Essays in their myriad forms are everywhere - newspapers, digital magazines, books of poetry, and publishing platforms. It could be argued that the essay is our most contemporary form, combining the immediacy and intimacy of a personal voice with the exploration of broader themes. In this course, a seminar/workshop, we study the essay in its many incarnations - including researched, mixed-media, and genre-bending. We do plenty of generative writing and experimentation, and respond to weekly creative prompts, based on readings about family, food, immigration, the body, sex, love, technology, war, nature/climate, fashion, and more. Authors we may study include Sarah Aziza, Hanif Abdurraqib, Anne Boyer, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Teju Cole, Rachel Cusk, Carmen Maria Machado, Lina Mounzer, Buku Sarkar, Ocean Vuong, Michelle Zauner, and others. Our community of artists, from diverse backgrounds and traditions, helps guide our discussions, as we discover and gain confidence in our voices. Later in the semester, we develop an essay, or a series of essays, of our choice.