Reading and Writing with Joan Didion (a workshop led by Alissa Wilkinson)

Joan Didion often said that the way a writer says things is even more revealing than what they say. What can we learn about the work of writing from her? In this workshop, we’ll devote a week to Didion’s work, particularly concentrating on her essays, discovering the ways she approached specific craft challenges. We’ll practice close reading of Didion’s work. We’ll write. And we’ll workshop our work. (The work we’ll workshop will be work we generate during our time together — participants will not circulate already-written work ahead of time.) Long-standing devotees of Didion and those new to her work are warmly welcome!

Alissa Wilkinson is a critic, author, and professor living in New York City. She’s a staff movie critic at the New York Times, and her latest book is We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine.

The program is fully funded for accepted applicants, limited to 12 participants, and will be held at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club located in Durham, NC.

Transportation to and from the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club is the responsibility of participants. However, participants may be eligible to receive financial assistance to offset those travel expenses by completing a Financial Need Statement on the application form.

Application Process

The application deadline for this workshop has now passed.