ELIZABETH LUKÁCS CHESLA

“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” -Muriel Rukeyser

CLASSES & EVENTS

2026

JANUARY 28-FEBRUARY 24: THE (EXTRA)ORDINARY MOMENT: THE ART AND CRAFT OF MICRO-MEMOIR: This generative class explores the micro-memoir, a unique hybrid form that combines the brevity of poetry with the storytelling strategies of fiction to capture the (extra)ordinary moments of our lives–tiny flashes that illuminate our larger selves. Weekly readings will offer insight and inspiration while weekly prompts will invite you to craft your own micros. Online with optional Zoom sessions.

“Liz’s class introduced me not only to a new form of writing, but to new ways of thinking about truth, fiction v. nonfiction, what it means to write anything, and what forms that may take. . . It has opened a door that has been closing me off from writing what I feel I need to write but have been afraid to try. Forever grateful!” – Telling It Slant student

2025

JUNE 11-JULY 22: TELLING IT SLANT: THE ART OF AUTOFICTION What happens when you loosen the constraints of memoir and cast yourself as character? This generative online class explores the genre-b(l)ending art of autofiction, inviting you to experiment with reconstructing, revising, and reimagining life events, merging autobiographical fact with fiction to tell it true. Includes weekly prompts, instructor and cohort feedback, and optional Zoom sessions. Learn more.

2024

OCT. 2-29: THE (EXTRA)ORDINARY MOMENT: THE ART AND CRAFT OF MICRO-MEMOIR: This generative class explores the micro-memoir, a unique hybrid form that combines the brevity of poetry with the storytelling strategies of fiction to capture the (extra)ordinary moments of our lives–tiny flashes that illuminate our larger selves. Weekly readings will offer insight and inspiration while weekly prompts will invite you to craft your own micros. Online with optional Zoom sessions.

SEPT. 21: LISTOMANIA: THE POWER & PLEASURE OF LISTS IN/AS POETRY & PROSE: I’m honored to be part of the incredible lineup at this year’s free Inkubator Writing Conference, 9/20-21 (with free online events 9/14-22). In this session, we’ll read extraordinary examples of lists in/as poetry and prose, explore what makes them pieces so powerful, and put those strategies into practice, experimenting with different list-lit forms to draft several poems and short prose pieces.

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