Writer Hugh Ryan wins for this year’s best StoryBoard workshop title: “What the F@!* Even Is an Essay?” That’s no small feat given the collection of talent teaching at this year’s StoryBoard.
So…what the f@!* even is an essay, indeed? Hugh’s online Nonfiction StoryBoard workshop promises to answer that question and then some. Here’s how Hugh describes his workshop: In this class, we’ll pull apart what an essay is at its most fundamental level, with a focus on form, content, and narrative POV. We’ll also look at the differences (and commonalities) between personal, lyric, and research essays, and discuss big questions like “does the truth exist” and “why is everyone writing in fragments now?”
Here’s a bit more bio on Hugh: He is a writer, historian, and curator. He runs the Pop-Up Museum of Queer History, a grassroots organization that transforms spaces into temporary installations dedicated to celebrating the rich, long, and largely unknown histories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
His podcast and book club, Queer History 101, is dedicated to highlighting iconic books that explore the lives of LGBTQ+ folks past and present. His latest guest is Bob the Drag Queen, author of the new novel (and April book club selection) Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert.
Hugh’s most recent book, The Women’s House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison won the 2023 Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association. He’s also the author of the 2019 book When Brooklyn Was Queer, which won the New York City Book Award.
Apply today for Hugh’s online Nonfiction workshop at StoryBoard 2025.
