Writespace Writing Center
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        • Tanya Aydelott
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        • Karleen Koen
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        • Kendra Preston Leonard
        • Phuc Luu
        • Lorenzo Martinez
        • Thomas H McNeely
        • Ülrika Moats
        • Jody T. Morse
        • Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
        • Jae Mazer
        • Marcell Murphy
        • Patricia Flaherty Pagan
        • Kate Pentecost
        • Kathryn Peterson
        • Joy Preble
        • Paige Quiñones
        • Icess Fernandez Rojas
        • Jan Saenz
        • Tamara Nicholl-Smith
        • Patrick Stockwell
        • Elisabeth Commanday Swim
        • Marian Szczepanski
        • ire'ne lara silva
        • Rebecca Spears
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        • Holly Walrath
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        • D.L. Young
        • Reema Zaman
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Help Support Writespace


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.
Please Donate Now!
All donations made to Writespace are entirely tax-deductible.
Or consider purchasing a Quill Pen Membership or Fountain Pen Membership.

Our Next Workshop


Introduction to Personal Essay and Memoir: Turning the Pen on Ourselves

INSTRUCTOR: Mark Dostert
TIME: Saturday, June 4, 1–4 p.m.  CDT
PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, May 29. After Sunday, May 29: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.
LOCATION: Writespace, 1717 Michigan Street, Houston, TX, 77006 (map)
LEVEL: All Levels
CAP: 10

Why should strangers care about me—my experiences, my thoughts, my feelings, my joys, my sorrows, my musings, and my confusions? They shouldn’t—unless we give them good reason to!
 
We engage deeply with memoirs and personal essays when they enable us to see and learn something new about ourselves and the larger human experience. Gifted memoirists and essayists  take readers from the concrete details of their particular experiences to revelations of Universal Abstract truths of the human condition.
 
Accordingly, effective personal essay and memoir writing does not center itself in confession but rather in self-examination during times of trial and/or growth, all presented through engaging narrative arcs. 
 
In this workshop, we will use mentor texts (both memoir and essay) to discover how these great essayists and memoirists employ the elements of point-of-view, imagery, diction, detail, and syntax  to create juxtaposition, parallelism, allusion, tone, figurative language, and motif. All of this culminates in aesthetic pleasure and intellectual-emotional enlightenment, which is why we read in the first place, regardless of the essay’s subject matter. 
 
Participants are encouraged to bring the opening one to five pages of a personal essay or book-length memoir for feedback according to the writing craft concepts introduced and discussed.
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Photo by annazuc from Pixabay

View all our upcoming workshops.

Workshop Testimonial 

"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

​Our Next Event


​The ​Submission Room

TIME: Sunday, June, 12, 4–6 p.m. CDT​
PRICE: Free for members, $5 for nonmembers. Become a member here. 
LOCATION: Melange Creperie, 711 Heights Blvd #B Houston TX 77007 (map)

Goal: To have every participant exit the session with at least 1–5 submissions in Submittable or with a solid plan for where, when, and how to submit in the weeks to follow. 

Structure:
First 30 minutes - This time will be designated for experienced submitters and newbies to air out whatever questions or concerns they have about the submission process. To save time, informative handouts with tips and FAQs will be distributed to those who want them. Before the 30 minutes is up, all participants will have an opportunity to share which genre they are working in and what goal they are working towards, whether it be to actively submit during the session or work on a monthly spreadsheet to better prepare for future submissions.

Remaining time -  All participants will be asked to work independently and quietly so not to distract other participants from their personal goals. As a moderator, Jan will be available to answer questions and check-in with participants on a rolling basis to ensure everyone feels confident, knowledgeable, and productive moving forward.
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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.

Please Donate Now!
All donations made to Writespace are entirely tax-deductible.

Picture



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​Writespace
P.O. Box 20722
Houston, TX 77225

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  • About
    • Blog
    • Our Organization
    • Member Success Stories
    • People >
      • Staff
      • Board of Directors
      • Faculty >
        • Tanya Aydelott
        • Nyri Bakkalian
        • Pat Baldwin
        • Outspoken Bean
        • Andreana Binder
        • Mackenzie Bitz
        • Joyce Boatright
        • Julia Brown
        • Debbie Burns
        • Cynthia Childress
        • Cassandra Rose Clarke
        • Jessica Cole
        • Cameron Dezen Hammon
        • Mark Dostert
        • Ynes Freeman
        • Mark Haber
        • Matthew Hefti
        • Angélique Jamail
        • Justin Jannise
        • Amal Kassir
        • Karleen Koen
        • Mike Kowis, Esq.
        • Kendra Preston Leonard
        • Phuc Luu
        • Lorenzo Martinez
        • Thomas H McNeely
        • Ülrika Moats
        • Jody T. Morse
        • Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
        • Jae Mazer
        • Marcell Murphy
        • Patricia Flaherty Pagan
        • Kate Pentecost
        • Kathryn Peterson
        • Joy Preble
        • Paige Quiñones
        • Icess Fernandez Rojas
        • Jan Saenz
        • Tamara Nicholl-Smith
        • Patrick Stockwell
        • Elisabeth Commanday Swim
        • Marian Szczepanski
        • ire'ne lara silva
        • Rebecca Spears
        • Catherine Vance
        • Holly Walrath
        • Charlotte Wyatt
        • D.L. Young
        • Reema Zaman
      • 2020 Emerging Writer Fellows
      • 2019 Emerging Writer Fellows
  • Workshops
    • Creative Writing
    • Workshop Policies
    • Online Class Tech Support
    • Scholarships
  • Mentoring & Editing
    • About Mentoring & Editing
    • Editors >
      • Editor Cynthia Childress
      • Editor Cassandra Rose Clarke
      • Editor Stephanie Jaye Evans
      • Editor Sarah Townsend
  • Almost Free Events
    • The Whole Artist
    • The Submission Room
    • Readings & Open Mics
  • Writefest
  • Contact