Becoming a Great Essayist

Overview

Course No. 2521

This 24-lecture course by award-winning author Dr. Jennifer Cognard-Black transforms your ability to craft compelling essays. You’ll master techniques from personal memoir to persuasive argument while discovering how to connect intimate experiences with universal themes.

Through practical exercises and analysis of masters like Montaigne and Orwell, you’ll learn to develop your unique voice, employ vivid imagery, structure compelling arguments, and publish your work effectively—whether for personal expression or professional publication.

Video Lectures

01: Steal, Adopt, Adapt (34 min)

Explore the essay’s evolution from Aristotle to modern forms.

02: Memory Maps (29 min)

Learn to transform recollections into vivid narrative experiences.

03: Secrets and Voice (29 min)

Discover how writing reveals unexpected personal insights.

04: The Skeptical Essayist (30 min)

Master presenting conflicting views within arguments.

05: Reasonable Arguments (31 min)

Build credibility using ethos and logical appeals.

06: Strategic Irony (31 min)

Employ humor and provocation like Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.”

07: Empathetic Writing (30 min)

Evoke authentic emotion without manipulation.

08: Balancing Feeling and Fact (30 min)

Avoid sentimentality while maintaining emotional truth.

09: First-Person Power (31 min)

Harness the “I” perspective for intimate yet universal appeal.

10: Poetic Imagery (30 min)

Enrich essays with sensory details and metaphor.

11: Visual Essays (31 min)

Combine words and images for layered storytelling.

12: Draft to Polish (30 min)

Apply Aristotle’s inventio process to revision.

13: Microessays (30 min)

Experiment with condensed, rule-breaking forms.

14: Memoir Essays (31 min)

Distill life experiences into focused narratives.

15: Lyric Essays (29 min)

Create musical, fragmented compositions.

16: Epistolary Essays (31 min)

Adapt letter-writing’s direct address technique.

17: Portrait Essays (32 min)

Reveal subjects (and yourself) through character studies.

18: Public Intellectual Essays (33 min)

Engage social issues with personal perspective.

19: Polemical Essays (31 min)

Craft persuasive one-sided arguments effectively.

20: Historical Essays (32 min)

Connect personal memory to broader human history.

21: Humor Essays (31 min)

Transform misfortune into cathartic comedy.

22: Nature Essays (33 min)

Write about the environment without romanticizing.

23: Food Essays (32 min)

Use recipes as springboards for cultural stories.

24: Publishing Pathways (34 min)

Adapt essays for blogs, books, and professional markets.