This NYC Level 1 class will be held in person at the Village Community School at 272 W. 10th Street.

This introductory Writers Studio workshop introduces fiction writers and poets to the philosophy on which The Writers Studio was founded in 1987 by Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Philip Schultz. Persona writing, a method of borrowing the voice and temperament of accomplished writers, offers writers the imaginative distance and perspective they need to overcome their negative inclinations, their fear of self-exposure and endless doubt. This method also helps writers try on different voices, or personas, to develop narrative and lyric voices to be used as a tool for unlocking one's most intimate and private stories and turning even their most difficult subject matter into inspiration for writing fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction.

Weekly exercises based on short pieces of published work are turned into assignments designed to introduce students to various literary styles and approaches and broaden their sense of what is possible in their own work. As the student’s understanding of technique deepens so does the clarity and emotional power of the writing.

Students who miss in-person classes due to a Covid infection are welcomed to rejoin the class after testing negative for Covid or five days after they have no symptoms. In-person classes are not recorded, so there will be no recording provided should a student miss class for any reason. Should the teacher test positive for Covid, class will either meet via Google Meet or a substitute teacher will be provided.

For more information, please call us at (212) 255-7075 or visit us on Facebook.

"Every week, I presented a new story. Finally something did click, the very thing that’s their specialty at The Writers Studio, emotional content. Before, my work was dead. When I brought in my breakthrough story, I felt I was carrying a weird animal in my bag. It was the first story I sold."

Jennifer Egan, former Writers Studio student, Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Instructor

Writers Studio Teacher

Andrea Marcusa

Andrea Marcusa’s literary fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Gettysburg Review, Citron Review, Baltimore Review, Raleigh Review and other publications. She’s received recognition for her writing in a range of competitions, including Smokelong, Cleaver, Southampton Review, Raleigh Review and others. Andrea began her career in newspapers and magazines where she earned bylines with The Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, and Glamour magazine. Her memoirs have been published in various collections, including In the Fullness of Time(Simon and Schuster). She studied English at University of London and Vassar College where she earned a B.A. Currently, she divides her time between creating literary works, teaching, and traveling to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. She is a member of The Writer’s Studio Master Class where she studies with Philip Schultz.

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