Roxane Gay has signed on with the streaming platform MasterClass to teach a class on writing for social change.
The renowned author, editor, professor, and cultural critic will host discussions about “the intersections of race, sexuality, gender, and other social justice issues” and “teach members how to own their identity, write about trauma with care and courage and hone their voice to contribute to the world in a positive way,” MasterClass promises in a news release.
“Roxane drives change with every word she writes,” said David Rogier, founder and CEO of MasterClass. “In her MasterClass, she shows members how to own their identity, write better, think deeper, and hone their voices to make real change in the world.”
In her class, now available, Gay will pull from her own works, including the 2014 essay collection Bad Feminist and 2017 memoir Hunger, to analyze her approach and explore how to write about trauma. Her topics will include how to ask “the right questions,” find a voice, write with purpose, overcome writer’s block, nagivate the publishing industry and use social media for audience engagement.
The platform offers subscribers access to more than 100 classes, each featuring about 20 ten-minute video lessons on a range of subjects. Other authors who teach there include David Sedaris, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, and Walter Mosley.
“When writing finds you, it opens up a whole new world of possibility,” Gay said in a statement. “In my MasterClass, I show you how to make a difference in the world through writing—because once you start writing, you have freedom and can start to see the world in a completely different way.”
Amy Reiter is a writer based in New York.
