4 sessions, Mondays, October 5 to 26th, 7-9 pm EST
online
$395
Enroll in this class.
In this naughty foursome of classes, we'll look at the work of writers ranging from Marguerite Duras to Tony Morrison to Per Olov Enquist, in an effort to set down on the page the embodied desires that we, and our characters, struggle towards and against. We'll devote each week to a different aspect of sex, from foreplay to afterglow, from the fantasies we bear alone to the ecstasies of bodies in congress.
Week 1: The Waiting Is the Hardest Part: How to Foreplay (Oct. 5)
The pornification of culture has blinded us to the essential truth of sexuality, which is that desire is the engine of erotic endeavor. In this class, we'll focus on the fantasies, small gestures, and sensual particulars of courtship that propel us into acts of love.
Week 2: Auto Erotic: How to Pleasure Yourself on the Page (Oct. 12)
I know this sounds a bit untoward, but the truth is that much of the sex we have in this world is, well, self induced and self administered. In this class, we'll examine the precise ways in which we choose to give ourselves pleasure, the shame we carry about these ministrations, and sense of freedom we sometimes experience in the realm of onanism.
Week 3: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (Oct. 19)
There comes a time in every story when the protagonist at last--or all of a sudden--offers themselves up to the business of getting down. Whatever form this takes--and let's hope many!--our job this week will be to slow down and move past the gyrations of sex and into the corporeal, emotional, and psychological experiences of sex.
Week 4: Reaching Climax (Oct. 26)
After three long weeks, we've finally arrived. And it's no surprise that it took so long. Because the unspoken truth is that orgasm is an intensely personal and vulnerable place, a place where we surrender our attachment to order, anxiety and control and simply feel. It's intense and terrific and terrifying, and we'll use this week to explore the experience and its meaning.
Suggested companion text: Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories (Zando, April 2024)
Enroll in this class.
About the Instructor
Steve Almond is the author of twelve books of fiction and non-fiction including the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football. His first novel, Which Brings Me to You (co-written with Julianna Baggott) was made into way-better-than-he-expected movie starring Lucy Hale and Nat Wolff. His last novel, All the Secrets of the World, is in development for television by 20th Century Fox. His work has appeared in the Best American Short Stories, the Pushcart Prize, Best American Mysteries, and the NYT Magazine. His most recent book, Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow, is about craft, inspiration, and how to keep going at the keyboard. Almond teaches at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and lives outside Boston with his family and his anxiety.
Student Testimonials from Past Quartets
“Loved every minute and appreciate Steve’s creating a communal and supportive environment where story telling becomes a shared experience by reading our work aloud. Steve is well read and can make connections from the works of all kinds of artists to that of writers in the class. I think you can see how safe an environment Steve sets up by the incredible responses people give back in their writings.”
“Steve’s insights about each piece of shared writing is always deeply instructive for everyone, not just the individual writer. His prompts always lead me to unexpected places in my life that are grateful to be unveiled and reexamined.”
“I know you know, but let me reaffirm, Steve is a delightful, smart, kind, inclusive teacher. I think everyone in this group read aloud at least once. And the readings he sends us and the discussion about them has us all taking notes, for sure had me taking notes, which is fuel for tomorrow, for the days after the class.”
“Steve pushes me through my resistance of the moment to an opening filled with possibilities. His sharp analysis feels interwoven with an almost vulnerable appreciation of works he cites for examples, and then somehow he applies that skill to students’ work. There’s something about the bad boy in the background that makes it all work so well.”
“Steve’s talk in the beginning of each class emotionally and intellectually primes you to take risks that require an honesty that, on your own, is uncomfortable. It feels like a trespass on the people you love when you write so honestly. Steve encouraged a new definition of this trespass. It’s love. And then when you write, and hear other people’s writing–writing that was so raw and vulnerable–you approach your writing the next day with a new understanding of what you are trying to do. To tell the truth. My classmates were so inspiring. Usually my insecurity is driving intense criticism of others. I couldn’t imagine doing that in Steve’s class. He creates a safe and daring atmosphere that brings out my own need to support others, to walk away from my needy ego and be a part of a great group. And Steve is just a good guy. He’s funny, fair, knowledgable, encouraging, and leaks just the right amount of transgression to make the classes more like a rigorous discussion at a pub (in Liverpool and not London) without alcohol. Don’t know if that analogy works, but I would take his class again.”