Thursday, June 12, 2025; 2:30pm – 5:00pm
$25.00
In this class, we’ll explore how writing can be a powerful tool for advocacy and community engagement. Through personal essays, op-eds, and fictional narratives, students will examine how storytelling has historically shaped public opinion and inspired action.
A mix of lectures and discussions will highlight both historical and modern examples of writing that influenced society, asking: What makes a story not just memorable, but persuasive?
Students will also develop their own voice as advocates by crafting compelling narratives around the social issues that matter most to them. Assignments will include a short written reflection on a personally resonant issue, offering a foundation for more developed advocacy pieces throughout the class.
About the Instructor: Kristan Rouna studied creative writing and journalism at San Francisco State University and is earning her MFA from Dominican University of California. She is a California Certified Naturalist. She spent time in residency at the Vermont Studio Center. Her writing has appeared in Phoebe, Santa Clara Review, Dallas Review, Mary: A Journal of New Writing and many others, and placed in the Best Short Short Story in the World Contest. She has a book of poetry titled Why We Light Candles. She mentors individuals in poetry, assisted workshops at Dominican University and developed a poetry workshop “Crossroads Poetry Workshop: Inspired by O’Hanlon” for the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts in Mill Valley.