The Art of Rejection: A Masterclass

Tuesday, Oct 17, 7-9pm
Open to all
Online Workshop

To write and publish is to be rejected. And though it can be brutal, rejection is also a blessing, a dark teacher, and nothing personal. Take it from an author, a long-time editor, and a teacher who knows. In this two-hour live masterclass, Elissa Bassist will reframe rejection and normalize it to better grasp how it makes us better writers. She’ll cover the easiest ways to avoid rejection; how to use rejection as feedback and fuel; and how to reduce rejection hangovers and work faster through setbacks.

Bottom line: Getting good at rejection is the secret to success, both professionally and romantically. Look forward to a lecture/sermon, handouts, a Q&A, and a lot of crying — but also reaching the understanding that, in the words of comedian-turned-Dancing With the Stars contestant Kel Mitchell, “A setback just gets you ready for your comeback.”

Elissa Bassist is the editor of the “Funny Women” column on The Rumpus and the author of the award-deserving memoir Hysterical (Hachette). As a founding contributor to The Rumpus, she’s written cultural and personal criticism since the online literary magazine launched in 2009. Currently, Elissa teaches many forms of humour writing in person and online at The New School, 92NY, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, Pandemic University, and elsewhere, and she is probably her therapist’s favourite.