What is food without the story of its making? To love a dish is to love the labor that brought it to your table. It’s to sense the presence of the chef, to read a signature written in flour and butter, salt and smoke—what in Korean is called son-mat, the taste imparted by one person’s hands and no other’s. The best dishes aren’t necessarily the most complicated, difficult, or inventive. But each is a reminder that someone took the time to cook for us, and made sure to get it right.

This three-hour craft class will explore the craft of food writing as an expansive form that allows for poetry and pleasure but also social commentary and critique. We’ll begin with the essential problem of all writing—how to translate experience, in this case the primarily sensual one of eating, into words on a page—and experiment with language and rhythm through prompts and short exercises. We’ll talk about how to find the stories behind the food, build trust in interviews, and avoid exoticism and otherizing (including self-otherizing); and we’ll examine the legacies of colonialism and the hierarchies of power that continue to define the food system today.

This workshop is open to all writers of color. Registration is now open, and space is limited. There is one scholarship spot available. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is Thursday, May 20th. See the class page for more information.

To see all of our online classes, visit kundiman.org/online-classes.