Muse & the Marketplace 2019

Personal essays are a popular genre, and sometimes essayists consider turning their work into a collection. But the thought of forming essays into a book can feel daunting and perhaps intimidating. What order? What structure? Which essays fit, which don't, and what if there are "gaps" that must be filled? Most importantly, what is the abiding idea for the book, or the reason for the book’s existence? Coming to understand these answers is not always straightforward.

In this workshop, participants will learn tools and ideas to help writers find ways to begin to think about how a group of essays might become a book. Using these ideas and tools, writers will learn something more about their writing and the larger story of their work.