ON HOPE: WRITING NEW REALITIES 

What role does hope play in crafting true stories well told? Do creative writers have a responsibility to give their readers hope? How might storytellers craft truer narratives about humankind by employing some optimism; and how might this practice help shape new realities? In this workshop, we will identify the effect of hopefulness in writing by Samantha Irby, Ashley C. Ford, Joan Didion, Brian Doyle, Hanif Abdurraqib, Joy Harjo, Roxane Gay and other artists. Discussions on the readings will help frame weekly generative writing prompts. Through collaborative-learning and constructive critique, students will have opportunities to engage with the art of revision on the levels of both sentence and overall structure. This workshop nurtures writers hoping to start new projects and those with a work in progress. By the end of the semester, students will learn to craft their creative nonfiction with more compassion and intention.