The body is a notoriously difficult subject to write about, and often, the language available to articulate our experiences can feel clinical or medical.

In this short course and workshop, students will explore new ways to write about the illness, disability, or the body through experimental poetry and prose, moving beyond or subverting a medical perspective. Students will be given a variety of generative prompts, encouraging them to consider how a social, political, emotional, or personal lens interacts with narratives about the body. We’ll read work by writers doing innovative work around the body, illness, and disability, including Katie Farris, Elaine Scarry, Torrin A. Greathouse, Melissa Febos, Ilya Kaminsky, and Nicole Sealey, studying the craft behind them. Each student will have the opportunity to workshop at least one piece in a supportive environment (note that reading and responding to work ahead of time will be required).

The class is open to writers of any experience level with an interest in poetry, prose, or hybrid forms of writing. If you’re looking to discover a new approach to embodied writing, learn about experimental forms and language, or find new strategies to craft subversive narratives about the body, this class is for you!

About the Instructor

Mary Kate McGrath is a writer, educator, and disability advocate from Massachusetts. Her fiction has appeared in the Florida Review, Phoebe Journal, Tin House, and elsewhere. Her short story “Gorgeous Vibrations” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She has an MFA in fiction from Boston University.

Writing Subversive Body Narratives: 4 Week Course & Workshop with Mary Kate McGrath (all genres)