How can poetics serve our most socially urgent writing? Writing about race [for example] is a polemic,” writes Cathy Park Hong, “but also a lyric, in that our inner consciousness is knotted with contradictions.” To investigate this convergence, this course explores the creative nonfiction resistance essay. We will read contemporary works by Aisha Sabatini Sloan, José Orduña, Sarah de Leeuw, and Lina María Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas—and, in honor the essay’s genre-defying roots, we will also read hybrid/fluid/genre-contested works by writers such as Tommy Pico and Claudia Rankine.
The Piper Writers Studio
Serving writers of all backgrounds, genres, and levels of experience
Not yet open for registration, please stay tuned for Fall 2021 classes!
Beyond our annual creative writing conference, the Piper Writers Studio is the educational arm of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University, offering creative writing classes, workshops, and other educational opportunities in in-person and online formats for writers of all backgrounds, genres, and levels of experience.
All classes are non-credit, and are intended for and open to the public. You do not need to be an ASU student to attend.
Students also have the opportunity to read at our annual Piper Writers Studio Showcase.
To learn more about the Piper Writers Studio, you can visit the about page or view upcoming classes below. You can also meet our instructors, view past classes, or even teach a class yourself.
For other educational opportunites, you can learn about our Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference.
For for-credit classes, you can contact the Creative Writing Program at Arizona State University.
Find Upcoming Classes and Workshops
Date: Mondays, November 29, 2021 - December 20, 2021, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Phoenix MST
Type: Craft Class
Genre: Creative Nonfiction, Essays, Journalism, Memoir, Research
Register for this Class
Type: Craft Class
Genre: Creative Nonfiction, Essays, Journalism, Memoir, Research
The Ones We Lost: Writing About Grief and Loss
Matt Ferraz
Date: TBD
Type: Craft Class
Genre: Autobiography, Creative Nonfiction, Memoir
Register for this Class
Type: Craft Class
Genre: Autobiography, Creative Nonfiction, Memoir
Losing a dear one is always a traumatic experience, and not everyone is ready to relive it. However, writing about loss can be an integral part of the healing process. This course was developed by author Matt Ferraz with the help of a qualified mortician and aims to present how to use literature to deal with grief and loss.
Pitch Sessions
Chantelle Aimée Osman
Date: Saturday, December 4, 2021, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Phoenix MST
Type: Meeting, Professional Development
Genre: Business of Writing
Register to pitch
Type: Meeting, Professional Development
Genre: Business of Writing
Has your work been sitting on your computer a moment? Did you finally finish your novel during NaNoWriMo? Pitch an actual acquiring editor, Chantelle Aimée Osman, your work. Have the opportunity to pitch for real and/or practice your pitch and get feedback from an expert. Each session is booked as 10 minutes of one-on-one time to ensure space for feedback.