An Invitation
Welcome
Every apartment in this building holds a true story. This course is for anyone who has wanted to tell one.
Under One Roof is a ten-session course in writing nonfiction — the true story told with the tools of literature. Over ten sessions we move through the essential forms of creative nonfiction: the place essay, the personal essay, memoir, flash and the lyric essay, the profile, oral history, the researched and braided essay, writing about art, and the playful “hermit crab” essay that borrows its shape from forms and notices.
Running through the whole course is a shared project. With every contributor’s consent, we will gather our best pieces into a collective memoir of our building — Under One Roof: Lives at 2601. The building is a remarkable subject. Designed by Paul Philippe Cret with Aaron Colish and opened in 1939, it was described in its day as one of the largest apartment buildings in the country under a single roof, and its lobby carries a New Deal tile mural called The History of Shelter (2601 Parkway history).
What This Course Is
A working course for adult readers and writers, taught in person. We read short, excellent pieces together, write by hand in class, and talk honestly about how true stories are made. Beginners and experienced writers are equally welcome.
What This Course Is Not
It is not a harsh workshop. There are no grades and no quizzes. No one will be asked to share writing they want to keep private, and nothing written about a neighbor leaves this room without that neighbor’s permission. Please read Writing Our Neighbors before Session 5.
A Few Promises to You
- I will not embarrass you. Nothing said in this room leaves this room.
- I will not ask you to share writing you do not want to share.
- Your stories belong to you. The anthology includes only what you choose to give it.