MFA in Creative Writing - Lary Bloom

Teaching Philosophy

Many years ago, in my first job as a Sunday magazine editor, I found that I was particularly drawn to the personal story. And though I published over three decades many investigations, profiles, and other traditional magazine fare, it was always the personal story that kept me excited about the work. I helped writers deliver them with honesty, and with compelling narrative style. In doing this, I often had to make them "un-learn" what had been pumped into them as young people - the techniques of well-meaning teachers that often removed the humanity and storytelling. In short, the stuff that engages readers. I urged them to honor the instincts they had in the first place, and how to turn those instincts into refined work. I found myself saying the same things over and over again (which is why I published The Writer Within). When I started teaching at Trinity College, and in my own memoir workshops, my intent was to discover the unique voice of each person around the table - and to work on that voice to make it strong and polished. Getting writers to believe in themselves is at the heart of it all.