"It's Complicated": Workshop, May 4 and May 6

Life is messy and no one is perfectly good or perfectly bad. How do we write truthfully about complicated, twisty, difficult-to-analyze situations and people?  What language and plot structures are available for us to convey all that complexity without assailing a reader with armchair psychology or providing endless analysis and alternative analysis (“it might have been because….”)? How can we render complexity of character and situation beautiful in prose? How can we write complexity so that it rings true and familiar to readers and, at the same time, illuminates human experience for us in a new way? How can we use humor in this pursuit?

As always, I address these dilemmas through literary examples that can teach us a range of possibilities. Texts will include: The Lying Life of Adults, Elena Ferrante; Payback, Mary Gordon; The Seven Good Years, Etgar Keret. I will crculate texts in advance of the workshop and recommend printing them.

19:00-21:00 Tuesday and Thursday, May 4 and May 6

Minimum/Maximum No. Participants: 8/15

Cost: 420 NIS or $125. Registration below. Payment can be made via bank transfer, cash, check, or Paypal and is necessary for holding your reservation. An email will give you payment details.

The class will take place via Zoom. Recording will be accessible to participants.

No previous experience required.