September 2022 Workshops

SEPTEMBER 2022 WRITING WORKSHOPS

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Registration closes 24 hours before start time or when workshop fills. No walk-ins, please.
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SeptemberWorkshops

Writing Poetry: Playing with Form

INSTRUCTOR: Justin Jannise
TIME: Four Tuesdays, September 6, 13, 20, 27, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. CST
PRICE: Early bird price: $150 for members, $180 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Wednesday, August 31. After Wednesday, August 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

Sonnets, villanelles, sestinas, and ghazals, oh my! Depending on whom you ask, fixed poetic forms can represent either essential learning or useless trivia. Some writers see them as rigidly doctrinaire, while others love adapting them to original and exciting effects.

In this four-week generative workshop, “form” will take on new meaning. There’s more to it, in other words, than counting syllables and rhyming end-words. Much more. Led by prize-winning author (and form-obsessed poet) Justin Jannise, this course will consist of illustrative reading material, one-of-a-kind generative prompts, and plenty of mind-bending discussion. Whether you’re a devoted sonneteer or a straight-up sestina-hater, this class will challenge your assumptions and add grist to your poetic writing mill.

Photo by drmakete lab on Unsplash

Writing Creative Nonfiction: The Braided Essay

INSTRUCTOR: Rebecca Spears
TIME: Saturday, September 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 Sunday, September 4: After Sunday, September 4, $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: 15

Merging Narratives:
“I sometimes think about writing this way: as though I am standing on a porch decades ago, the heavy lid in my hand, rummaging and rummaging [in a box], until some unexpected thing winks at me, tells me to pick it up, examine it for what story it can tell.” (Brenda Miller, “Free Box”)

In the braided essay, several narrative threads are woven together to form a convincing, holistic essay, one in which surprising connections can be made. Essayist Brenda Miller describes the process as akin to braiding dough for challah. Or think of braiding a rope, as a lifeline for a story. The beauty of this type of essay is that the writer begins with threads or through lines whose connections may not be evident; but as the writer persists, often strong, unexpected links will emerge. Many writers use this format to approach scenes that, in the past, have seemed difficult or tricky to tackle.

During the seminar, we will engage in activities to find the threads for a satisfying essay and spend some time writing these. We will also consider links among the threads, the arc of a braided essay, and various perspectives and approaches to the writing. At the end of the workshop, writers should have a draft to continue working on. We’ll also look at submission possibilities for your braided essays.

Photo by Tim Boote on Unsplash

Using Submission and Anthology Calls as Writing Prompts

INSTRUCTOR: Cassandra Rose Clarke
TIME: Saturday, September 10, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CST
PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, September 4: After Sunday, September 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

In the last few years, there’s been an explosion of very specifically-themed anthologies (and some literary magazines) put out by small presses: recent releases include a horror collection inspired by singer Kate Bush, a speculative fiction collection inspired by scientist Galileo, and a literary magazine focused entirely on works that relate in some way to Taco Bell.

This renaissance of quirky collections is a boon to both readers and writers alike—and it’s especially helpful for writers who might feel blocked, burned out, or who simply want to challenge themselves to write something new. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll look at how you can use submission calls as a creative exercise. Students will be led through the process of selecting an interesting call and planning out a story that will fit the requirements while being unique enough to stand out. We’ll also devote some time to discussing the submission process.

Writing to submission calls is a fun, creative way to expand your literary repertoire and potentially snag some publication credits—but be warned, because it can also be addictive!

Attribution: www.submittable.com

Writing Memoir: Finding the Stories That Tell the Story

INSTRUCTOR: Joyce Boatright
TIME: Sundays, September 11, 18, 25, October 2, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. CST
PRICE: Early bird price: $150 for members, $180 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Monday, September 5. After Monday, September 5: $180 for members, $210 for nonmembers.
Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.
LOCATION: Writespace, 1717 Michigan Street, Houston, TX, 77006 (map)
LEVEL: All Levels
CAP: 15

You want to write a memoir but you’re overwhelmed because your story looks so big that you don’t know where to start. Or you’ve started it, maybe you even have a draft except the story is flat, unwieldy, and unappealing because there is too much narration of day-to-day events and not enough good story telling.

This 4-week workshop will help you find the critical turning points that make up the universal themes of a memoir. With this insight you will find the right opening for your story and a plan to carve the facets from your diamond in the rough. Just as importantly, you will embrace storytelling skills like capturing and exploring core themes, scene-sequel story structure, dramatic pacing, and meaningful dialogue. Most importantly, however, you will find your creative voice with the support of an inspiring writing coach.

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

Writers of Color

INSTRUCTOR: Julia Brown
PRICE: Tuesdays, September 12, 19, 26, October 3, 10, 17, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Early bird price: $210 for members, $240 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Tuesday, September 6. After Tuesday, September 6: $240 for members, $270 for nonmembers.
Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.
LOCATION: Writespace, 1717 Michigan Street, Houston, TX, 77006 (map)
LEVEL: All Levels
CAP: 15

Where does our inspiration come from?

How do we dive into our own uniqueness to write the stories and poems that are uniquely our own?

In this multi-genre, six-week course we will consider these questions and others to help us better understand ourselves as narrative engines.

We will focus on writing, close reading, and workshopping, immersing ourselves in our craft, whether literary fiction or slam or sci-fi. We will familiarize ourselves with the fundamentals of prose and poetry in order to apply those elements to our work, reading work by published writers in order to expand our sense of narrative possibility. We will support each other in taking risks and being vulnerable, and use workshop to offer and receive feedback, gather ideas for revision, and refine our responses to works in progress.

Over the last few decades, organizations designed to support and promote the work of writers of color have emerged across the country. Cave Canem, Kundiman, Canto Mundo, VONA, Kimbilio, and others recognize the need to provide writers of color with the kind of community and workshop space that encourages taking risks, resisting stereotypes (in ourselves, others, and in our writing), and creating poems, stories, novels, and essays that speak to the range of our experience as human beings. This workshop shares these intentions and seeks to provide Houston writers of color with the freedom and support offered by these organizations.

This workshop is open to writers of all backgrounds typically underrepresented in American literature, including but not limited to writers who identify themselves as African American or Caribbean, Asian American, Middle Eastern, Chicanx, Hispanic, and Latinx.

Expect to come away with fierce new work, as well as a renewed sense of the power found through community.

This workshop is funded in part by a grant from Poets & Writers.

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

Writing Queer Erotica

INSTRUCTOR: Cassandra Rose Clarke
TIME: Sunday, September 18, 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CST
PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Monday, September 12: After Monday, September 12, $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers.
Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.
LOCATION: Online via Zoom
LEVEL: All Levels
CAP: 15

Queer relationships in fiction and media are often depicted as sexless in an attempt to make these relationships more palatable to a straight audience. Even in 2022, it still feels revolutionary to see a queer kiss on screen, much less anything more! But at the same time, there’s a long history of queer writers exploring their identities through sexually explicit materials as part of the literary underground, and for good reason—queer erotica challenges mainstream assumptions and allows queer people to explore all facets of their identity.

In this workshop, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of writing erotica from an explicitly queer perspective. In what ways, if any, does queer erotica differ from straight erotica? How can a queer writer use an explicit sex scene to explore themes of identity and personhood? And most importantly, how do we make these scenes hot as hell?

Please note that this workshop is rated NC-17. Participants can expect to read, hear, and (if they wish) use sexually explicit language, and we will be discussing sexually explicit scenarios. Out loud.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

Building a Story with Character

INSTRUCTOR: Angélique Jamail
TIME: Saturday, September 24, 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, September 18: After Sunday, September 18, $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers.
Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.
LOCATION: Online via Zoom
LEVEL: All Levels
CAP: 15

Have you ever written a story that just didn’t quite connect with its readers? Or have you ever finally found its resonance only once you were already three or four drafts in? One good way to captivate your readers from the outset is to begin with compelling characters. In this generative workshop, we’ll use tools from popular culture, narrative craft, and literary analysis to kickstart (or revamp!) your story with characters that seem so real they leap off the proverbial page.

Come see why character drives plot, no matter the genre, far more than the other way around. Be sure to bring your preferred writing utensils (journal and pen, laptop, legal pad and box of sharpened pencils, etc.), a description of your favorite character from a book or movie, and an eagerness to look at character from a variety of angles. You can expect instruction, discussion, writing time, and the opportunity to share (if you wish) what you create in this class.

This class is appropriate for all levels of fiction writers and for writers looking to begin a new story or to revise an existing manuscript.

Photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash

The City as Character

INSTRUCTOR: Alex Wuckman
TIME: Saturday, September 24, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. CST
PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, September 18: After Sunday, September 18, $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers.
Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here.
LOCATION: Discovery Green 1500 McKinney St, Houston, TX 77010
LEVEL: All Levels
CAP: 15

Character, plot, and setting are the foundations of narrative prose. Relatable characters and engaging plots get all the attention, but a dynamic, interesting setting can turn good writing into great writing. In this workshop we will briefly review some of the techniques writers use to create lived-in environments. These techniques give readers a sense of place but also shapes the plot and defines the characters.

This immersive workshop will be held in Downtown Houston at Discovery Green, allowing participants to observe and interact with an urban environment. Discovery Green will also provide us with material for the three writing prompts:

Background - creating a believable environment.
Middleground - creating a believable environment for characters to interact with.
Foreground - creating a believable environment for readers to explore.

Following each exercise, we will engage in a short period of discussion and critique. Participants will leave the workshop with a greater understanding of one of the foundational aspects of narrative literature, which they can apply to their own writings.

Participants are encouraged to bring something to sit on if they wish and will need to bring whatever writing tools and supplies they are most comfortable using — pen/pencil, paper, laptops, water bottles, bug spray, sunscreen, etc.

Attribution: Photo by Kevin Hernandez on Unsplash