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- Registration closes 3 hours before start time or when workshop fills. No walk-ins, please.
- Please read our workshop policies before registering.
- Can't attend without a scholarship? Apply here.
November Workshops
How to Self Publish and Market Your First Book
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INSTRUCTOR: Mike Kowis
TIME: Sunday, November 3, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. CST PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Monday, October 28. After Monday, October 28: $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 Learn all about Self-Publishing from Mike Kowis, author of eleven self-published books including Smart Publishing for Indie Authors! Attendees will learn the 14 basic steps required to self-publish any fiction or nonfiction book on Amazon and other popular retail sites in eBook, print, and audiobook formats. With this class you will also receive a FREE copy of 14 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book or Smart Marketing for Indie Authors! Take this class if you: Have a book completed or almost complete that you would like to go the indie route with; if you've self-published already and want to learn all the technical knowhow to make the best of a self-publish launch; if you are starting a project headed for self-publishing and want to get ahead of the game! Great for fiction, non-fiction, poetry chapbooks, and memoir. Mike Kowis has given more than 100 AUTHOR TALKS at colleges, annual conferences, and group meetings on various topics related to his books. His online and in person presentations include topics such as Student Engagement Tips, Self-Publishing Steps, Book Marketing Secrets, U.S. Copyright Law for Writers, and What Authors Need to Know about Small Business & Taxes. See more about Mike here 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 Craft with Wonderbook
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INSTRUCTOR: Sean Morrissey Carroll
TIME: Saturday, November 9, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CST PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, November 3. After Sunday, November 3, $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). This workshop is also available via Zoom. LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 Let's learn all about the wild and wooly writing craft expertise of Jeff Vandermeer! Presented in conjunction with Basket Books, and all attendees receive a copy of WONDERBOOK. 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 of book cover
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Erasure Poetry
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INSTRUCTOR: Melissa Huckabay TIME: Saturday, November 9, 1 pm - 4 pm CST/CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, November 3. After Sunday, November 3: $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). LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 What if there’s a poem hiding in every page of a book, and all you need to do is uncover it? In this generative poetry workshop, we will use pages of text from all types of books—from fiction to informational—and practice finding the words and phrases that sing, that jump out at us. Then, we will create poems from those words. This is called “erasure poetry,” and it’s a fun entry point for writers at any skill level. Through prompts and exercises, this workshop will make erasure poetry especially accessible, and by the end you should have at least two poem drafts and a new eye for finding the poetic in everyday texts. 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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Poetry in the Palm of Your Hand
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INSTRUCTOR: Kendra Preston Leonard, Ph.D.TIME: Sunday, November 10, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CST
PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Monday, November 4. After Sunday, November 4: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All Levels CAP: 15 Poetry doesn’t need to be long to be profound or funny or beautiful. Discover the joys of writing short poems in this one-day workshop. We’ll talk about using limited forms like haiku to help us be more creative, and how to create an entire scene or mood in just one short stanza. We’ll find inspiration in everyday objects, tell stories in short works, and explore rhyme, meter, and free verse. Writers of all levels are welcome. 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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Architecture of Fiction
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INSTRUCTOR: Patrick Stockwell
TIME: Six Tuesdays, November 12, 19, 26, December 3, 10, 17, 6:00–9:00 p.m CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $210 for members, $240 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Wednesday, November 6. After Wednesday November 6: $240 for members, $270 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 10 A story is built in much the same way as a building. From the foundation to the frame to the roof, each structural element is separate yet integral to the whole. You get the metaphor. In this six-week revision workshop, award-winning author Patrick Stockwell will lead students in close readings of both published and attendee work. We will develop a deeper understanding of story design through our detailed readings and study stories like architects, element by element, strengthening each flaw as it is found. With their new ability to draw the shape of any story, students will develop systems of revision that will result in consistently better, more cohesive drafts of 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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Restore Your Writing Joy
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INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Cindy Childress
TIME: Two Saturdays, November, 16 & 23, 1:00–4:00 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $85 for members, $100 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, November 10. After Sunday, November 10: $100 for members, $115 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 Hustle culture is all too pervasive today. Under the pressure of that go-go-go, produce-produce-produce mentality, our creativity wilts. While the publishing industry has long praised workaholism, the cost of that pressure is often the loss of the pleasure of writing. The truth is, this write-write-write mandate runs us into the ground. Passion for a writing project turns into perfectionism, and suddenly, writing isn’t a joy anymore. Writer's block becomes a chronic condition, and our writing habit swiftly turns into a habit of not writing. If your writing life feels dried out and dried up, this workshop is for you! We know you need more than just writer's block hacks and time management tips. We know you need to reconnect with your creative self, so we filled this in-person experience with activities, games, and group activities to restore your joy in writing. We’ll explore the stories around why we are burnt out and spend time noticing what we are doing and how it’s serving us. We’ll explore ways to fill the creative well and keep it full. At the end of this workshop, we’ll leave with our writing spirit reawakened and with fresh commitments to the joy of expressing our imagination and ideas through writing. 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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