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Roxane Gay knows the power of the written word. Writer, teacher, cultural critic and author of the ‘Bad Feminist’ blockbuster essay collection and ‘Hunger’ memoir, Gay has won a dedicated fan base and elated lecture audience with well-honed thoughts on intersections. race, gender, sexuality and class as well as other social issues. On Thursday, she joined a roster of art and industry luminaries to teach a MasterClass on Writing for Social Change.
“In my new MasterClass, I will teach you to own your identity, to write about trauma with courage and care, and to approach writing through the prism of culture and personal experience,” said Gay on his Instagram.
Classes mainly focus on prose – fiction and non-fiction – but people who write in other genres can learn from them as well, Gay said in a video interview Thursday. “The course is aimed at practicing writers who want to develop their opinion writing skills, but also new writers who may not have considered writing before, but have an opinion, an idea or something.” what they mean and who would like to know where to start. “
The MasterClass is divided into 20 chapters, each video lasting three to 15 minutes, which students can watch in increments or a continuous frenzy. Gay uses his work as case studies, covering topics such as consumption and the critique of culture, writing about trauma, dialogue with readers, the writing profession and ‘becoming a good literary citizen’, which Gay defined as “giving to your community as a whole as much as you take.” … It means mentoring young writers, sharing instead of accumulating opportunities.
She also talks about writing as a black feminist and gives insight into her own process.
In the chapter titled “Roxane’s Writing Toolbox,” the New York Times columnist shares tips on how to use humor, use repetition intentionally, and write an engaging opening line.
An annual MasterClass subscription gets access to over 100 courses for $ 180, or you can purchase a single course for $ 90, but Gay graciously offered The Times three free tips: First, read your work aloud. voice – if you can. “It lets you hear the sound of your sentences and the correctness of your ideas.” Second, respectfully acknowledge other points of view so that readers don’t feel “rejected”. And third, make it a habit. “It doesn’t mean writing everyday, but writing is a muscle, it needs to be practiced. … Consistency is the key. “
Gay has been teaching for years. She was Associate Professor of English at the Universities of Eastern Illinois and Purdue, and most recently as a Visiting Professor at Yale University. But she is best known for her writings, from 2011 with her collection of short stories “Ayiti”, followed by her first novel “An Untamed State”. “Bad Feminist” (2014) became a New York Times bestseller thanks to essays defining feminism across a wide range of influences, including “The Help” (not a fan) and “Sweet Valley High” ( very fan). “Difficult Women”, a collection of short stories, has been well received by critics and readers. And his memoir “Hunger” was widely acclaimed.
Taken together, Gay’s work models a writing that unabashedly encompasses the personal and the political, as well as his class.
“Writing is a great way to reach people because you give them as much information as you feel is necessary for them to reconsider the perspective they might have,” Gay said.
Still, she is careful to distinguish persuasion from the hot holds that permeate Twitter and other social platforms (on which she is heavily engaged).
“We have a responsibility to do our research so that we are well informed,” she said. “You can’t just have an opinion. You need to be able to back it up with evidence. ”
Honesty and integrity are also important. “People need to know that they can trust you, that they can trust what you are saying and why you are saying it,” she added. “And I think we underestimate the importance of writing well and creating beautiful sentences. You have to give people something that they will want to read, especially when you write about really hard stuff like racism, fatphobia, homophobia, transphobia, all those horrible flags. It’s pretty obnoxious – and it should be – but at least conveying the material in an interesting way.
Founded in 2015, MasterClass is a streaming platform offering recorded courses in the arts, entertainment, sports, business and more taught by icons in their fields including Anna Wintour, Serena Williams, Shonda Rhimes, RuPaul , Neil Gaiman and David Sedaris. In fact, what put Gay on the MasterClass radar was another person’s tweet criticizing writing classes for being taught primarily by men.
“Hey, @masterclass, I love your concept, but why all of your writing teachers except Judy Blume who writes for kids?” One user tweeted last summer. “Why not add a female memory like @GilbertLiz, @rgay, @lenadunham to the mix? My female voice is not represented in your lessons. How are you going to do it? “
To which Gay replied, “I would love to do a @masterclass.” Less than a year later, that’s exactly what she’s doing.
“I hope learners will remember that writing well is not that elusive thing,” Gay said. “If you work at it and read a lot and have a point of view and start using your voice and making it louder, writing is within your grasp. This is something that I think you can find very enjoyable. Writing is fun. ”
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