I’m a writer and essayist—the author of the New York Times-bestselling essay collection The Collected Schizophrenias (2019), as well as the novel The Border of Paradise (2016), which was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2016 and one of Electric Literature’s Top 25 Novels of 2016; I was selected by Granta for their once-a-decade Best of Young American Novelists list of 21 authors under 40. The Collected Schizophrenias garnered the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize, the Northern California Book Award for Creative Nonfiction, and the prestigious Whiting Award for nonfiction. I’ve also made appearances on the Today Show, NPR’s Weekend Edition, KCRW, the New York Times, the CBC, Flavorwire, and the New Yorker Online.
I am...
I'm also the founder of The Unexpected Shape, which provides different kinds of online education for ambitious memoir writers living with constraints of all kinds.
I want to help you.
You already contain all the ingredients.
Together, the work we'll do captures your raw potential and shapes it into something powerful and completely you.
as seen in:
A new class For You
Building Your Author Platform (When You'd Rather Be Writing)
📅 Date & Time: March 15, 2025 at 11AM PT
Ready to plan out your author platform and stop having panic attacks about social media? Want to prepare an enthusiastic audience to whom you can sell your newsletter and/or book? We'll do it TOGETHER—in one-and-a-half hour.
❤️
LEARN MORE
1:1 mentorship
The Unexpected Shape
Writing Academy
ACADEMY 101 COURSES
I’m here to help you do just that. With a passion for teaching and mentoring, I find joy in sharing knowledge that's often hidden inside ivory towers. Teaching allows me to break down barriers and democratize information about writing and publishing, fostering and holding space for a community of informed and inspired writers—just like you.
On our Writing Courses page you'll find all kinds of ways that you can learn and work with me, an award-winning, best-selling author, from our famous free video class, the One-Day Writing Kickstart, to our beloved Writing Academy, to one-on-one Mentorships. Can't wait to see you there!
— AUDRE LORDE
“There is no end to education."
xo, Esmé
Are you eager to unlock the secrets of the literary industry and/or elevate your writing?
"Storytellers are a threat. They threaten all champions of control, they frighten usurpers of the right-to-freedom of the human spirit—in state, in church or mosque, in party congress, in the university or wherever."
chinua achebe, anthills of the savannah
Can't get started? Feeling Stuck?
The (FREE) One-Day Writing Kickstart
🧡 Esme Weijun Wang offers a compassionate course on resolving writer’s block. [She] is a gifted writer herself, and she breaks down her writing techniques to help us identify the source of writer’s block, and then to nibble away at it. She offers a number of creative and practical tips, with a gentle invitation to use what works, and discard the rest... [redefining] “work” in a way that was encouraging and hopeful.
— MARY A.
The One-Day Writing Kickstart
❤️ "I am 50 years old and a self-proclaimed master procrastinator in regard to writing (yes, I procrastinate for about 30 years now, so that’s really something).
That’s why Esmé’s class, “The One Day Writing Kickstart” about writer's block was a godsend for me. Esmé is not only an accomplished author but also a talented educator, especially in subjects connected to productivity and chronic illness. As someone who has lupus, I struggle with constant feelings of being lazy and unproductive. Esmé’s calm and assuring way of teaching always makes me feel less guilty.
I liked many things about this short class, but most useful were tips and tools for breaking through writer’s block and maintaining a writing flow—there were so many great and new things to try for me. I 've already experimented with different writing techniques, and it's made a lot of difference in my writing output.
Thank you, Esmé, for such a great class!”
(Aleksandra C.)
It's been a long f*cking time since you last wrote something... an essay, a chapter of your memoir— anything that felt like it was for you. You're not alone. And I can help you do something about it in a single one-day class. (Really.) You'll also be subscribed to the resources at the Academy Bulletin.
