Public Criticism Workshop

Graduate / Professional

A workshop in which graduate students develop their critical writing about literature and culture for nonspecialist audiences. We survey writing for diverse publics in a range of venues in order to explore the formal and intellectual possibilities of criticism today, as well as in the recent past. Students experiment in forms such as the book review, long-form essay, lyric essay, and profile. Questions discussed include how to convey specialized knowledge to a broad audience; how to establish and manage style, voice, and address; how to combine criticism and reporting or narrative; how magazine editors select and develop the writing they publish; how to edit writing for publication; how to pitch a piece. We host class visits from editors and writers. Applications, including a short writing sample and short personal statement describing the student’s interest in public writing, are reviewed in fall 2026 for participation in the spring 2027 workshop. M 4pm-5:55pm