Personal experience can give a voice to the issues that matter most. In How to Write a Reported Essay, you'll learn how to write compelling, reported essays - pieces that use a blend of reporting and personal narrative to tell a story or make a point - that you can use to connect with the world around you.

During this 5-week course, we’ll walk through the elements of a reported essay, the reporting and writing processes, study and analyze essays by great contemporary writers including Tiffanie Drayton, Caity Weaver, Qudsiya Naqui, and Michelle Singletary, and provide tips on revising and pitching to publications.

Each class will feature lecture, group discussion, and hands-on exercises to guide students through the steps of creating a reported essay on the topic of your choice. By the course's end, you will ideally have a solid first draft.

Open to beginner and intermediate essayists.

All class meetings will be held via Zoom. The link to join your Zoom classroom will be provided on the morning of your class. Please check spam folders if you do not receive an email confirmation upon registration. For more information on how to download or use Zoom, please click here.

 Meet Your Instructor: Sean Collins

Sean Collins is a writer and editor at Vox, where he focuses on U.S. politics and policy. He edits writers covering Congress and the Biden administration; his writing focuses on policing and Black Americans. Prior to Vox, he worked at Blavity, where he wrote and edited stories on topics ranging from politics to technology to entertainment. He loves art, writing, cooking, and biking. Originally from Chicago, he currently lives in Washington, DC.

Course Skeleton

• Week One: Introductions and Foundation
• Week Two: Reporting, Interviews, and Sources - Preparing to Write
• Week Three: Actually Writing
• Week Four: Editing & Revision
• Week Five: Refining Drafts and Pitching

We offer full refunds for cancellation with written notice up until 7 days before your class start date. From 6 days to more than 24 hours before class begins, we offer a 25% refund. If you drop a class less than 24 hours before the class begins or after it has started, you are ineligible for a refund.