Class Listings

Spring Forward

Beginning this quarter, we're raising tuition for only the second time in 11 years. A six-week class will now cost $215 for nonmembers and $193.50 for members—up about 10% since 2003. (For comparison's sake, in the same time period the cost of a first class postage stamp rose 24%, from .33 to .41; a loaf of whole wheat bread jumped more than 70%, going from $1.75 to $2.99 and a gallon of gas—well, don't even get us started on the price of gas!)

We think you're getting a real bang for your buck here at Hugo House, with classes taught by extraordinary teachers such as Priscilla Long, Wendy Call and Angela Jane Fountas, to name just a few—not to mention poetry and prose Master Classes facilitated by David Wagoner and Rebecca Brown. There's also terrific value in our one- and two-day classes: Elizabeth Hand's “This Is the Way the World Ends,” Anna Balint's “Dressing Up in the Language of Others,” Alice Acheson's publishing workshops “You're Writing the Manuscript, Now What?” and “The Greatest Marketing Tool of All” and many more. Finally, we have a sprinkling of reading classes as well, on Proust, Joyce, Plath and Shakespeare's Rome.

And don't forget that scholarships are available—thanks to those who have generously supported our scholarship fund.

MASTER CLASSES
Hugo Master Classes are offered twice a year, in fall and spring quarters. These 10-week classes are different from our six-week classes in that they are based on the workshop model, in which students read and comment critically on each other's work. The focus of the Master Classes is on revision of existing work, not on generating new work.

Master Class in Poetry
The instructor will offer examples from the poetry of the past and present and will ask students to bring some examples from their own reading, but the main work will be critiquing the students' own poems. The workshop will reinforce the connections among sound, rhythm and meaning by the close reading of the students' work and by examples offered by the instructor and the students from their outside reading. The instructor will suggest, explain and demonstrate methods of creating, organizing and self-criticizing that should help the students work toward the best poems they can write.
Instructor: David Wagoner
Meets: Mondays, Mar. 17–May 19, 7–9 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $325  Member: $292.50

Master Class in Prose
This class is for writers who are already engaged in long-term, ongoing projects in fiction (novel, short story, cross genre or prose poetry). The class will explore new tools for thinking about, re-vision-ing and personally revising work in progress. Class meetings will consist of readings and discussion of published work chosen by the instructor and participants with an eye to addressing specific problems/issues participants are encountering in their own work in progress, and brief critiques of new participant work presented orally. Though this is not a venue in which to get long work critiqued, each participant may also have up to 15 photocopied pages of his/her work read and critiqued by the instructor. This means that about one third to one half of the class will be spent workshopping student work.
Instructor: Rebecca Brown
Meets: Mondays, Mar. 17–May 19, 7–9 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $325  Member: $292.50

SIX-WEEK CLASSES

Writing from the Body
We think of writing as clean creation, an act of intellectual rigor. Great writing, however, comes from being a body in the world, dragging a pen across the page and working with our muscle memory to elicit experiences out of thin air. In this class, we'll eat food, stretch our bodies, meditate for a few moments, take walks, and use other forms of goofiness to listen to our bodies. We'll also learn how to construct sentences that will be a physical experience for the reader.
Instructor: Shauna James Ahern
Meets: Tuesdays, April 8–May 20 (no class on May 13), 4–6 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

Exploring the Prose Poem
Let's break rules, not lines! Here's a chance for poets to raid that “other world” of prose, for fiction writers to explore what Russell Edson calls “a poetry free from the definition of poetry, a prose free of the necessities of fiction.” Go ahead, squeeze a life's story onto a postcard. A manifesto onto a postage stamp. Make a paragraph a poem. This course explores the oxymoronic world of the prose poem. We will read voraciously, write generatively and respond to each other's writing to begin discovering the intensity, economy and freedom this form requires of and makes possible for writers.
Instructor: Andrew Michael Roberts
Meets: Tuesdays, April 8–May 13, 7–9 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

Proust—“Sodom and Gomorrah” (a reading class)
Now halfway through Marcel Proust's “In Search of Lost Time,” the Proust reading group will enter the world of “Sodom and Gomorrah,” the fourth novel of Proust's masterwork. Marcel returns to the wonderful seaside town of Balbec, familiar characters take on unexpected qualities, love and jealousies intensify, scandals erupt, and so much more. Participants will read C.K. Scott Moncrieff's translation (Modern Library, 1993). The group will discuss pages 1–120 at our first meeting.
Instructor: Chris Harris
Meets: Tuesdays, April 8–May 13, 7–9 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

Six Keys to Nonfiction Prose
Six weeks, six keys. In each class session, we'll explore one essential element of creative nonfiction: the first-person narrator, strong character development, the narrative arc, true-to-life scenes, compelling theme and that elusive thing called “style.” We'll dissect great examples from masters of the genre—including James Baldwin, Joan Didion, George Orwell and David Foster Wallace, looking at the gorgeous rooms they unlock with these six keys. In each class, we'll also roll up our sleeves and get to writing, putting our new skills to work in our nonfiction prose.
Instructor: Wendy Call
Meets: Wednesdays, April 9–May 14, 4–6 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

Penman (a James Joyce reading class)
The theory is that James Joyce had two careers: in the first, he wrote a collection of simple stories followed by a lyrical debut novel (“Dubliners,” “Portrait of the Artist”) that readers absorb and forget in the time-honored way, through high school English classes. Then he made salad of the language, mixing fragment, dream and a new thing, interior monologue, to introduce one mind-bending novel (“Ulysses”) to the world and then one novel for dictionary addicts (“Finnegans Wake”). We will read “Dubliners,” all of it, and the then the first six chapters of “Ulysses” to map how the bigger, bristling book drives out of the thruways of the smaller, lighter one. Students will need to purchase “Dubliners” (Penguin) and “Ulysses” (Modern Library).
Instructor: Lyall Bush
Meets: Wednesdays, April 9–May 14, 7–9 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

The Art of the Sentence, the Art of the Paragraph
In this intense craft course we will scrutinize virtuoso sentences (first three weeks) and virtuoso paragraphs (second three weeks) written by first-rate writers, and we'll deepen our craft skills by writing or revising our own sentences and paragraphs using analogous moves. The weekly assignment will be to compose particular kinds of sentences and paragraphs, working to get them as close to brilliant as we can. This course is suggested for writers of all levels interested in revising across several short works or across a book in progress. Come to class with a notebook to write in. No laptops in class, please.
Instructor: Priscilla Long
Meets: Wednesdays, April 9–May 14, 7–9 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

To the End of the World and Beyond with Pablo Neruda: Al Fin Del Mundo y Mas Alla con Pablo Neruda (a reading class)
From the heights to the shores at the end of the world (and beyond) with Pablo Neruda.  We continue the journey with the poet in his full powers—from the grand sweep of “Canto General,” to the intimacy of “The Captain's Verses,” through his “Elemental Odes” and other wanderings—“Extravagaria,” “Fully Empowered,” and finally, the “Stones of Chile,” a song to the minerals of his country, his “End of the World,” “House in the Sand,” “The Book of Questions” and his poetic summation: “Isla Negra: A Notebook.” We will come full circle, boarding the barcarole of poetry to make the crossing to “the other shore . . . .” This class is suitable for both English and Spanish speakers—poetry will be the universal language!
 
Desde las alturas a las orillas al fin de mundo (y más allá) con Pablo Neruda.  Continuaremos el viaje con el poeta en sus plenos poderes—desde su obra maestra universal, “Canto general” hacia las intimidades de “Los versos del capitán”. Pasaremos  por sus "Odas elementales" y otros vagabundeos—“Estravagario,” "Plenos poderes,” y finalmente  “Las piedras de Chile,” canto a los minerales de su país,  “La casa en la arena”, “El libro de las preguntas” y el resumen de su vida en “Memorial de Isla Negra.”  Finalmente, volveremos al punto de partida, al abordar su barcarola poética para hacer la travesía a “la otra orilla . . . . ”  Esta clase es apropiada para los de habla hispana e inglés—¡la poesía será el idioma universal!
Instructors: Eugenia Toledo Keyser & Carolyne Wright
Meets: Wednesdays, April 9–May 14, 7–9 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General $215  Member: $193.50

The Zen of Writing Poetry
Based on the concept of developing open forms in poetry, this course is designed for would-be poets—i.e., working practitioners who want to understand writing poetry from the inside out. As a frame of reference for our writing and discussions, we will make use of the poems/ aphorisms/ parables of poet/ philosopher Lu Chi, written circa 200 A.D.—then add two other ingredients: reading and listening to our own work; and challenging our own sense of language patterns. Our goal is a modest portfolio of four to six poems generated from exercises and craft conversations. Recommended text: Lu Chi's “Wen Fu: The Art of Writing,” translated by Sam Hamill (Milkweed Press).
Instructor: JT Stewart
Meets: Thursdays, April 10–May 15, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

Eternal Persons of the Poem: Writing from Myth and Fairy Tales
Gods and mythic personas play in and out of our literature and, through their stories, help us understand our own lives. Poet Robert Duncan calls them “eternal persons of the dream,” and they live in our deepest psyches. We will explore those archetypes by looking at poems based on the truth and life of myth and the dark heart of fairy tales, from writers including H.D., Homer, Denise Levertov, Carolyn Kizer, Diane diPrima, Margaret Atwood and Robert Duncan, and write our own poems based on mythic consciousness. There will be both in-class and out-of-class writing prompts and end-of-term conferences with the instructor.
Instructor: Judith Roche
Meets: Thursdays, April 10–May 15, 4–6 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

Getting Great Stories from Others
Whether you're writing fiction or nonfiction, the experiences of others can be a gold mine of inspiration. This class will teach you how to collect such stories through interviews. We will cover the “how” of an interview—setting it up, doing research, formulating questions that will elicit great answers and handling the logistics of an actual interview. Then, we'll interview people, at least three individuals for three kinds of stories: a profile, a creative nonfiction narrative and a short fiction piece. Taking this class will help you develop interview skills. You also will leave with three potentially publishable works.
Instructor: Himanee Gupta-Carlson
Meets: Thursdays, April 10–May 15, 4–6 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

Read to Write Short Stories
Dave Eggers said in a book blurb that reading Paris Review interviews is “the closest thing to an M.F.A. that you can get while sitting alone on your couch.” In this class, we'll read Paris Review interviews of and short stories by writers such as Amy Hempel and William Trevor. The interviews will spark conversations about the writing habit and process, and the stories about the elements of fiction in action. We'll use what we read as a jumping off point for short, in-class writing exercises and optional out-of-class assignments. This class is for writers who are enthralled by the short story and all its possibilities and who aspire to publish and/or take the M.F.A. route.
Instructor: Angela Jane Fountas
Meets: Thursdays, April 10–May 15, 7–9 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

Uncreative Writing
Have you ever been frightened by the glacial expanse of the blank page? Has an unusual text—like an aeronautics manual—ever struck you as delightfully strange and suggestive? In this class we will explore varieties of “found” poetry, working with already existing texts and employing techniques such as erasure and collage and cut-up to make new pieces of writing. We will avoid the blank page, but we will embrace the white space, the novel relationships and meanings that can arise when we eradicate words or rearrange their order. We will look at work by Tom Phillips, Mary Ruefle and William Burroughs, among many others, for guidance and inspiration.
Instructor: Ariana Kelly
Meets: Thursdays, April 10–May 15, 7–9 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

Shakespeare's Rome (a reading class)
What are the roads that led Shakespeare to Rome? Among the centers of the Bard's work is the great trilogy of “Julius Caesar,” “Antony and Cleopatra” and “Coriolanus.” With some aid from commentators such as Dr. Johnson, T. S. Eliot and William Shatner, we'll look at how Shakespeare established a freedom of address in things Roman not quite found in things English. Come experience anew the calculating ambition of Caesar and the honor of Brutus, the “triple pillar of the world” that is Antony and the “infinite variety” that is Cleopatra, as well as the alienation and disgust of Coriolanus; let's see how history becomes fiction and fiction history.
Instructor: Thomas Pfau
Meets: Saturdays, April 12–May 17, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $215  Member: $193.50

ONE-DAY AND TWO-DAY CLASSES

Scripting the Graphic Novel for Writers and Artists
The graphic novel has come into its own as a Pulitzer Prize-winning literary form and the inspiration for many feature films. Whether your story is pure fantasy or gritty nonfiction, as the auteur of your graphic novel you have complete control of your personal vision. Bring your idea, life story, intriguing scenario or blank page to this class and find out how to build your graphic novel from the ground up. Explore common sense techniques that will help you develop themes, structure your story and create legendary characters. Your finished product will engage the reader and easily translate to the silver screen. If you can draw a stick figure, you're ready for this class! Instructor will e-mail students before class with a list of materials to bring.
Instructor: Shary Flenniken
Meets: Saturday, April 12, 1–5 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $95  Member: $85.50

Dressing Up in the Language of Others
Does your language sometimes feel stale? Flat? Contrived? Long-winded? In this class we will “try on” language borrowed from an array of brilliant authors and poets—their rhythms, syntax, sentence structures and more—and in the process expand and revitalize our own language usage. Come prepared to do lots of writing experimentation and reading out loud, learning to truly hear the sounds of words on the page as you pen your way to amazing sentences, astounding paragraphs and invigorating word choices.
Instructor: Anna Balint
Meets: Saturday, April 12, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $130  Member: $117

How to Sell Your Work Without Selling Your Soul (The Art of Marketing)
Pitches, platforms, proposals, promotion—what do these goofy marketing terms have to do with good writing? Plenty. Learning the ins and outs of publishing may seem counterintuitive (even crass!) to the heart and soul of the creative writer, but a basic understanding of the marketplace is a necessity these days. In this class, we'll look at various market resources/strategies to help you place your short stories, personal essays, travel memoirs, how-to books and novels. From the dos and don'ts of pitching to the various ways to build a platform to figuring out when you need an agent, a book proposal or a blog, you'll learn how to best sell your work without selling your soul.
Instructor: Diane Mapes
Meets: Saturday, April 19, 1–5 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $95  Member: $85.50

Haiku: It's Bigger Than You Think
Kigo, kireji, shasei? What do these terms have to do with haiku? Come to this lecture/writing workshop to learn the myths and realities of haiku as a literary art. Explore the history of haiku in Japanese and English and learn key strategies for writing haiku, including season words, juxtapositional structure (cutting words), objective imagery, and more—and why haiku in English generally shouldn't be 5-7-5 syllables. Come prepared to learn about and write haiku and related arts including senryu, renku, rengay, haibun, haiga and tanka. Copious handouts, a slide show and more!
Instructor: Michael Welch
Meets: Saturday, April 19, 1–5 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $95  Member: 85.50

Poet as Witness: Writing About Historical Traumas
We will use newspaper articles, photos and objects as launch points into new poems inspired by 9/11, the war in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the Indonesian tsunami (2004) and Darfur to create several free writes that will be polished into strong poems that sing, cry and rage with authentic voices. Participants will leave with several poems inhabited by strong, authentic voices. The guided in-class exercises will explore ways of finding and generating the truth in your “voice” and in your work as we revise and refine the new work created in this workshop.
Instructor: Alexandria Red
Meets: Saturday, May 10, 1–5 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $95  Member: $85.50

Flash Fiction: Write Prose Like a Poet
A short-short story has two requirements, says Fred Chappell: “that it be quite short (under 2,000 words) and that it be troubling.” In this class we'll discuss how various authors' short-shorts (e.g. work by Joyce Carol Oates, Langston Hughes, Raymond Carver, Franz Kafka) are driven by particular elements of craft (tension, plot, subtext, characterization). Next, we'll begin to compose our own short-shorts by responding to in-class writing exercises specifically designed to help writers write succinctly while suspending disbelief.
Instructor: Janée J. Baugher
Meets: Saturday, April 26, 1–5 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $95  Member: $85.50

Beyond “The Bell Jar”: Rediscovering the Poetry of Sylvia Plath (a reading class)
In the nearly half century since her death, Sylvia Plath has come to be recognized as one of the most important poets of the 20th century. Yet in spite of her literary credentials, Plath tends to be remembered less for her artistic legacy than for her tumultuous personal life, which was famously marred by depression, insecurity, neurosis and ultimately by suicide. In this two-part class, our consideration of Plath's biography will be secondary to our close and careful reading of her poetry—the wonderful and sometimes astonishing poetry that is all too often overshadowed (or tainted) by the mythology that has come to surround its author. Our reading list will include well anthologized poems such as “Daddy” and “Lady Lazarus,” but also some lesser known gems that may not square with our received assumptions about Plath.
Instructor: Chris Hitt
Meets: Saturday, April 26 and Saturday, May 3, 1–5 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $145  Member: $130.50

This is the Way the World Ends
What would it take to solve even one of the world's problems? Plague, flooding, terrorism, extinction of species? What is the domino chain impact, and what would the fulcrum be that could change everything? In the wake of 9/11 a popular new genre has grown up as writers realize that fiction is an effective way of coming to terms with some of the critical issues we're facing today. You'll come away from this workshop with ideas for both cautionary/post-apocalyptic tales and stories that portray possible solutions to issues as we build scenarios from  how we live now.
Instructor: Elizabeth Hand
Meets: Sunday, April 27, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.  Min. 10  Max. 16. Please bring lunch.
General: $130  Member: $117

How to Give a Good Reading
It's time to come out from behind the desk and meet the audience. In this hands-on workshop, writers learn 10 tips for reading work aloud, whether to one person or to an auditorium of listeners. In addition, they discover how to give readings with confidence, enjoy the limelight and connect with an audience. In this lively workshop, writers will rehearse in front of a supportive group and learn how to prepare like a pro for that next public presentation. Please bring up to five pages of writing to read. No experience necessary.
Instructor: Gigi Rosenberg
Meets: Saturday, May 3, 12:30–4:30 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $95  Member: $85.50

Follow My Lead
You know it's a good story. You went to that Blackfeet reservation college, spent an hour with the college president, then stood alone under the buffalo skull in the atrium, wondering how 500 students and faculty could vanish, and why is the president, initially as surprised as you, backpedaling to make excuses rather than summoning outrage? Good so far. Your nonfiction feature story suggests a problem to be solved. Where do you take it from there? We'll look at ways to shape what you've witnessed into a feature story idea and we'll experiment with leads that excite editors and that suggest a story line that will keep readers reading.
Instructor: Scott Driscoll
Meets: Saturday, May 10, 1–5 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $95  Member: $85.50

Extreme Makeovers: Strategies for Revising Poems
How do poets kick it up a notch? Using examples of early and final drafts of poems (by both well-known and newer poets), we'll explore a number of ways to get poems to that next level. We'll also practice revamping a few poems—from fine-turnings to complete overhauls.
Instructor: Nance Vanwinckel
Meets: Saturday, May 17, 1–5 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $95  Member: $85.50

The Greatest Marketing Tool of All
Don't risk meeting an agent, publisher, bookseller or future reader and have an unprepared answer or, worse, the wrong description for your project. Students will leave the workshop with a wellhoned, ever useful, 30-second pitch—one that can be expanded after you have captured the audience's attention. Alice Acheson has 30 years' experience verbally “pitching” books. Students will learn what works, what doesn't and why. Pre-class assignment: Following guidelines received upon registration, write and memorize a 30-second verbal pitch for your book.
Instructor: Alice Acheson
Meets: Friday, May 16, 6–9 p.m.  Min. 10  Max. 15
General $70  Member: $63

You're Writing the Manuscript, Now What?
Calling all writers, illustrators and photographers! In two days, you'll be able to empower your project with an extraordinary amount of publishing/marketing knowledge. You'll learn strategies for finding an agent/publisher; systems to gain realistic control over the publishing process and marketing support from publishers; what you need to do—and when—in the publishing cycle; industry secrets—from signing the contract to post-publication; specifics relating to your project(s). You'll also receive abundant handouts pertinent to all stages of publication. Pre-class assignment: Following guidelines received upon registration, bring 21 copies of a cover letter addressed to a specific agent or editor.
Instructor: Alice Acheson
Meets: Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday, May 18, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.  Min. 10  Max. 15
General: $175  Member: $157.50

Writing in Scenes
What's the difference between a story that's “almost there” and one that is successful?  Very often, it's scene structure. You may have a wonderful idea and compelling characters, but if your execution is formless, they're wasted. Join us for a day of exploring what makes a scene work, including orientation, purpose, reaction, reversal, tension and promise. We'll discuss concepts, look at professional examples and do a few writing exercises. Don't hold back…make a scene!
Instructor: Nancy Kress
Meets: Sunday, May 18, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.  Min. 10  Max 16. Please bring lunch.
General: $130  Member: $117

TRIOS: Three by Three
Third time's the charm as we arrive at the final installments in our three series of linked classes on poetry, prose and personal essay.

And Then There's Gert: Reading (and Writing Alongside) Gertrude Stein
In this class, we'll study Gertrude Stein's creative, constructive syntax, sound sculpture, narrative cubism and connotative collage as a way of understanding and felicitously misunderstanding how to make our own poems poems. Her short, sound-rich writings often come in the form of alternative plays, stories, novels and memoirs. What better opportunity to expand our poetic practice than under the tutelage of this expatriate seer, who remained in her own way an advocate of American English at its most pithy? We will read such weird and often hilarious texts as “Advertisements,” “Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters,” “Old and Old” and “Forensics.” The class is also appropriate for writers of short prose and all admirers of the one and only Ms. Stein. The instructor will provide weekly writing prompts, as well as conference time at the end of the course for those interested. Text: “Gertrude Stein” (edited by Richard Kostelanetz); “The Gertrude Stein Reader” (Cooper Square Press, 2002). The instructor will have copies of the book available for purchase in the first class.
Instructor: Deborah Woodard
Meets: Saturdays, April 12–May 17, 10–12 a.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $195  Members: $175.50

Perfect?:  Revising the Personal Essay
Hemingway supposedly wrote the last page of “A Farewell to Arms” 39 times—“To get the words right,” he said. Perfection might be an elusive goal, but now, in the clear light of spring, we'll return to our work in progress and see what we have. We will look at issues such as structure, theme and purpose. Did we use enough examples? Are our thoughts clear? Did we maintain our focus? Are the words right? What has to go? Our goal: A polished piece of work, with maybe a publisher in the wings.
Instructor: Roberta Brown Root
Meets: Tuesdays, April 8–May 13, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $195  Members: $175.50

Prose Craft: The Reflective Artist
Congratulations: you have a draft! But you also have the sneaking suspicion your short story or essay or memoir is, well—missing something. Not to worry; many writers insist the key to fine writing is learning to enjoy revision as an opportunity to feel through the possibilities of a piece. This class will offer techniques and approaches to revision that emphasize inquiry, experiment and discovery while working toward a polished draft.  Through exercises, close reading, sharing and feedback, we'll learn practical editing techniques that can transform flabby, vague prose into its opposite. Please bring one or more piece(s) of prose on which to hammer away.
Instructor: Cheryl Slean
Meets Wednesdays, April 9–May 14, 4–6 p.m.  Min. 5  Max. 15
General: $195  Members: $175.50