Chopped (Jody Hobbs Hesler)

Description:

Wednesdays, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Inspired by the TV cooking game show Chopped, this generative writing class will present students with a new "basket" of four "ingredients" each week. "Ingredients" will be drawn from these categories: situations, objects or places, restrictions (on form or style), and people or moods. During our writing time, each writer will not only include all four items, but must "transform" them so that they work together organically. Writers will share from what they've written with the group, and feedback will focus on how each writer has transformed the week's "ingredients." For the final class, students will present a revision of one of the exercises. Unlike the TV show, no one will be eliminated from the class! The hope is that facing these new challenges each week will invigorate our writing and open us to new creative directions, and that this approach to feedback will also open new ways for us to evaluate our work.

About the Instructor:

Jody Hobbs Hesler is the author of the novel Without You Here (Flexible Press) and the story collection What Makes You Think You’re Supposed to Feel Better (Cornerstone Press). Her other writing includes short fiction, feature articles, essays, and book reviews, which can be found in a range of journals including The Millions, Atticus Review, Arts & Letters, CRAFT, Pithead Chapel, Gargoyle, Raleigh Review, The Georgia Review, [PANK], Valparaiso Fiction Review, Virginia Wine & Country Life, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in fiction from Lesley University. Learn more about her writing at jodyhobbshesler.