Our Next Workshop
Talk To Me: A Generative Workshop on Dialogue
INSTRUCTOR: Tanya Aydelott
TIME: Saturday, July 27, 1:00–4:00 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, July 21. After Sunday, July 21: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 What makes dialogue good? How can dialogue ramp up tension in a scene? How can an author play with subtext in conversations between characters? How do you juggle multiple voices in a single scene? How do characters talk to each other and how does this illuminate the nuances in their relationships? How can characters use conversation to deceive one another? The ways dialogue must work are innumerable. This workshop will consider ways that authors use dialogue to develop character, build worlds, and advance the plot. We will examine the ways authors use cadence and word choice to round out characters and move the story forward. We will analyze mentor texts from published stories and films and also practice writing our own dialogue that operates on these multiple levels. This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. |
Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash
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View all our upcoming workshops.
Our Next Event
July Open Mic
TIME: Friday, July 26, 7-9:30 pm
LOCATION: Sabine Street Studios, 1907 Sabine Street, Houston, TX 77007 (map) FEATURING: LGBTQIA+ Writers Workshop participants COST: Free for members, $5 for nonmembers. Become a member here. REGISTRATION: To become a reader sign up here. Sign-ups are open to all and on a first come, first served basis. You must sign up here to read! Come out and listen to our featured readers and read yourself! Our featured readers will have their work for sale and for signing at the Itty Bitty Book Fair! Please note that you will need to arrive before 7:00 p.m. to get a seat. Accessibility and parking: Parking for Sabine Street Studios is on Spring Street. Overflow parking at Spring Street Studios. Fully accessible building. Parking lot at Spring Street is gravel. This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. |
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What people are saying about our workshops:
"I hadn’t written poetry in more than 6 months. Not because I didn’t have anything to say—but rather, the opposite: I have too much to say, and not enough time to say it. That’s the beauty of short-form poetry—and I can think of no one better than Dr. Kendra Leonard to be your guide into this world.
If you’re like me—an unpracticed, imperfect poet who doesn’t know anything about the mechanics of sonnets or limericks—it can feel super intimidating to step into a poetry workshop. But Dr. Leonard made me feel anything but intimidated. She is kind, encouraging, and takes a gentle, question-led (rather than feedback-led) approach to workshopping poetry.
What’s truly amazing is that she’s helped me turn short-form poetry into a habit. I’ve written a poem every day since taking her workshop. Often, I don’t have a big block of time to sit down and journal out all my thoughts and feelings. Dr. Leonard’s workshop showed me that I can be just as expressive through short-form poetry, and in a fraction of the time.
I’m really excited to take her workshop on ekphrastic writing."
—Ynes Freeman, on Kendra Preston Leonard's Writing Short: Poetry in the Palm of Your Hand
If you’re like me—an unpracticed, imperfect poet who doesn’t know anything about the mechanics of sonnets or limericks—it can feel super intimidating to step into a poetry workshop. But Dr. Leonard made me feel anything but intimidated. She is kind, encouraging, and takes a gentle, question-led (rather than feedback-led) approach to workshopping poetry.
What’s truly amazing is that she’s helped me turn short-form poetry into a habit. I’ve written a poem every day since taking her workshop. Often, I don’t have a big block of time to sit down and journal out all my thoughts and feelings. Dr. Leonard’s workshop showed me that I can be just as expressive through short-form poetry, and in a fraction of the time.
I’m really excited to take her workshop on ekphrastic writing."
—Ynes Freeman, on Kendra Preston Leonard's Writing Short: Poetry in the Palm of Your Hand
All donations made to Writespace are tax-deductible.
Writespace is a Houston grassroots literary arts nonprofit whose mission is to embrace and celebrate our city’s diversity by providing the type of high-quality training available through Master of Fine Arts creative writing programs at a fraction of the cost to writers of all genres, with a focus on providing programming for underserved communities and scholarships for low-income writers. |