Micro–essays have it all. Combining the narrative pleasures of fiction, the lyric inventions of poetry, and the resonant truths of non-fiction, the micro–essay is a fusion of some of the best literary techniques popular today. Clocking in, generally, at less than 500 words, the micro–essay compresses a true story into a dazzling work of art. In this three-hour, generative workshop, the instructor will introduce examples of this explosive new genre and prompt students to draft their own micro–essays in class. Time will be set aside to discuss revision techniques and opportunities for publication.
Justin Jannise is the author of to Be Better by Being Worse, which won the 2020 A. Poulin, Jr. Prize for Poetry and is forthcoming in April 2021 from BOA Editions, Ltd. Now a Ph.D. student at the University of Houston, Justin previously received recognition for his writing at both Yale University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. In 2019, his poems appeared in both Best New Poets and Best of the Net, and Copper Nickel nominated his poem “Leather Jacket” fora Pushcart Prize. His writing has also been published by Hobart, Electric Lit, Lana Turner, Yale Review, New Ohio Review, and The Pinch Journal. A recipient of the Inprint Verlaine Prize in poetry, he is the former Editor-in-Chief of Gulf Coast.