Writing the Braided Essay

Writing the Braided Essay
The braided essay is the name gifted to a form of essay writing that weaves together multiple threads of though--memory, critical analysis, cultural commentary, and other art form--to create this contentious form we call "the essay." From the French essais, "to seek" or "to wander," the essay's Western origin already implies this gradual accrual of thought, ideas, and discovery. In "Writing the Braided Essay," we will explore Western and non-Western iterations of the braided essay, experimenting with non-traditional forms such as the photo essay (using text and images) and the zuihitsu, that might allow us to best express our unique and tender obsessions in writing. This workshop invites close reading of braided essay examples from writers such as Lidia Yuknavitch and Melissa Febos in addition to that of our peers. With ample space for experimentation and generative writing, students will have the opportunity to workshop and fine-tune their braided essay-in-progress twice throughout the semester. By the end of the class, students will have fashioned all the threads of their braided essay into one cohesive and revised work.