Writing about Obsession

When we write about something small, we are writing about something enormous. When I write about my brother’s truck, for example, I am also writing about grief. One former student wrote about buying new shoes in an airport on the way to New York City because she felt too simple, not enough—a country bumpkin. Another wrote about obsessing over what nutrition drink to buy her father—Ensure? Boost?— as he was dying from dementia. Through the specific, we get to the universal.

In this two-hour generative workshop, we’ll focus on drafting a short personal essay, or the start of a longer essay, based on an object of our obsession. Don’t let genre hold you back. You are welcome to draft a poem, fiction, or a hybrid piece– whatever calls to you. I love to hear what writers come up with using this one-inch picture frame to focus big thoughts and feelings. We’ll draw on wisdom from writers like Ann Hood, Anne Lamott, and Richard Hugo and share our beginnings with the group.

Melissa Stephenson’s writing has appeared in a wide variety of publications, including The Washington Post, The Rumpus, Ms. Magazine, and ZZYZYVA. Her memoir, Driven, was released by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2018. It was longlisted for the Chautauqua Book Prize and won the 2020 Indiana Emerging Author Award. She’s also a 2020 recipient of an Artist Innovation grant from The Montana Arts Council. Though born and raised in Indiana, she’s a long-time resident of Missoula, Montana.