Writing Workshops

Can We Be Friends? Writing Friendship in Fiction and Poetry with Emily Nemens

$150

1 Session

In stock

Sunday, 1:00 pm EDT - 5:30 pm EDT April 26, 2026

The Center for Fiction

Friendships can be some of the most important relationships in our lives—though in real life and in literature, they often play third fiddle to romantic entanglements and familial obligations. In this generative workshop, we’ll look at examples of fiction and poetry that foreground friendship and work through generative prompts to imagine how platonic relationships can inspire and expand our creative work.

Course Outline: The class will include before-session and in-class readings, with discussion of poetry and prose that centers on friendships. Works discussed will include pieces by Jamel Brinkley, Mary McCarthy, Ross Gay, Adam Zagajewski, and others. Examples will be combined with generative prompts.

Teaching Style: This class will be conversation-driven, with close reading and discussion of texts, and also include time to explore generative prompts.

Level: All Levels

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

Led by

Emily Nemens

Emily Nemens

Emily Nemens is the author of two novels. Clutch, published in February 2026 by Tin House/Zando, was called “the great millennial retelling of The Group… a real pleasure to read,” by the NYT Book Review podcast, while her debut, The Cactus League, was a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice and named one of NPR’s and Lit Hub’s favorite books of 2020. Emily spent a decade editing literary quarterlies, including leading the Paris Review and serving as co-editor and prose editor of the Southern Review. She teaches in the MFA program at Bennington College and lives in central New Jersey with her husband and dog.

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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