopped that round and will those lose participation points unless you’ve made prior arrangements with me. It should also be noted that I understand how nerve wracking it can be to go first in a workshop, and I started writing by doing slam, so if any of you are familiar with the idea of the “sacrificial poet” in that context, we’re going to do something similar here. Our first workshop is going to be with a sample piece of writing I provide in order to get us warmed us, and so that none of y’all are technically first to go.

PLAGIARISM POLICY

Submitting work that is not your own in a workshop-based course is a waste of everyone’s time, including yours. If I have identified a plagiarized assignment, it will receive a zero. If this ever applies to you, we will meet to discuss it. Note that reusing an assignment you did for another course is considered plagiarism. All work you submit for this course should be completed specifically for this course.

EMAIL POLICY
I welcome you to email me questions and concerns you have throughout the semester. However, if you ask me something that can be answered by this syllabus, I will direct you back to it, or to our “Course Guidelines” page on ICON, where this information will also be posted.

Only email me with your university (@uiowa.edu) email address. I will not respond to emails from non-@uiowa.edu email addresses. Though I will often respond sooner, please allow me 48 hours to respond before checking in again. If it is an urgent matter, say so in your subject line. And check your email regularly to make sure you don’t miss any messages from me about class meetings.

I won’t discuss grades over email, so if you’d like to talk about how you’re doing or how you can improve your grade, schedule a meeting with me.

FINAL EXAM POLICY

We do not have a final exam in this course. We will be completely finished on the Friday of the week before finals week, December 10th.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Like everything else in this syllabus, everything is subject to change! Always check your email/ICON for most up-to-date version

Week One: Introduction and What Even Is An Essay Anyway?

Monday, August 23rd

• Intros and Syllabus Stuff

Wednesday, August 25th

• Discussion: What is an Essay?
• “College Avenue, Halloween, 2002” by Hanif Abdurraqib

Friday, August 27th

• Writing Day!

Week Two: Voice and Persona

Monday, August 30th

• “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved” by Hunter S. Thompson
• “Driving with Mom” by Brittany Means

Wednesday, September 1st

• “how many of us have them?” by Danez Smith
• “Malfunctioning Sex Robot” by Patricia Lockwood

Friday, September 3rd

• Writing Day!

Week Three: Writing about Trauma

Monday, September 6th

• Labor Day = No Class!

Wednesday, September 8th

• “Fourth State of Matter” by Jo Ann Beard
• “Thanksgiving in Mongolia” by Ariel Levy

Friday, September 10th

• Excerpt from Heavy by Kiese Laymon
• Discussion: Audience and the Personal Essay

Week Four: Criticism as Personal Essay

Monday, September 13th

• “One American Goes to See ’30 Americans’” by Aisha Sabatini Sloan
• “How Tracy Austin Broke My Heart” by David Foster Wallace

Wednesday, September 15th

• “Astral Weeks” by Lester Bangs
• “Fall Out Boy Forever” by Hanif Abdurraqib

Friday, September 17th

• I’m out of town = No Class!

Week Five: 1st Workshop, Pt. 1

Monday, September 20th

• Discussion: Workshop Rules/Etiquette
• Practice Workshop

Wednesday, September 22nd

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Friday, September 24th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Week Six: 1st Workshop, Pt. 2

Monday, September 27th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Wednesday, September 29th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Friday, October 1st

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Week Seven: 1st Workshop, Pt. 3

Monday, October 4th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Wednesday, October 6th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Friday, October 8th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Week Eight: Some Staples of the Form

Monday, October 11th

• “The White Album” by Joan Didion
• “Total Eclipse” by Annie Dillard

Wednesday, October 13th

• “Notes of a Native Son” by James Baldwin

Friday, October 15th

• Writing Day!

Week Nine: Form and Content

Monday, October 18th

• Excerpt from The Body by Jenny Boully
• Excerpt from In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

Wednesday, October 20th

• “Whereas” by Layli Long Soldier
• “Note” by Elissa Washuta

Friday, October 22nd

• Writing Day!

Week Ten: TBD

Monday, October 25th

• Something!

Wednesday, October 27th

• Something else!

Friday, October 29th

• Another thing idk!

Week Eleven: 2nd Workshop, Pt. 1

Monday, November 1st

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Wednesday, November 3rd

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Friday, November 5th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Week Twelve: 2nd Workshop, Pt. 2

Monday, November 8th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Wednesday, November 10th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Friday, November 12th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Week Thirteen: 2nd Workshop, Pt. 3

Monday, November 15th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Wednesday, November 17th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Friday, November 19th

• Workshop for _______ and ________

Week Fourteen: Break!

Thanksgiving = No Class!

Week Fifteen + Sixteen: Working on your Portfolios

Maybe also some readings, but mostly just time for conferences if you need me