What makes an essay an essay? How does it blend fiction, argument, and memoir into a single form? This autumn, philosopher and essayist Thijs Lijster invites writers and thinkers to explore these questions in The Essay as a Border Crosser, a five-part course held in Groningen.
Drawing on works by Virginia Woolf, Joost Zwagerman, and Zadie Smith, participants will examine the essay’s hybrid nature and experiment with their own writing through peer review and workshop sessions. As Joost Zwagerman wrote, the essay “undermines and pushes aside” genre boundaries—welcoming poetry, parody, and polemic alike.
The course will be held in Dutch and will run on Friday mornings from October 3 to December 12, 2025, at the Noordwoord office (Munnekeholm 2, Groningen). The dates are already set: October 3, 17, and 31, November 14, and December 12. These are in-person sessions; online participation is not possible.
Participation is free, with 14 places available. A motivation letter (max 1 A4) is required by September 1, 2025 (email: t.e.lijster@rug.nl).
This course is part of Essays Beyond Borders (EBB), a European Erasmus+ project. Outstanding participants may be selected for funded travel to the EBB Easter School in Pisa, April 2026.
No prior experience required—just a passion for writing.
For more information, visit https://noordwoord.nl/cursus-het-essay-als-grensganger/
