Writing Workshops

Writing Trans Fiction: Ground, Path, and Fruition with Eliot Duncan

$175

2 Sessions

In stock

Saturday & Sunday 3:00 pm EDT - 6:00 pm EDT May 30 to May 31, 2026

The Center for Fiction

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In this generative course, we will look at writing by trans authors in three stages: Ground, Path, and Fruition. Our main focus will be on fiction by trans authors, but we will also read some theory, journals, and poetry. In our Ground sessions, we’ll look at founding texts and voices of trans history. Prompts include creating your own literary canon. In Path, we will use our own experience and knowledge as trans writers to create stories. In Fruition, we will fine-tune our work, discussing tone, atmosphere, pace, time, and character to create memorable prose. Although it’s not possible to separate trans authors’ writing from the rest of literature without essentializing trans identity, the term trans fiction is applied here as a useful category for a focused reading and writing of trans authors. While this workshop is designed for trans writers, people of all gender expressions and identities are welcome to enroll.

Course Outline:

Session I – Path and Ground: We will discuss and engage the state of trans writing by looking at where it has been, as well as identify and share our own literary canons that we write inside. Excerpts from trans will feature thinkers like Cameron Awkward Rich, Susan Stryker, Leslie Feinberg, and Lou Sullivan.
Session II – Fruition: We will continue our work, using our own experience to create memorable prose, and write together in response to writing prompts. We will also look at excerpts of Kay Gabriel’s poetics for inspiration in avant-garde erotics, and the work of Lauren John Joseph and Lucy Sante to hone craft elements like time, atmosphere, and tone.

Teaching Style: My conversational but rigorous approach has room for everyone. I want my workshops to be a place where writers are taken seriously in a fun, non-judgmental atmosphere.

Level: Introductory

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

Led by

Eliot Duncan

Eliot Duncan

Eliot Duncan is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop where he was a Truman Capote Fellow. His debut novel, Ponyboy (Norton, ’23), was the first book with a trans protagonist to be nominated for the National Book Award. He teaches a workshop called Exquisite Love: Madness as Divinity through Literature. He lives in New York City.

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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