In this Brown Bag Lunch craft session, we'll cover the definition and applications of "interiority," a term that seasoned writers like to use to describe moments when a piece of writing inhabits another individual's consciousness. With access to a character’s thought patterns, hidden desires, and gut reactions, the reader becomes an active participant in the character’s journey, perhaps coming to understand them even better than they understand themselves. Interiority also helps a writer create themes: being privy to a character’s interpretation of the exterior world invites a reader to consider that world from a fresh perspective. With passages from Anton Chekhov and Jesmyn Ward to guide us, we’ll develop strategies for constructing vivid inner lives for our characters and deepening our readers’ engagement and empathy.

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Whitney Bryant holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her work has appeared in The Georgia Review and One Story, and she is the fiction co-editor of the online journal Atlas + Alice: A Magazine of Intersections. In order to support her writing habit, she has taught literature and writing to high school students in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia over the past fifteen years. She has recently completed a novel in stories. A new arrival to Nashville along with her husband, dog, and cat, she is looking forward to exploring the area's arts scene and outdoor activities.