In the first Teacher Development Workshop of 2023, Jess Poli will lead panelists Jamaica Baldwin, Caroliena Cabada, and Erika Luckert in a discussion about assigning personal narratives in a variety of classes, including English 151. Jess’s workshop will explore questions such as: How do we prepare students in the classroom with the tools they need to write creatively, if in fact we are asking them to do so? How do we as teachers think about and handle the risks of vulnerability that often come with personal writing, especially for students from marginalized backgrounds? And how do we approach conversations in the classroom about identity and audience, as they relate to the personal essay? Attendees will learn about prompts and lessons that help scaffold students through these unique assignments.