If you’d like to go into fall feeling ready to write—or think, or pitch—or you’d just like an excuse to talk about essays, then join some of the Summer Essay Workshops happening in the next few weeks: We read three pieces; I give a short presentation on the essay styles and my notes on the writing; and then we spend about an hour in discussion on everything from the work itself to the state of media to how to pitch and research different types of essays. These are one and a half hours long (with time to go over if we’re having a great conversation), recorded, and all signups will receive the recordings as well as my lecture notes.

The August workshops have different readings from the July sessions, so if you want to do some continuing studies, you could take both. Members can find the $25 discount code here; there’s also an additional 10% code to be found in the Discord. (If you’re subscribed at a higher membership tier, email me for yours.)

These are being offered at either 11 a.m. or 7 p.m. EST. I’ve also put up a fall edition of “The Food Essay”—Tuesdays, September 15 through October 13, choose day or evening—if you’d like to get a head start on your fall.

Reminder that there’s a gift card option available if you’d like to send one to a writer in your life, and I’m happy to adjust the values to whatever amount you need.

Personal essays are never just personal, but they make use of individual experience to illuminate something recognizable to others. We will talk about the history of the “I” in the essay form, read and discuss three published personal essays, and talk about any questions folks might have about how to approach these as pitches or finished pieces.

Reported essays make use of primary and secondary source material, taking the reader through an experience of the writer’s curiosity. We will talk about how to approach reported essays as a form, read and discuss three published reported essays (four in August), and talk about any questions folks might have about how to approach these as pitches or finished pieces.

Cultural criticism can be a slippery concept, but it’s about putting a cultural object or issue into its proper context—politically, socially, economically, and otherwise. We will talk about the ways this form can manifest, read and discuss three published pieces of cultural criticism, and talk about any questions folks might have about how to approach these as pitches or finished pieces.

The Desk Salon Series conversation about Hard to Swallow with Tunde Wey and Theo Schear is up for watching and listening pleasure. We had a great conversation about the necessary citations of Bourdain, the role of “smart media” in the marketplace, and how they made six episodes out of tons and tons of material, both archival and fresh. Members have access to the full Salon Series archive.