Craft Seminar: Writing Sex and Desire with Isle McElroy
Craft Seminar: Writing Sex and Desire with Isle McElroy
1 Session: Sunday, July 27
12:00-3:00pm ET
Isle McElroy
Isle McElroy is the author of the novels People Collide and The Atmospherians. They wrote the Best Sex I've Ever Read Column for Vulture and taught a class on Desire and Sex Writing at the Sarah Lawrence MFA program. They regularly write about sex and relationships for magazines like The Cut, Elle, and The Atlantic.
Every couple months, someone online asks a predictable question: What is the point of including sex scenes in books and TV and movies? Normally, these questions are asked in bad faith. They're meant to elicit engagement. But beneath the clickbait is a serious question for art: Why is it sometimes necessary to include sex in a narrative? The truth is, many books would be improved if stripped of their poorly-written sex scenes. However, when a sex scene succeeds, it can serve as one of the most profound and memorable passages in a book. The best sex scenes don't merely capture the physicality of the moment, they reveal characters' unspoken longings, they make readers laugh, and, on the best occasions, they're as engaging as the act itself.
In this class, we will study work from writers like Garth Greenwell, Raven Leilani, Anne Carson, Susan Choi, K. Patrick, and others to deepen our understanding of how sex scenes work to develop character, heighten tension, and advance plot in fiction. Students will also complete short craft exercises.
Workshop Highlights:
Learn how to write a sex scene in your own work
Gain a deeper understanding of what makes a sex scene succeed
See the impact of sex scenes on character and plot.
This course has 1 scholarship available. To apply, please fill out this form by Sunday, July 20.
Isle McElroy is a nonbinary writer based in Brooklyn. Their most recent novel is People Collide (HarperCollins, 2023), praised by NPR as a “deep exploration of marriage, love, and the ways we know one another.” Their debut novel is The Atmospherians (Atria, 2021), called “exceptional writing” by the New York Times. They are the author of a story collection, Daddy Issues (The Cupboard Pamphlet, 2016), winner of the Cupboard Pamphlet’s 2016 Editors’ Prize. They have received fellowships from The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, The Tin House Summer Workshop, The Sewanee Writers Conference, The Inprint Foundation, The Elizabeth George Foundation, and The National Parks Service.
McElroy is also an essayist and critic. Their writing has appeared in The Cut, BuzzFeed, Vulture, GQ, Elle, Vice, The Atlantic, Bon Appetit, Tin House, and elsewhere. In 2021, they founded Debuts and Redos, a monthly reading series featuring debut authors and authors who released books during the pandemic.
