6 sessions, Thursdays, February 5 to March 12th, 8-9:30pm Eastern
online, 12 students max
$375
Enrollment Opens Jan 1, 2026
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This wide-ranging class dips our toes into some of the many hybrid, genre-blurring forms available to nonfiction writers today. We’ll investigate a variety of structures (including hermit crabs and braided researched essays), experiment with incorporating visual imagery into our work (no art skills necessary!), and dive into the expansive possibilities of speculative nonfiction. We’ll ask: how can stepping outside the bounds create new radical possibilities for our work? What opportunities do such forms provide for those of us whose voices are traditionally marginalized? How can experimenting with form bring joy and curiosity back into our writing?
This six-week course, taught by Jami Nakamura Lin, the author of the illustrated speculative memoir The Night Parade (Mariner/HarperCollins), is generative in nature. Expect hefty craft lectures, writing exercises, and vibrant discussion of our own writing process and work. Over our six weeks, we’ll discuss the expansive possibilities and definitions of the genre, learn specific craft skills, and play with the freedom that hybridity offers. Students will leave the class with a set of draft exercises that can be expanded into longer pieces, and knowledge of craft techniques that can be used in further work.
We will also look at sample texts from Carmen Maria Machado, Victoria Chang, Sarah Minor, Claudia Rankine, Sofia Samatar, the anthologies Family Resemblances, Shapes of Native Nonfiction, The Shell Game, and others. Our excerpts are pulled from the small and independent presses publishing some of the most exciting and dynamic hybrid work today. (However, because the class is designed to be flexible for those who cannot read outside of class, more time is spent on lecture, examples, and discussion of our own work/process than on assigned reading.)
While students will have the opportunity to read their writing aloud and receive brief constructive feedback, this class does not follow a traditional workshop format. Our focus is in learning, creating, and speculating.
Expect 1-2 hours of recommended (but optional!) reading and one optional take-home writing exercise per week. (This class is still suitable for students who aren’t able to complete any material outside of class.)
For an additional $50, students can meet with Jami for an hour to discuss up to 10 pages of their own work. Meeting must be scheduled within one month of class ending.
Enrollment opens January 1, 2026
About the Instructor
Jami Nakamura Lin is the author of the illustrated speculative memoir THE NIGHT PARADE (Mariner Books/HarperCollins, 2023), the winner of the 2024 Chicago Review of Books Award for Nonfiction. The Night Parade was named a Best Book of 2023 by Boston Globe and New York Magazine, and received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, and Library Journal. Jami has received support from organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts/Japan-US Friendship Commission, Folger Shakespeare Library, Macdowell, Yaddo, Sewanee, We Need Diverse Books, and the Illinois Arts Council. Her essays and stories have been published in The New York Times, Sewanee Review, and Passages North, among others. She teaches, edits, and coaches from outside Chicago.
Student Testimonials
“This class is amazing! I was a little intimidated at first, but Jami created such a welcoming and supportive environment. She introduced many specific techniques to analyze and try out in concrete ways. I love the focus on creation rather than critique. The environment and approach helped me let go and play with new approaches. Some of the exercises have grown into something larger, and I have a lot of new possible directions for my ongoing project. Our last class was the day after the election. I had been hiding out from people that day, feeling like possibilities in the world were shutting down on all sides, but going to this class helped me breathe, connect, and imagine possibilities again. Thank you!” — Student from Jami’s Writing Co-Lab class “Writing from the Boundaries”
“Jami is a fantastic instructor - I would take any course with her in a heartbeat! She is so compassionate and validating, with sensitivity to student needs.” — Student from Jami’s Writing Co-Lab class “Writing from the Boundaries”
“Jami was a fantastic instructor, from how she created a welcoming space, shared tools and lessons on spec nonfiction, to the readings she curated for us. I would recommend this class to others and would jump at the chance to take another class with Jami.” — Student from Jami’s Writing Co-Lab class “Writing from the Boundaries”
"Jami's generosity and wisdom as a teacher, thinker, and writer are unparalleled. Her transparency about her own process and her skillful way of meeting students where they're at provides inspiring encouragement and fortitude for the writing road ahead." - Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, award-winning author of THE FACT OF A BODY