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How to Write Picture Books — Off Assignment

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Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · 24d

"Writing Picture Books" starts tomorrow! Join @kyomaclear.bsky.social , @bottomshelfbks.bsky.social , X. Fang, @matthewburgessj.bsky.social , & @dirtbagg.bsky.social to learn techniques and generate new approaches to picture book writing.

Register now:

A literary space for the candid tales behind official stories.

Rethinking Travel Writing — Off Assignment

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Kesh @indigokesh.bsky.social · 29d

This kicked off this past Saturday and it’s such vital discussion! Thanks @offassignment.bsky.social

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 4

Travel writing is a beloved genre--and yet, historically, so much of it has gone awry.

Develop a new approach to travel with our "Rethinking Travel Writing" course, led by Faith Adiele—featuring Bani Amor, Pier Nirandara, Carey Baraka, & @noosarowiwa.bsky.social. Register:

A literary space for the candid tales behind official stories.

Goodbye to the Chicago Intersection Where I Was Reborn — Off Assignment

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Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 22

Imagine you come to consciousness with no memory of who you are and what just happened . For @ingridrojasc.bsky.social, who rose from a roadside accident in Chicago in a state of amnesia, that feeling was ecstasy. What happens when she returns to the site of the crash?

“In August of 2022, I rode the purple line from Evanston into Chicago. I was going to Madison and Halsted. Madison and Halsted is a mythical place in my imagination. It’s the intersection where…

In August of 2022, I rode the purple line from Evanston into Chicago. I was going to Madison and Halsted. Madison and Halsted is a mythical place in my imagination. It’s the intersection where…

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 15

In this week's "Behind the Essay" interview, @ingridrojasc.bsky.social tells us about her favorite modes of transportation, what the form of a farewell essay unlocked for her about goodbyes, and the great classics and forthcoming books that have been on her reading list.

Read here:

Goodbye to a rebirth

Goodbye to the Chicago Intersection Where I Was Reborn — Off Assignment

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 13

Ingrid Rojas Contreras lost her memory entirely when she was hit by a car at a nondescript Chicago intersection. It became a symbol of heartbreak, ecstasy, rebirth.

When she returns for the first time, what will she find? www.offassignment.com/gttp/ingrid-...

“In August of 2022, I rode the purple line from Evanston into Chicago. I was going to Madison and Halsted. Madison and Halsted is a mythical place in my imagination. It’s the intersection where fiftee...

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Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 11

We're delighted to announce Carey Baraka is now our Editor-at-Large! Since 2022, Carey has played an instrumental role in curating and editing OA essays from a wide range of international writers. Raising a virtual toast to an editor extraordinaire, and here's to many more astounding essays to come!

How to Write Autofiction — Off Assignment

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 10

What is autofiction? Join @aubereylescure.bsky.social and four legends in the realm of autobiographical fiction for this upcoming five-week Masters' Series: @alexanderchee.bsky.social, Laura Van Den Berg, Zinzi Clemmons, & Andrew Sean Greer.

Register:

A literary space for the candid tales behind official stories.

To the Woli Who Read My Brother's Future — Off Assignment

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 9

Congratulations to OA contributor Olajide Omojarabi, whose short story "Messenger Meg" appears in this summer's issue of Ploughshares Journal! Olajide is currently at work on his debut novel and collection of short stories. Get a taste of his stunning writing at Off Assignment:

“You told him that he would lead a life so miserable he’d contemplate killing himself. Was that what he wanted? You asked. My brother, terrified of and threatened by this gloom, replied no. Was he…

How to Write About the Body — Off Assignment

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 8

Registration closes soon for "Writing the Body" with @margosteines.bsky.social! Write about embodied experiences with nuance and power, joined by renowned guest authors @sarahmanguso.bsky.social, Krys Malcolm Belc, @porochista.bsky.social, & @christinajcooke.bsky.social.

Register:

A literary space for the candid tales behind official stories.

So Many Ways to Dance: Reading Raymond Carver in Wilmington — Off Assignment

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Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 7

"I'm partial to 'So Many Ways to Dance: Reading Raymond Carver in Wilmington.' I 've always loved Jamie Tews' work, but the way she navigates a breakup in this essay holds a new level of insight and vulnerability." —Emily Lowe

Read this "Under the Influence" essay here:

“On the North Carolina coast in late September, M and I went to an old-time jam in a friend’s backyard. The southern humidity had started to lift, and the air felt clean. Standing near the fence, we…

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Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 6

In our latest "Letter to a Stranger" essay by Emily Lowe, we learn to leave the trail and follow the tracks. It may be reckless, but the desire for an adventure, and the desire to be part of her father's epic tales at the campfire, drove Emily onwards.

Read the essay buff.ly/7DdNV0r

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 5

Not all strangers in the "Letter to a Stranger" archive are human! Like Emily Lowe's last week, Sebastian Modak's essay is to a Siberian dog who accompanied him on a lonesome hike to Lake Baikal while he was on assignment for the NY Times' 52 Places column.

Read it here:

To My Siberian Hiking Companion — Off Assignment

“It appeared most households on Olkhon Island, a crescent of land in Lake Baikal, had a dog, and that the pets were left to roam free. It made sense. How far could they — you — even go, surrounded as…

Rethinking Travel Writing — Off Assignment

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 4

Travel writing is a beloved genre--and yet, historically, so much of it has gone awry.

Develop a new approach to travel with our "Rethinking Travel Writing" course, led by Faith Adiele—featuring Bani Amor, Pier Nirandara, Carey Baraka, & @noosarowiwa.bsky.social. Register:

A literary space for the candid tales behind official stories.

How to Write Autofiction — Off Assignment

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 3

This week, we're reading about how young womanhood, and its implications for marriage, has evolved in media; the lessons to be learned from fish while navigating queerness (@elizabethendicott.bsky.social); and a deep dive on a ubiquitous font in Manhattan (@aresluna.org): buff.ly/6tBGqM0

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Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 2

Join our "How to Write Autofiction" course this fall to learn from incredible writers @aubereylescure.bsky.social, @alexanderchee.bsky.social, Laura van den Berg, Andrew Sean Greer, & Zinzi Clemmons.

Find out more and register here:

A literary space for the candid tales behind official stories.

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Aug 1

Take a look behind this week's "Letter to a Stranger" essay as writer Emily Lowe reflects on connecting with nature, bending the rules, and finding new ways to approach the bear that has haunted her stories over the years.

Read the full Q&A through the newsletter: buff.ly/6tBGqM0

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Jul 31

We're thrilled to have incredible authors Steve Almond, @meghamaj.bsky.social, Anthony Doerr, Camille Dungy, and @sarahmanguso.bsky.social teaching our "Writing Desire" Masters' Series course this November. Bring your burning questions for this stellar group and register here: buff.ly/CUo4EhW

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Jul 30

In this week's new essay, we meet a bear. We follow its paw prints through the woods, imagine it scarfing down berries, and, through it all, feel the wonder and trust of a daughter ready to follow her father anywhere.

Read this heartbreakingly tender essay by Emily Lowe: buff.ly/7DdNV0r

Improve Your Imagination — Off Assignment

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Jul 28

Imagination is essential to creating new worlds, both on and off the page. Join "The Practice of Imagination" w Rachel Khong, Shruti Swamy, @rubenwrites.bsky.social, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, & Hilary Leichter this fall to develop a stronger imaginative practice to fuel your writing:

A literary space for the candid tales behind official stories.

By Colleen Kinder I’m one of those writing teachers who swears by prompts. Narrative directives like, “Write about a childhood memory, set in a car.” or “Begin every single sentence with ‘I remembe…

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Jul 27

At OA, we’ll take a prompt over a blank page any day—all our columns invite writers to respond to a generative prompt!

Read OA co-founder Colleen Kinder ( @colleenkinder.bsky.social) in Brevity ( @dintywmoore.bsky.social) about their potential as creative springboards:

The Power of the Prompt

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Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Jul 26

She's taught two OA courses and been a guest at another: Chloé Caldwell's pretty popular around here. So let's congratulate her on her new memoir! Mia Arias Tsang, a guest author at Chloé's most recent OA course, joins her on tour, and catch OA contributors Leslie Jamison & Michelle Tea in NYC & LA!

Off Assignment @offassignment.bsky.social · Jul 25

At Off Assignment, we think a lot about platforming writing outside the western-centric canon of travel literature. Join travel writers Faith Adiele, Pier Nirandara, Carey Baraka, Bani Amor, and @noosarowiwa.bsky.social to reimagine travel writing through these perspectives. buff.ly/OkswTkm