We all have a story buried within us. How to Write and Edit Personal Essays taps into the well of words that we all have. It is the perfect course for writers who are enthusiastic about starting their writing life by using themselves as the nucleus of the story.

Through reading prominent writers such as Roxane Gay, Joan Didion, and Hilton Als, students will learn how to take themselves and their writing seriously, by pulling meaning out of the mundane.

Open to beginner and intermediate writers.

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:
Zainab Khadijah Karim

Zainab Khadijah Karim is an Assistant Professor of English at National-Louis University and a published writer. She has written for Ebony,/Jet Magazine, MadameNoire, Revelist, midnight & indigo, and other online writing platforms. She created and edited a series called Shape of Pleasure during the summer of 2020 featuring personal essays and poetry that explored how Black women centered pleasure in their lives.

Course Takeaways

• Learn how to develop storytelling skills
• Different structures of personal essays
• How to become comfortable revising
• How to edit

Course Expectations

• Be open to writing about personal topics, sharing your writing through workshopping, and writing on the spot

Course Skeleton

• Week One: Choosing a Topic and Structure
• Week Two: Writing and Critiquing
• Week Three: How to Edit