Writing Workshops

Nighttime Logic: Exploring Uncanny Spaces in Fiction with Melissa Lozada-Oliva (January 2026)

$445

6 Sessions

In stock

Once a week Thursdays, 6:00 pm EDT - 8:00 pm EDT January 29 to March 5, 2026

The Center for Fiction

This writing workshop is now sold out. Please email [email protected] to join the waitlist—and become a member for early access to future programming.

In daytime logic, a creepy house is creepy because someone died there, and perhaps you feel their ghost—the logic is linear; what you are presented with is what you get. In dream logic, a house has walls made of spaghetti and people with dolphin heads—things don’t make sense. By contrast, nighttime logic fills us with a greater sense of unease. You arrive at a house, and it’s filled with normal people. They’re alive, and they all seem to know you—the only problem? You don’t know them. Reality becomes unmoored.

Coined by Kelly Link, “nighttime logic” explores the sticky space between “daylight and dreaming” in fiction. It’s used to unsettle us into finding a complicated, emotional truth while not having all the answers. In this class, we’ll explore the uses of nighttime logic through prompts and discussion. Students will have the opportunity to workshop. We’ll read Joyce Carol Oates, Pemi Aguda, Mariana Enriquez, Kelly Link, Terrance Hayes, and more.

Course Outline: Students will read 2-3 stories a week and be given a prompt based on the stories. Each class will start with a writing exercise and a discussion of the reading. Half of the class will be workshopped one week, half of the class will be workshopped the other.

Week One – Introduction to Nighttime Logic: Lecture on “Nighttime Logic” with writing prompts and discussion.
Week Two: Readings by Joyce Carol Oates and Kelly Link. In the first hour, there will be prompts and discussion of the readings; in the second hour, we’ll workshop Group A.
Week Three: Readings by Pemi Aguda, Terrance Hayes, and Miranda July. In the first hour, there will be prompts and discussion of the readings; in the second hour, we’ll workshop Group B.
Week Four: Read Haruki Murakami, Puloma Ghosh. In the first hour, there will be prompts and discussion of the readings; in the second hour, we’ll workshop Group A.
Week Five: Read Kathryn Davis and Helen Oyeyemi. In the first hour, there will be prompts and discussion of the readings; in the second hour, we’ll workshop Group B.
Week Six: Read Samanta Schweblin and Mariana Enriquez. In the first hour, there will be prompts and discussion of the readings; in the second hour, everyone will be workshopped.

Level: Intermediate

This course is held in person at The Center for Fiction.

Led by

Melissa Lozada-Oliva

Melissa Lozada-Oliva

Melissa Lozada-Oliva is the author of Peluda, Dreaming of You, Candelaria, and Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, Jesus is Alive! Her novel Candelaria was named one of the best books of 2023 by Vogue and USA Today. She is a lecturer at Columbia University and teaches classes through the Red Hook Public Library.

Photo Credit: Chimera Singer

About this series

Writing Workshops

We strive to make our classes the most inviting and rewarding available, offering an intimate environment to study with award-winning, world-class writers. Each class is specially designed by the instructor, so whether you’re a fledgling writer or an MFA graduate polishing your novel, you’ll find a perfect fit here.

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