Sexual and Erotic Writing
Instructor: Mary Anne MohanrajKearny Street Workshop, San Francisco
July 7 - August 23
Monday evenings, roughly 7-9ish
Cost: TBD, but in the $125 range for eight weeks
In this course, we will explore various aspects of sexual, sensual and erotic writing. We will experiment with poetry, fiction and non-fiction, exploring the powerful and often difficult elements of sex-related literature. We will examine such aspects as:
- the language of sexuality (clinical vs. crude vs. what?)Students will be encouraged to push their own boundaries, to take risks with their writing, in a safe and nurturing workshop environment.
- the technical differences between erotic fiction and soft/hard porn
- the power of reclaiming one's own sexual experience through memoir
- the ethics of sexual writing (especially within an Asian and/or female experience)
This will be a writing-intensive class, with an emphasis on group participation and critique. Each student will finish the workshop with at least one complete piece in the genre of their choice, suitable for submission; we will also review markets for erotica and sexual writing. There will be brief assigned readings, primarily excerpts from such authors as Anais Nin, Nicholson Baker, Ginu Kamani, Chitra Divakaruni, Maxine Hong Kingston, etc.
Kearny Street is an organization devoted to producing and presenting art that enriches and empowers Asian Pacific American communities. This course is, however, open to all, though there will be at least some class time spent discussing representations of sexuality within an ethnic/minority context.
For more information, including details on how to sign up, send e-mail to info@kearnystreet.org or call 415.503.0520 and ask for Sam.