Joanna Rose | Attic Institute

Joanna Rose

Associate Fellow at the Attic Institute of Arts and Letters

Joanna Rose is the author of the award-winning novel Little Miss Strange (Algonquin Books). Other work has appeared in ZYZZYVA, Story Magazine, Artisan Journal, Northern Lights, Oregon Humanities, High Desert Journal, VoiceCatcher, and Portland Review and the anthologies The Night and The Rain and The River and Brave on the Page (Forest Avenue Press). Her poetry has appeared in Windfall, Bellingham Review, Cloudbank, and the on-line journals 2Grlz Review, and Four and Twenty. Her essay, "That Thing With Feathers," was honored as Notable in 2015 Best American Essays. Her novel, A Small Crowd of Strangers, is forthcoming from Forest Avenue press in Fall 2020.

Upcoming Classes

Sorry, nothing scheduled at this time.

The Attic Experience

Natalie's Serber's essay class at the Attic Institute was a wonderful experience. For a group of twelve, we were initially awfully quiet. Then Natalie led us through a series of writing and critiquing exercises and assigned readings that opened up the mystery of the essay in a special way. I'm not sure how exactly she does it, but it felt rather magical. Her sensitivity to our various voices and writing styles turned us into a cohesive group overnight. She was able to model ways for us to discuss the well- and not-so-well-written essay and still make every novice essayist feel like someone who's work is worth reading. We truly appreciated her.

Judith Calman, participant

The Classic Book for Writers, Updated and Revised

EVERY WRITER HAS A THOUSAND FACES

"This book has been in print forever because what it offers works for people." — Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club

"Finally, an anti-bullsht book on creativity!"* — James Marcus, former editor of Harper's

"Does for the creative process what Strunk and White did for our approach to grammar and style. Indispensible." — Marjorie Sandor, National Jewish Book Award winner

"Buoyant...unorthodox...A provocative and anti-intuitive manual for making fresh art." — Kirkus Review

"Biespiel offers a number of best practices—not just for writing...but for living a creative life." — The Rumpus

A Statement of Our Values

The Attic Institute of Arts and Letters opposes the legitimation of bigotry, hate, and misinformation. As a studio for writers, we do not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind. We embrace and celebrate our shared pursuit of literature and languages as essential to crossing the boundaries of difference. To that end, we seek to maintain a creative environment in which every employee, faculty member, and student feels safe, respected, and comfortable — even while acknowledging that poems, stories, and essays delve into uncomfortable subjects. We accept the workshop as a place to question ourselves and to empathize with complex identities. We understand that to know the world is to write the world. Therefore, we reaffirm our commitment to literary pursuits and shared understanding by affirming diversity and open inquiry.