The Muse & The Marketplace 2024

How does where we’re from shape us? And how can we bring this into our own writing? “Place is not just what your feet are crossing to get to somewhere,” says Dorothy Allison in her essay “Place.” In this session, we’ll unpack that idea, and discuss the intersection of place and identity in fiction. We will read and analyze short place-based narratives and create one of our own through a series of short exercises. Using our childhood neighborhood as a starting point, we’ll spend time bringing it to life on the page using sensory details to fully immerse the reader in the space, paying special attention to the unique cultural markers of the neighborhood. You will leave with an understanding of the symbiotic relationship between place, identity, and character, and techniques to employ in your own writing long after the session ends.