When is a dinner more than a dinner? When it’s also a lens through which to see a world, a framework within which to consider ideas and relationships, even a platform from which to advocate for justice. When we write about food and drink, we are also telling the stories of our lives, and the lives of others.

This one-day creative nonfiction master class is appropriate for essayists, memoirists, journalists — any writer who has ever considered the meaning of a meal.

We will read and discuss short works by writers including Ciaran Carson, Jessica B. Harris, and Colson Whitehead, which, taken together, convey some sense of the breadth, depth, and creative range possible in writing about food and drink.

Using prompts inspired by our reading, participants will draft their own pieces — each with a dish, a drink, a dining experience, or another food memory at its heart — and will generate ideas for longer essays, too.

Please note that the details of events listed above are provided by the relevant Local Authorities.