CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS
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- As of June 2020, all Writespace workshops are only available online. See individual workshop listings for details.
- Tickets must be purchased online.
- Please read our workshop policies before registering.
- Can't attend without a scholarship? Apply here.
- Need tech support for your class? Check out our Tech Support page. If your question isn't answered, contact us.
March Workshops & Events
Write from the Scar, Not the Wound: A Memoir Workshop
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INSTRUCTOR: Reema Zaman
TIME: Saturday, March 13th, 2:00 - 4:00 PM COST: Early-Bird until Monday, March 8th: $20 for members, $25 for non-members. After Monday, March 8th: $25 for members, $30 for non-members. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom Do you have a story you’re burning to tell, drawn from, perhaps, the smoldering ashes of a previous relationship, or your childhood, or those wild years in your 20s, or all of that combined? Are you worried about how the world or agents or relatives or that ornery ex will respond to your truth, but are committed nevertheless to expressing your truth? Are you excited yet daunted about telling this story, and nervous or confused on how to sculpt this tricky terrain into an actual book? In this workshop and live-event, “Write From the Scar, Not the Wound,” Reema Zaman will cover all that and more: story, craft, developing a writing practice, building a platform, pitching agents, and becoming your own voice in a crowded marketplace. With her signature exuberance, warmth, and publishing wherewithal, we’ll tackle all the nerve wracking nuances of memoir writing and publishing, to come out stronger together with renewed hope and focus for the path ahead. Write from the Scar, Not the Wound: Pre-Workshop Reception Join Reema for an intimate forty-five minute reception before the start of the workshop ! Registration will be limited, and reception attendees will have the opportunity to talk with Reema in a small Zoom session from 1:00 - 1:45 PM. To attend, please purchase reception tickets as an add-on item while selecting your registration tickets. Early-Bird price until Monday, March 8th: $25 Regular price after Monday, March 8th: $30 |
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Memoir 1
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INSTRUCTOR: Cameron Dezen Hammon
TIME: Four Wednesdays, March 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st, 6:00 - 9:00 PM PRICE: Early-Bird until Friday, March 5th: $150 for members, $180 for non-members. After Friday, March 5th: $180 for members, $210 for non-members. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom CAP: 15 Do you have a story to tell and need help getting it on the page? This four-week class will help beginner and intermediate writers alike shape, structure, and make headway in writing their personal stories. Through lecture, discussion, targeted writing prompts and workshops, participants will dive into topics including crafting a narrator, voice and tone, setting, and revision. |
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Honoring the Body: Narratives of Illness and Health
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INSTRUCTOR: Rebecca Spears
TIME: Sunday, March 14th, 4:00 - 6:00 PM CT PRICE: Early-Bird until Tuesday, Mar. 9th: $20 for members, $25 for non-members. After Tuesday,, Mar. 9th: $25 for members, $30 for non-members. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom Questions are at the heart of narratives about the body. In particular, the body narrative seeks to make meaning from the experience of illness and health. When the body undergoes change, our relationship with the body also changes. And there are so many unanswered questions. The emotional terrain of our bodies’ deterioration and restoration, loss and recovery can seem mysterious, disruptive, devastating, and unwanted. We want to know why. We want to know how. We want to know exactly what happened. We wonder if we could have changed an outcome. Whether you have been the sufferer, the caregiver, or an empathic friend and witness, your stories of physical and mental well-being may not be so easy to tell; the experiences tend to be fragmented. This two-hour seminar will show you ways to find the focus of your body narrative and how the essay might be written as a journey of self-discovery while engaging a wider audience. We will look at several successful essays and the forms that the essays can take. There will be time for activities to find the heart of your stories. You will also be introduced to journals and presses that are particularly interested in the body narrative. |
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Memoir that Breaks the Rules
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INSTRUCTOR: Joyce Boatright
TIME: Saturday, March 20th, 1:00 - 4:00 PM CT PRICE: Early-Bird until Monday, March 15th: $45 for members, $60 for non-members. After Monday, March 15th: $55 for members, $70 for non-members. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom CAP: 15 Want to write a memoir that stands out? This workshop will inspire you to play with the memoir form in creative, delightful, nontraditional ways, such as switching up point of view (who says memoir has to be in first person?), playing around with metaphor to get at your memoir’s theme, and taking some advice from Emily Dickenson: “Tell the truth but tell it slant.” We'll read excerpts from writers who have discovered fresh approaches in crafting their memoirs. Writing prompts will encourage you to experiment with voice, verb tense, and points of view to craft your own story. While sharing is encouraged, it is never required. |
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Crafting Unconventional Narratives
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INSTRUCTOR: Mark Haber
TIME: Saturday, March 27th, 1:00 - 4:00 PM CT PRICE: Early-Bird until Monday, March 22nd: $45 for members, $60 for non-members. After Monday, March 22nd: $55 for members, $70 for non-members. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom CAP: 15 Not content with traditional ways of telling a story? Hoping to resist cliche? Looking for novel ways to write a novel? Whether it’s stream of consciousness, point of view, shifts in time, or experimenting with language and form, creating an original narrative isn’t easy. We’ll look at novels that have succeeded in creating powerful narratives through unique and idiosyncratic writing styles. We’ll focus on what makes an unconventional narrative work, concentrating on the chances the author took and how they paid off. From William Faulkner to Virginia Woolf, Toni Morrison to Eimear McBride, some of the most powerful novels ever written were created by defying traditional forms of the novel and creating a work of singular style. Together, we’ll discover ways of bringing vibrant narratives to our own writing. |
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