{"id":20130,"date":"2022-01-31T21:28:22","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T21:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.odysseyworkshop.org\/?page_id=20130"},"modified":"2026-05-29T00:46:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T00:46:30","slug":"class-of-2021","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.odysseyworkshop.org\/class-pages\/class-of-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"CLASS OF 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1551238839456{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Odyssey Class of 2021″ font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Actor%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_single_image image=”20163″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”20164″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Top Row: Odyssey Director Jeanne Cavelos, Odyssey Resident Supervisor Scott Gray, Lindsey Godfrey Eccles, Erina Lee
\nSecond Row: Lane Waldman, CJ Lyons, Spencer Orey, Mars Hawthorne
\nThird Row: Katherine McMullen Yanez, Malcolm Carvalho, Catherine Yu, Taemumu Richardson
\nBottom Row: Meg Moira, Kiran Kaur Saini
\nPhoto taken by Scott Gray[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row gap=”5″ equal_height=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1599510526550{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551289727346{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20106″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”CATHERINE YU” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Jeanne will find your writing weaknesses and put them at the forefront. You will learn new techniques and strategies to hone your craft\u2014and you will do it week over week, from the sentence level to the big picture. You will try new things and come up short. You will try new things and find yourself pleasantly surprised by the outcome\u2014right before it dawns on you that there are many things left to improve upon. Luckily, you\u2019ll be surrounded by other writers armed with plenty of brilliant and strange suggestions. If you\u2019re a writer who is truly interested in challenging yourself, I would very much recommend Odyssey.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551290044842{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20107″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”CJ LYONS” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]As a published thriller writer seeking to expand my horizons I couldn’t have hoped for a better place to learn and grow than Odyssey. Intense and challenging, it’s the perfect place to flex your writing muscles in new and exciting ways.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row gap=”5″ equal_height=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1599510541683{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551289727346{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20275″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”KATHERINE MCMULLEN” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Odyssey was an expansive and metamorphic experience for me. Coming from an MFA program, I was utilizing the aspects of storytelling intuitively, which wasn\u2019t always successful. My stories had problems that I just couldn\u2019t identify and I was struggling to even finish anything. Within the first week, I was able to point my finger at multiple problems in past manuscripts; meanwhile, I spent the next six weeks deconstructing genre fiction and analyzing every aspect of storytelling, even down to sentence level construction. Jeanne knows what successful stories look like and what readers need and look for in a satisfying story and relates to students in a way that only the unique combination of education and industry experience can achieve. Being able to break down plot and characters at a micro level changed my writer\u2019s mindset almost immediately. The workshop pace is break-neck and I was forced to challenge myself in ways that surpassed even graduate level studies and I am grateful for every single, exhausting, frustrating moment.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551290044842{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20112″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”LINDSEY GODREY ECCLES” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Odyssey changed my writing and it changed me, both for the better.\u00a0 When I arrived at the workshop I thought I knew a lot about pretty sentences and complex characters, but I didn’t know how to make any of that come alive on the page.\u00a0 Jeanne taught me how to figure out what I wanted to say and say it in a way no one else could.\u00a0 A non-writer friend asked me during the workshop if we were being taught to write to some kind of formula; nothing could be further from the truth.\u00a0 Odyssey offers a practical path to finding and nurturing your own unique voice.\u00a0 I recommend it unreservedly to anyone who wants to put in the time and effort to become the best writer they can be.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row gap=”5″ equal_height=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1599510541683{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551289727346{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20115″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”MEG MOIRA” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Odyssey is a phenomenal experience! It is a rigorous six weeks of writing, critiquing, lectures, and deep practice that will absolutely change you both as a writer and a reader. Jeanne works tirelessly to help each Odyssey student grow and make meaningful progress by providing detailed critiques and meeting individually to develop learning goals and plans to achieve those goals. After Odyssey, I am more confident about all parts of the writing process, have a much better understanding of the publishing industry, and am part of a writing group filled with amazingly talented writers. Odyssey is truly life changing, and I can’t recommend it enough.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551290044842{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20117″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”TAEMUMU RICHARDSON” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Odyssey Workshop is a transformative learning experience that has forever changed me both as a writer and as a reader. The syllabus is comprehensive, and individually tailored to every student. Jeanne\u2019s expertise is remarkable, matched only by her enthusiasm for the material, and for her students. The workshop built my entire writing process from the ground up, taught me to critique, and established my daily writing practice. I now also have a writing group, my graduating class, of hard-working, talented, and supportive writers, all striving to use the lessons of Odyssey to become better writers day by day.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row gap=”5″ equal_height=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1599510541683{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551289727346{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20237″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” css=””][vc_custom_heading text=”MALCOLM CARVALHO” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Odyssey helped me pull apart my writing methods, take a hard look at the moving parts, the nuts and bolts and put them all back together to make a smoother, more effective process. Jeanne candidly identified my strengths and weaknesses, and also uncovered some of my blind spots. I saw patterns in my writing, some that I needed to fix and some that could help bring out my voice. The intensive critiquing process made me think more critically about my own writing while also picking useful skills from the other writers. I learnt to write consistently to deadlines, discovering both brilliant insights and dead ends in the frenzied writing sessions, and letting go of my inner critic while doing so. I recommend Odyssey to any writer looking to take their craft to the next level.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551290044842{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20116″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”SPENCER OREY” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Before Odyssey, I spent long frustrating years trying to become a professional writer without really knowing what to do. I knew I was doing something wrong but wasn’t sure what. I came out of the Odyssey Writing Workshop with my writing improved in every way and a wealth of wonderful writing tools and techniques to keep growing as a writer and a professional. This was a life changing experience for me, and I wish every dedicated aspiring writer could have a chance to attend the workshop<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row gap=”5″ equal_height=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1599510541683{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551289727346{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20108″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”ERINA LEE” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551290044842{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20111″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”LANE WALDMAN” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row gap=”5″ equal_height=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1599510526550{padding-top: 5px !important;padding-right: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551289727346{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20114″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”MARS HAWTHORNE” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551290044842{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”20110″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”KIRAN KAUR SAINI” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1551290670831{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Memorable Quotes from the Class of 2021″ font_container=”tag:h4|font_size:30|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Arimo%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” css=”.vc_custom_1643664060173{margin-top: 10px !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row gap=”10″ equal_height=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1551239496334{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #71cff7 !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551239407282{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column_text]”I’m not sure I agree with myself.”<\/p>\n

–Lindsey<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAn equal opportunity eater.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Jeanne, on Catherine\u2019s Bertha monster<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I definitely think Bertha would be a squirter.”<\/p>\n

–Tae<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Need a boom!”<\/p>\n

–Tae<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen in doubt, more boom!\u201d<\/p>\n

–Mars<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Boom! Boom! Boom!<\/p>\n

–Jeanne’s next slide<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTentacles is an automatic 10\/10.”<\/p>\n

–Mars<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLiving on ravioli and cookies.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Spencer<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMy office? I love my office. Why would I want to leave my office?\u201d<\/p>\n

–Spencer<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for not challenging me.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Lane at first Friday night game<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHere is my evil plan! See if you can overcome my extreme power\u2026I doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Catherine on every villain ever<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not gonna lie\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

–Kat<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is too much…I\u2019m really after the tapas of plot.”<\/p>\n

–Catherine<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does wandering womb want?”<\/p>\n

–Tae<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be great to really dilate the skin peeling in this story.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Jeanne on Malcom\u2019s kite story<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cJeanne waits for no one.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Jeanne on Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“She hissed across the street.”<\/p>\n

–Kiran<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Out out, damn eyeballs!”<\/p>\n

–Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Everything can go through the wall except the eyebrows.”<\/p>\n

–Kiran<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I think she could be dead and it wouldn’t have a big impact on the plot.”<\/p>\n

–Catherine<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t fix what you don\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Gregory Ashe<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my Hulk.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Lindsey<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m imagining Henry Cavill in\u00a0Zoolander<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Megan<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSpencer, did you have a beard when Odyssey started?\u201d<\/p>\n

–CJ<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cScott had hair, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

–CJ<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI had a beard, but the hair fell out from stress.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Mars<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHairlander<\/em>.\u00a0 Only one can have hair.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Spencer<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to understand the novum at least 15% better.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Mars<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve obviously got toad and strange garden fascinations.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Tae<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNoah was a character that I enjoyed not liking.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Lane<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end it\u2019s just all beard.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Spencer<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI was uncertain whether the womb\u2019s opinion was valid or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Lindsey?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going full hat.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Megan<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a logic game; it\u2019s a plot game.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Kiran<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cA clairvoyant centaur named Spencer.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Megan, Spencer, Mars, Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I’m always a fan of magical jewelry shops.”<\/p>\n

–Phenderson[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1551239417694{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column_text]”I’ve been elbow-deep in every fluid that can come out of the human body.”<\/p>\n

–Kat<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“There’s a lot of room for more spider hijinks.”<\/p>\n

–Spencer<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Be weird.”<\/p>\n

–Phenderson<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI have an out-of-the-box suggestion.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Everyone<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI got it to fart!\u201d<\/p>\n

–Mars<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe was this wrestler nurse and I immediately wanted a story about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Spencer<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCatharsis.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cKaphartsis.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Tae<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCat farts it.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Malcolm<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCatfartsis.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Scott<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe poop portal.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Kiran<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like some clarification on what the bowel movements have to do with portal activation.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Erina<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAll the juices are squeezed out.\u201d<\/p>\n

— Megan on her story before critique<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWow, it\u2019s overflowing!\u00a0 It\u2019s rejuiced!\u201d<\/p>\n

— Megan on her story after critique<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBody-swapping shenanigans.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Megan<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe trick is to not minding that it hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n

— David Brin<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cUnclench!\u201d<\/p>\n

–Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cShut down is complete!\u201d<\/p>\n

–Kiran<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI kept telling myself, shutdown is complete! shutdown is complete!\u201d<\/p>\n

— Mars<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMeagan Spooner called me an asshole!\u201d<\/p>\n

–Scott (happily)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s striking 12! We\u2019re going into present tense!\u201d<\/p>\n

–Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get that robot lady\u2019s voice going. [Recording in progress.] That\u2019s better.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I love hurting them!”<\/p>\n

— Gregory Ashe<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Soapy and the Tumtums”<\/p>\n

–Tae<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Green snot is ten times more expensive than yellow snot.”<\/p>\n

— CJ<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“How does the kite economy function?”<\/p>\n

— Spencer<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Don’t walk to the story.”<\/p>\n

— Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Don’t be nice to your protagonist.”<\/p>\n

— Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Escalate, escalate, escalate.”<\/p>\n

— Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You got my dragons in my womb!”<\/p>\n

— Jeanne<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“2 Womb 2 Furious.”<\/p>\n

–Catherine<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Oracle much?”<\/p>\n

–Catherine<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m such a magpie for strangeness.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Tae<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOutlining provides the pleasures of a pantsy first draft without the anxiety of knowing you\u2019ll have to write the whole thing over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Lindsey<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDo you like buff male nannies?\u201d<\/p>\n

–Mars<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI like buff frogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

–Tae[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1778983904494-a7da5be2-9e13-9″ include=”20155,20154,20150,20148,20144,20140,20139,20138,20137,20134,20132,20123,20122,20120,20119,20118,20280,20281,20282,20283,20284,20285,20286,20287,20288,20289,20290,20291,20292,20293,20294,20295,20296,20149″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1551238839456{background-color: #ffffff !important;}”][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”Odyssey Class of 2021″ font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Actor%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_single_image image=”20163″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”20164″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Top Row: Odyssey Director Jeanne Cavelos, Odyssey Resident Supervisor Scott Gray, Lindsey Godfrey Eccles, Erina Lee Second Row: Lane Waldman, CJ Lyons, Spencer Orey, Mars Hawthorne Third Row: Katherine McMullen Yanez, Malcolm Carvalho, Catherine Yu, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":12661,"menu_order":11,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-20130","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t