Pleasure as Praxis [Online]
Full Tuition: $320 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal at check out.
Instructor: D.M. Spratley | 5-weeks | Mondays October 21 - November 18 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM ET
What happens when we move pleasure—the joy and power of fulfilled desire—to the center of our consumption and creation of literature? In her essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power,” Audre Lorde tells us, “The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings. It is an internal sense of satisfaction to which, once we have experienced the fullness of this depth of feeling and recognized its power, in honor and self-respect we can require no less of ourselves.”
In this 5-week class, we will read literature—poetry, fiction, nonfiction—that expresses pleasure, desire, and erotic power, prioritizing representations of Black, Indigenous, POC, and LGBTQ+ desire. We will also read work by Audre Lorde and consider lessons from adrienne maree brown’s Pleasure Activism. In our consideration of these texts, we will begin to practice centering pleasure in our imaginaries—as a portal for beginning to center pleasure in our lives.
While this class is not designed as a writing workshop, we will spend a portion of class time writing toward this power, in order to approach our analysis not just through theoretical engagement, but also through embodied personal experience. Writing will not be shared; rather, we might at times discuss our experience of writing or insights gained about reading through our writing practice.
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Recordings may be provided upon request for missed classes.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage. We ask that people who make above the living wage threshold for their area strongly consider choosing 75% or higher tuition tiers in order to support our own living wage program. For Durham, NC, where we are located, the living wage threshold is $49,000 for an individual. All scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
Asynchronous Auditing: Classes are discussion-based and designed to be taken synchronously. However, we do offer an asynchronous audit option for most online classes if you need to follow along at your own pace. You must choose the audit option to receive all course recordings; please do not register using a scholarship if you do not plan to attend the majority of class sessions as you will not receive the recording materials to follow along. We do not automatically offer scholarships for auditors, but if you need one, you may request one by filling out this form.
Full Tuition: $320 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal at check out.
Instructor: D.M. Spratley | 5-weeks | Mondays October 21 - November 18 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM ET
What happens when we move pleasure—the joy and power of fulfilled desire—to the center of our consumption and creation of literature? In her essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power,” Audre Lorde tells us, “The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings. It is an internal sense of satisfaction to which, once we have experienced the fullness of this depth of feeling and recognized its power, in honor and self-respect we can require no less of ourselves.”
In this 5-week class, we will read literature—poetry, fiction, nonfiction—that expresses pleasure, desire, and erotic power, prioritizing representations of Black, Indigenous, POC, and LGBTQ+ desire. We will also read work by Audre Lorde and consider lessons from adrienne maree brown’s Pleasure Activism. In our consideration of these texts, we will begin to practice centering pleasure in our imaginaries—as a portal for beginning to center pleasure in our lives.
While this class is not designed as a writing workshop, we will spend a portion of class time writing toward this power, in order to approach our analysis not just through theoretical engagement, but also through embodied personal experience. Writing will not be shared; rather, we might at times discuss our experience of writing or insights gained about reading through our writing practice.
—
Recordings may be provided upon request for missed classes.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage. We ask that people who make above the living wage threshold for their area strongly consider choosing 75% or higher tuition tiers in order to support our own living wage program. For Durham, NC, where we are located, the living wage threshold is $49,000 for an individual. All scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
Asynchronous Auditing: Classes are discussion-based and designed to be taken synchronously. However, we do offer an asynchronous audit option for most online classes if you need to follow along at your own pace. You must choose the audit option to receive all course recordings; please do not register using a scholarship if you do not plan to attend the majority of class sessions as you will not receive the recording materials to follow along. We do not automatically offer scholarships for auditors, but if you need one, you may request one by filling out this form.
Full Tuition: $320 — Scholarship options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal at check out.
Instructor: D.M. Spratley | 5-weeks | Mondays October 21 - November 18 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM ET
What happens when we move pleasure—the joy and power of fulfilled desire—to the center of our consumption and creation of literature? In her essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power,” Audre Lorde tells us, “The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings. It is an internal sense of satisfaction to which, once we have experienced the fullness of this depth of feeling and recognized its power, in honor and self-respect we can require no less of ourselves.”
In this 5-week class, we will read literature—poetry, fiction, nonfiction—that expresses pleasure, desire, and erotic power, prioritizing representations of Black, Indigenous, POC, and LGBTQ+ desire. We will also read work by Audre Lorde and consider lessons from adrienne maree brown’s Pleasure Activism. In our consideration of these texts, we will begin to practice centering pleasure in our imaginaries—as a portal for beginning to center pleasure in our lives.
While this class is not designed as a writing workshop, we will spend a portion of class time writing toward this power, in order to approach our analysis not just through theoretical engagement, but also through embodied personal experience. Writing will not be shared; rather, we might at times discuss our experience of writing or insights gained about reading through our writing practice.
—
Recordings may be provided upon request for missed classes.
Sliding Scale: Night School Bar pays instructors and staff a living wage. We ask that people who make above the living wage threshold for their area strongly consider choosing 75% or higher tuition tiers in order to support our own living wage program. For Durham, NC, where we are located, the living wage threshold is $49,000 for an individual. All scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.
Scholarships: We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class. Our full scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering, limited to one per student per month. Because our scholarship funding is limited, selecting multiple full scholarships in a single month will result in disenrollment from all classes. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out please email us directly, and we will add you to a waitlist and notify you if additional scholarships become available. Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans and refund policy.
Asynchronous Auditing: Classes are discussion-based and designed to be taken synchronously. However, we do offer an asynchronous audit option for most online classes if you need to follow along at your own pace. You must choose the audit option to receive all course recordings; please do not register using a scholarship if you do not plan to attend the majority of class sessions as you will not receive the recording materials to follow along. We do not automatically offer scholarships for auditors, but if you need one, you may request one by filling out this form.