Writing Workshops

How He Wrote: Generative Exercises Based on Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man with Sidik Fofana

Clear

Once a week Mondays, 7:00 pm EDT - 9:00 pm EDT July 20 to August 10, 2026

Online via Zoom

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The ‘With Book’ option includes a copy of Invisible Man at a 10% discount from our Bookstore.

It came out in 1953 to almost immediate acclaim, won the National Book Award, and set Ralph Ellison on a literary trajectory unparalleled in his day for a writer of color. Some call Invisible Man the most commercially successful mainstream black novel of its time. How did this surprising debut achieve its longevity? What makes readers come back to it generation after generation? In this class, we’ll tackle Ellison’s big ideas, examine this classic’s narrative pulse, and incorporate its most salient techniques into our own writing.

Course Outline: Try to come in Week 1 having read the first four chapters.

Week 1: Invisible Man pp.1-108, Creative Writing Prompt on The Racial Metaphor: The South
Week 2: Invisible Man pp. 109-260, Creative Writing Prompt on The Racial Metaphor: Harlem
Week 3: Invisible Man pp. 260-408, Creative Writing Prompt on The Racial Metaphor: Communism
Week 4: Invisible Man pp. 408 – end, Creative Writing Prompt on The Racial Metaphor: Prophesy

Teaching Style: The first half of the class will be a discussion and mini-lecture. The second half of class will include generative writing and sharing work out loud.

Level: Intermediate

This course is held online via Zoom.

We offer a limited number of need-based scholarships for our Reading Groups and Writing Workshops, covering 50% of tuition. Applicants selected for scholarships will be notified one week prior to the first meeting. To apply for a scholarship, please fill out this form.

Pricing inclusive of sales tax if applicable.

Led by

Sidik Fofana

Sidik Fofana

Sidik Fofana is a public school teacher and graduate of NYU’s MFA Creative Writing program. He is a recipient of a Whiting Award, New York City Book Award, a Gotham Book Prize for his collection Stories from the Tenants Downstairs. His fiction has been published in the Sewanee Review, Granta, and Harper’s.

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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