Strange Forms: Experimenting with Fiction

Esinam Bediako is a Ghanaian American writer from Detroit. She is the author of the Ann Petry Award-winning novel, Blood on the Brain (Red Hen Press, 2024), as well as the essay/poetry chapbook, Self-Talk (Porkbelly Press, 2025). Her work has appeared in Porter House Review, Cathexis Northwest Press, Great River Review, North American Review, and Southern Humanities Review. She has worked as a high school English teacher and administrator, a creative writing and journalism instructor, a textbook editor, and, during one nerve-wracking summer, a pharmacy technician. Esi writes and edits for the Spondylitis Association of America, a nonprofit supporting people with spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory spine condition. She lives with her family in Claremont, CA.

Website: esinambediako.com

Instagram: @esi_the_lurker

The lab fee covers all course readings and handouts.

A laptop or notebook and writing utensil for in-class activities.

Each day includes brief writing exercises, close reading of fiction mentor texts, and generative writing time experimenting with unconventional forms. Participants share work in a supportive group, receive feedback, and end with prompts and inspiration to continue exploring stories beyond the classroom.

No portfolio required. Open to all levels, from enthusiastic beginners to emerging and established writers.