Writing the Short Personal Essay

Harvard Summer School

CREA S-72

Section 1

CRN 35562

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The personal essay inspires both readers and writers to discover new perspectives for looking at the world, to understand their own lives, and to discover meaning. Personal essays educate and illuminate readers through stories of overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, and forging new paths. They can appear in a variety of styles—from application essays to highly journalistic forms, to everything in between—depending on their intended audience. In this course, students read and analyze a variety of short personal essays with the aim of collecting a palette of craft tools (particularly for works under 1,500 words), as well as write their own piece, engaging in writing exercises, including drafts, revisions, and peer workshop. Students write one shorter essay (600 words) and one longer essay (1,500 words). We also address pitching editors and discovering markets for submission, along with how to manage audience response post-publication.

Instructor Info

Tracy L Strauss, MFA

Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University


Meeting Info

MW 8:30am - 11:30am (6/23 - 8/8)

Participation Option: Online Synchronous

Deadlines

Last day to register: June 17, 2025

Notes

This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time.

All Sections of this Course

CRN Section # Participation Option(s) Instructor Section Status Meets Term Dates
35562 1 Online Synchronous Tracy Strauss Open MW 8:30am - 11:30am
Jun 23 to Aug 8