The Parent-Child Relationship in Fiction: A Craft Class with Sindya Bhanoo

The parent-child relationship is complex and ever-evolving, rich with material that can be used to create and build powerful fiction. In this class, we will consider different stages of parenthood: pregnancy/adoption, infancy, childhood and adulthood. We will read and discuss short pieces and generate work. Although this class will focus on fiction, we will look at non-fiction as well, and discuss techniques that are applicable to both genres. You will come away from this class with four new story ideas.

Sindya Bhanoo is the author of the story collection Seeking Fortune Elsewhere, which was the winner of the New American Voices Award and longlisted for the American Library Association’s Carnegie Medal. She is the recipient of an O. Henry Award, the Disquiet Literary Prize and an Elizabeth George Foundation grant. A longtime journalist, she has reported for the New York Times and the Washington Post. She is a graduate of the Michener Center for Writers. She teaches creative writing at Oregon State University.