Perusing the Personal Through Art

Service Description

In this four-session course, participants will craft creative nonfiction narratives that respond to various forms of art (music, movies, paintings, etc.) they have a connection with. By using writing techniques to capture our various experiences of other art forms to the page, we will endeavor to translate the unique and nuanced ways that those art works make us feel and the change they might inspire within us. The first half of each session will be spent discussing some craft techniques for writing about particular genres (i.e., films, music videos, etc.) and any relevant reading. The second half of the class will be allotted for writing and exploration. Together, we will read and discuss examples of writers responding to art in personal ways, particularly essays and poems; engage with generative writing prompts, and complete one round of workshop. Students will also have the opportunity to introduce the rest of the class to at least one work of art they find compelling. This class is open to students of all levels. Grace Morse (she/her) is a writer and third year MFA candidate in the Nonfiction Writing Program at Iowa. Originally from New Orleans, she writes memoir and cultural criticism rooted in curiosity about heritage and healing. Her essays have been shortlisted in CRAFT’s 2023 Flash Prose Prize and Brink's 2024 Literary Journal Award for Hybrid Writing. Her latest essay can be found in CRAFT Magazine.