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- Please read our workshop policies before registering.
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June Workshops
Read Like a Writer
INSTRUCTOR: Patrick Stockwell
TIME: Saturday, June 1, 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, May 26. After Sunday, May 26: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map) LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 Have you ever wanted to figure out exactly why you love a story? Want to get to the nitty-gritty, down and dirty mechanics of an author’s writing? Want to discuss a story with other writers so you can figure out how to use those techniques in your own writing? In this one-day examination of short fiction, Ph.D. candidate and prize-winning author Patrick Stockwell will lead a deep dive into "Runaway," a modern masterpiece by Nobel Prize–winning author Alice Munro. Students will receive a PDF copy of the short story via Eventbrite email and will need to read it closely before class so we can get right to our analysis. 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 Robbie Noble on Unsplash
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Write Yourself into Main Character Energy
INSTRUCTOR: Marlena “Zen Ase” Johns
TIME: Three Sundays, June 2, 9, 16, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $120 for members, $140 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Monday, June 27. After Monday, June 27: $140 for members, $160 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map) LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 One theme of The Wizard of Oz is that Dorothy had the brains, courage, and heart that she needed all along. It just took a little journey and some challenges to find it. Often we act like a sidekick looking for a wizard to save us instead of embodying main character energy and accepting the call to adventure. This workshop will focus on self-reflection and finding your own voice, using writing exercises and other powerful techniques to strengthen your purpose, increase your resilience, and change your perspective. Let's write your hero's journey! Session 1. Laying the Foundation/Storyboarding. We will use goal-setting, vision boards, archetypes, and other self-reflection activities to explore the hero’s journey. Session 2. Drafting a Character Arc. We will use creative nonfiction to "script" our ideal selves, detailing how this improved self could handle the phases of the hero's journey and imaginatively exploring what it might take to transform. Session 3. Reflection. We will take time to reflect, revise, and share our journeys. 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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Writing the Past from the Safety of the Present
INSTRUCTOR: Sarah Gajkowski-Hill
TIME: Sunday, June 2, 3:00–6:00 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Monday, May 27. After Monday, May 27: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 “Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.” – Flannery O’Connor In times of uncertainty, and certainly since the pandemic, writing our stories can prove more painful than we have bandwidth for. We may find ourselves avoiding writing altogether or writing too sporadically to make real progress. Thankfully, there are ways through this kind of writer’s block, and this workshop is about finding those ways through simple sensory-guided memory writing. The instructor will walk participants through exercises designed to help writers tell their stories from the safety of the present. From paying careful attention to the senses to casting a deep net for positive, cherished memories, we will attempt to articulate the visceral details of a singular time and space while remaining present with our current emotions and surroundings. We will read excerpts from memoirists such as Nabokov and T.S. Eliot, to Jeannette Walls and Mary Karr, and many more, to aid us in crafting our own memoir essays/confessional poetry. The instructor will also touch briefly on rules for editing and revision. Sharing will be done in a safe space and only if one feels comfortable doing so. 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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LGBTQIA+ Writers Workshop
INSTRUCTOR: Justin Jannise
TIME: Six Tuesdays, June 4, 11, 18, 25, July 2, July 9, 6:30–9:30 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $210 for members, $240 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Wednesday, May 29. After Wednesday, May 29: $240 for members, $270 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Hybrid. Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map). This workshop is also available via Zoom. LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 Queer literature has grown wildly in recent years, right alongside a public awakening to the increasingly various possibilities of gender identity and sexual preference. And yet communal creative spaces where LGBTQIA+ people can safely meet, interact, and share ideas seem more vulnerable than ever. With this workshop, we aim to foster a safe and welcoming rapport among LGBTQIA+ writers where we can discuss ideas critical to queer identity. We’ll not only read the work of writers who identify as LGBTQIA+ (including our own), but we’ll also consider how queerness interacts with the wider literary community. In addition, we’ll set aside time for discussion and group feedback on our projects—both new and ongoing! All literary genres are welcome. Expect to come away with new work, new understanding, and new friends. This workshop is open to any writer who identifies as LGBTQIA+ regardless of the subject matter they intend to address or the genre in which they write. This workshop is funded in part by a grant from Poets & Writers Magazine. 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 chris robert on Unsplash
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Spiritual Memoir
INSTRUCTOR: Phuc Luu
TIME: Four Thursdays, June 6, 13, 20, 27, 6:00–9:00 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $150 for members, $180 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Friday, May 31. After Friday, May 31: $180 for members, $210 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 How do you tell your story through the lens of your faith/spirituality? How does spiritual memoir differ from other forms of memoir? All people are spiritual by nature. We are connected to experiences that are inexplicable and ineffable. Love, relationships, the meaning of life – all are spiritual phenomena that both reach beyond and dive into the world as we know it. Spiritual memoir intentionally draws from our own particular religious and spiritual language. It plumbs the depths of what it means to grapple with the divine, the other, and the basis of human existence. In this workshop Phuc Luu, author of Jesus of the East (part theology, part autobiography), will guide participants through exercises and discussions designed to:
This workshop will provide a foundation for writing spiritual memoir while also giving participants an opportunity to receive feedback on their work. 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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World-Building through the Five Senses
INSTRUCTOR: Tanya Aydelott
TIME: Saturday, June 8, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, June 2. After Sunday, June 2: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 Humans experience the world through the five senses. In this workshop, we will use our own memories of taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell to make descriptions of place and setting more unique and specific. Generative exercises will encourage writers to consider how the story world helps shape character and how their characters experience the world. Are there certain senses that might be more pronounced in the world of the story? Do your characters feel more comfortable or competent with one or two of their senses? How are you, as a writer, utilizing your full arsenal of descriptions to help your reader embrace and experience the world you have created? This generative workshop is aimed primarily at writers of speculative fiction, but is applicable and suitable for all writers and writing 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 Izzie Renee on Unsplash
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How to Write Steamy Romance
INSTRUCTOR: Cassandra Rose Clarke
TIME: Saturday, June 8, 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, June 2. After Sunday, June 2: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map). LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 Romance stories and steamy scenes have always gone hand in hand, but spicy reads have exploded in popularity over the last few years. So, how do you get down and dirty without sacrificing story and character? This workshop will explore the craft considerations of incorporating smut into your love stories. We’ll look at the commonalities between literary sex scenes and their less salacious cousin, action scenes, and examine the role of explicit sex in developing your characters and their relationships. We’ll also share tips and tricks for the best ways to build steam and get spicy. With sample texts, lively discussion, and plenty of exercises, participants will discover that sex scenes can play an integral role in crafting great romance. 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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Novel Writing Workshop
INSTRUCTOR: Cassandra Rose Clarke
TIME: Six Wednesdays, June 26, July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 6:30–8:30 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $210 for members, $240 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Thursday, June 20. After Thursday, June 20: $240 for members, $270 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom and Wet Ink LEVEL: All levels CAP: 12 Do you struggle to keep your stories under 6000 words? Have you ever received feedback in short story workshops like, “I want more!” or “This feels like the start of something bigger”? Have you reached the point where you feel ready to immerse yourself in a piece of writing, rather than dole your stories out in bite-sized chunks, but you’re not quite sure how to venture into a longer form? If so, then this is the workshop for you. We will focus exclusively on writing the novel, studying the particular challenges and expectations that arise when writing long-form fiction. We’ll talk about building structure and juggling subplots. We’ll look at ways to avoid the dreaded “sagging middle.” And we’ll attempt to answer that age-old question: Should I outline or not? In addition, writers will have the opportunity to see either their completed manuscript or an excerpt critiqued, depending on where they are in the process. Writers with no completed novels are welcome, as are writers of all genres. This workshop will include set class time via Zoom and asynchronous assignments in Wet Ink, an online writing classroom. 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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Writing Creative Nonfiction: The Mosaic Essay
INSTRUCTOR: Rebecca Spears
TIME: Saturday, June 29, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, June 23. After Sunday, June 23: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Hybrid. Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map). This workshop is also available via Zoom. LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 From small tiles in geometric or irregular shapes, mosaic artists assemble a larger cohesive composition. The mosaics are often stunning, especially if viewed both up close and at a distance. Just look at the public art of Antoni Gaudí or Emma Bigg; observing these artists’ use of imagery, light and dark hues, and shiny or matte materials, we feel a range of emotions as we connect to the artwork. With the mosaic essay, writers assemble their own tiles and fragments of experience, memories, stories, dreams, lessons learned, found objects, unforgettable conversations, and even happenstance to create a larger picture for their readers. What is different about the mosaic essay, and part of the satisfaction in the writing, is to assemble selected segments without the traditional chronology and transitions. Instead, the essay is put together to let readers make their own connections and draw their own conclusions. In this workshop, we will learn more about the mosaic essay, explore workable practices, and then draft several short pieces. Come ready to explore the montage that is the mosaic essay. 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 Ant Rozetsky on Unsplash
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The Creative Rebel
INSTRUCTOR: Debbie Burns
TIME: Saturday, June 29, 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, June 23. After Sunday, June 23: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 In a world that insists on more and more output in order to be “enough,” dare to defy the demands of productivity while saying yes to yourself, your peace, and your joy! Dare to take back the pleasure in your passions and creativity. It can seem as though everyone around us (in and out of the writing space) is obsessed with how much we produce. How many words? How many pages? How many books? Not to mention the requirements at work and at home. Everything whispering that it’s never enough. We must do more. It’s easy to fall into the trap of giving everything we have to this path of diminishing returns until we are left empty of everything except disappointment and frustration. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Join Debbie Burns in The Creative Rebel. We’ll discover: 1) the path leading to more writing with less stress and overwhelm (Hint: it’s not found in productivity!), 2) how to identify the patterns of your happiness (no more wondering what fills you up), and 3) the mindset shift that will get you back on track to your peace and joy. This is a hands-on, participation-required workshop. We’ll be doing the work together, so come open and ready to choose courage. You ARE the revolution. 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 Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash
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