The Art of Consciousness: Some of the best contemporary works of fiction and narrative nonfiction mix ample amounts of reflection into their storytelling, incorporating philosophy, theology, politics, and social and historical criticism. What are some strategies for making this work? We’ll consider examples from Sarah Broom, Weike Wang, Terese Marie Mailhot, and James Baldwin whose intertwining of thought and narrative have earned wide acclaim. And, we'll discuss and practice relevant techniques. 

Nadia Owusu is a Brooklyn-based writer and urban planner. She is the recipient of a 2019 Whiting Award. Her lyric essay So Devilish a Fire won the Atlas Review chapbook contest. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Granta, the Guardian, Bon Appétit, Electric Literature, The Paris Review Daily, and Catapult. Aftershocks is her first book.