The Lab: Turning Obsession into Art with Aesthetic Force

Matthew Clark Davison

The Marsh Berkeley - Theatre

Great writing doesn’t start with form—it starts with obsession. But how do we transform raw obsession into something that stuns, unsettles, and compels? How do we move beyond reason to aesthetic force—the power that makes art unforgettable?

Join Matthew Clark Davison, co-author of The Lab: Experiments in Writing Across Genre (W.W. Norton), for a generative session exploring how writers can balance beauty and darkness, disrupt reader expectations, and render images that bypass logic and strike at the level of feeling.

Drawing from the insights of Sarah Lewis—professor, cultural critic, and author—on "aesthetic force," as well as generative exercises from The Lab, we’ll investigate how great writing—whether fiction, memoir, or hybrid—thrives on contrast, specificity, and the interplay between what some think is beautiful and what truly is. Through interactive prompts, you’ll experiment with techniques that push your work.

Host or Publisher Bay Area Book Festival