“The world is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper,” — W.B. Yeats
Whether we’re writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or screenplays, the blank page is often a suffocating place. How do we introduce our characters? How do we introduce the themes, the politics, the spirit?
In this meditative two-week seminar, we will explore ways to “seal the vacuum” of the blank page by anchoring our narratives to a single, concrete object. Rather than rely on airy theory or what Wordsworth called “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings,” we will proceed from the credo that the world is made up of matter first and metaphor second. Through selected readings and in-class exercises, we will explore ways to ground our writing in the material world to honor the physical context of the ideas and emotions that drive us to the page.
Wesley Kocurek is a writer, editor, teacher, and former Park Ranger based out of Maine. He received his bachelors in history from Yale University and his MFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he specialized in fiction. He writes literary and genre fiction and has work featured in The Cincinnati Review.
"Wesley was a great instructor -- friendly, engaging, and clearly knowledgeable on the subject matter. I'd definitely take another class from him!"
