Writing Workshops

Crushes: The Art of the Swoon with Erica Peplin

$445

6 Sessions

Out of stock

Once a week Sundays, 6:00 pm EDT - 8:00 pm EDT July 12 to August 16, 2026

The Center for Fiction

Crushes are the greatest thing to happen to literature since the invention of movable type. To feel overwhelmingly drawn to a person, object, experience, or memory is a fantastic and torturous reason to write. This six-week generative course will consist of weekly craft discussions, lively analyses of short stories and novel excerpts, and hour-long workshops in which 2-3 writers will share 5-10 pages each week.

Unpolished works in progress will be embraced, and nobody is required to write about romantic love because desire can be so much bigger than that. To quote the first line of Maggie Nelson’s Bluets, “Suppose I were to begin by saying that I had fallen in love with a color.”

In addition to reviewing many dearly beloved writing techniques (voice, POV, character development, setting), this course will encourage writers to think critically about desire as fuel for both plot and characterization. Whether it’s a promotion, a new purse, or prolonged eye contact with a dazzling stranger on the train, we’ll explore through practice why wanting is a primal and inescapable experience that has shaped and electrified some of the greatest stories of the last century.

Course Outline:

Week One: Desperation (I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel)
Week Two: Debasement (Couplets by Maggie Millner)
Week Three: Dreamscape (Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls)
Week Four: Deception (“The Lady with the Little Dog” by Anton Chekhov)
Week Five: Devotion (Y/N by Esther Yi)
Week Six: Dread (In Love by Alfred Hayes)

Teaching Style: While shyness is always okay, my teaching style is conversational, and I’ll ask lots of questions. Sharing thoughts and opinions will be a key part of this course.

Level: Introductory

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

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.

Led by

Erica Peplin

Erica Peplin

Erica Peplin’s debut novel, Work Nights (2025), was long-listed for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. Erica’s short stories and essays have appeared in n+1, Joyland, the Millions, McSweeney’s, the Village Voice, and American Chordata. From 2012 to 2016, she worked in sales for CNN and the New York Times. Since then, she’s worked as a shipping clerk, a high school custodian, and a restaurant server. She lives in Brooklyn and is working on her second novel while happily continuing to serve at a café in Fort Greene. She does not have an M.F.A.

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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