Sexuality on the Page

Sexual intimacy, one of the great common experiences of human life, is still somehow verboten, set apart. I write about that which interests me — desire and danger, connections and failures to connect — and sex is a pulsing intersection of those interests.

--Lisa Locascio, author of Open Me

"All humans are sexual beings and writing about sexuality is simply writing about life,” says instructor Jennifer Lewis. “Writing about sexuality doesn’t just mean sex scenes. Sexuality is also present in a person’s backstory, internal monologue, dialogue, and subtext. These motivations can range from evolutionary to emotional, from psychological to playful, and our willingness to write truthfully is what brings the writing alive.”

This 5-week class will be a safe space to explore intimacy, desire, obsession, and trauma through writing. It will also address taboos, clichés, and vulnerabilities that come with such explorations. When we begin to unpack our doubts and fears, we grow as storytellers. Each class will have writing prompts, short reading assignments, and discussions. We will read work from Roxanne Gay and Miranda July as well as local writers like Christine No and Kar Johnson. We will study sexuality in fiction, memoir, essay, creative non-fiction, and poetry, but participants can write in any genre they choose.

The class is good for beginners who want to generate new work as well as seasoned writers who want to layer and expand more dynamic possibilities.

Jennifer says, “By studying the language of a diverse group of female and non-binary writers, you will find your own voice and the freedom to write about the full spectrum of sexuality.”