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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.
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September Workshops
Place and Personality: Strengthening Fictional Characters Through Setting
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INSTRUCTOR: Juan Fernando Villagomez
TIME: Two Saturdays, September 7, 14, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $85 for members, $100 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, September 1. After Sunday, September 1: $100 for members, $115 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 Do you ever find yourself at a loss with your characters? Your protagonists have a solid backstory, but where do you go from there? What motivates them to act? What are they acting toward? In this generative two-session workshop, we’ll look at examples from short stories, novels, and craft books to discuss strategies for mining character development ideas from our settings. These strategies will be reinforced through generative practice. 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 Simon Berger on Unsplash
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Gothic Story Elements
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INSTRUCTOR: Angélique Jamail
TIME: Saturday, September 7, 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, September 1. After Sunday, September 1: $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 What do a darkly beautiful aesthetic, #WitchyGirlAutumn, and a tantalizing sense of foreboding all have in common? They can be part of the rich pageant of Gothic story elements that make so many “classic”—or “forbidden”—literary pleasures so deep. In this three-hour generative workshop, we will dip our feet into the chilling waters of Gothic literature to find out what that genre entails. Expect a multi-faceted exploration as we discuss a range of examples in visual art, film, music, and mentor texts. Our writing time will include the opportunity to use these Gothic elements to begin a story or enhance one you’ve already started. Students will have the option of sharing what they’ve written during the workshop. Come with your favorite writing utensils (a laptop, a legal pad and sharpened pencils, a leather-bound journal and a fancy feather quill—whatever works for you). Let’s kick off the Gothic season in writing style! All levels of writing experience 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. |
Photo byNahide Erol on Unsplash
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Polishing Your Poetry for Publication - Available Soon!
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AVAILABLE SOON!
INSTRUCTOR: Mathew Weitman TIME: Three Sundays, September 15, 22, 29, 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, September 9. After Monday, September 9: $140 for members, $160 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 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 Aleksandr Buynitskiy on Unsplash
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Mapping Today’s Publishing Landscape
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INSTRUCTOR: Jessica Cole
TIME: Sunday, September 15, 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, September 9. After Monday, September 9: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 Join us for a guided tour of today’s publishing landscape with Jessica Cole, co-founder of Bloomsday Literary, a Houston-based indie publishing nonprofit. Jessica’s career as a publisher requires her to educate herself about the publishing landscape as a whole and stay as current as possible to a constantly shifting industry known for its opacity. Day-to-day operations of acquiring manuscripts, editing, formatting, cover design, publicity, and fundraising wouldn’t go far without the knowledge of what the publishing industry is doing—and how it could do better. In this workshop, Jessica will share everything she has learned (and is still learning) from an indie publisher’s perspective, relevant tidbits from her academic background (such as university presses), as well as how to approach the publishing landscape as a writer aiming to be part of the literary ecosystem. 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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Editing Your Flash Fiction and Nonfiction
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INSTRUCTOR: Nick Almeida
TIME: Four Wednesdays, September 18, 25, October 2, 9, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. CDT PRICE: Early bird price: $150 for members, $180 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Thursday, September 12. After Thursday, September 12: $180 for members, $210 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 "A story usually grows organically–" Lydia Davis once said, " –driven by an inner necessity as well as a feeling of delight." This four-week workshop is designed for writers who are captivated by the variety of ways a single story can grow organically. Each week, we will embark on a journey of reimagining and revising a single piece of flash in multiple ways. Through a series of dynamic writing exercises, you will explore different narrative techniques, perspectives, and styles to transform your original piece into new, compelling versions. This iterative process will deepen your understanding of editing and add to your storytelling toolkit. In addition to our hands-on writing exercises, we will read and discuss both original and published flash in class. Analyzing a diverse range of works will provide insight into the craft and inspire your own revisions. The workshop will culminate in a salon-style reading, where you will have the opportunity to share your revised pieces with your peers in a supportive, celebratory environment. We will also hold a colloquium on publishing flash, offering valuable tips and resources for getting your work out into the world. 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 PJ Gal-Szabo on Unsplash
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The Light and Dark in Poems and Personal Essays
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INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Doni Wilson
TIME: Saturday, September 21, 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, September 15. After Sunday, September 15: $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 When we look at both poetry and prose, how do we strike a balance between the light and the dark? The poems of Mary Oliver explore loss and exuberance. Essayists are able to confront deep issues while also engaging audiences with the poignancy of comforting memories or a philosophical view of hard things. Dave Sedaris even uses humor. In this workshop, we will look at poems and essays, including the instructor’s own about dealing with her only sibling’s untimely death, to explore how we deal with loss and challenges in narrative and poetic forms. Bring a notebook or laptop to write in class. Participants will leave with a draft of a new poem or prose piece. 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 Giorgia Finazzi on Unsplash
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Magical AF
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INSTRUCTOR: Debbie Burns
TIME: Sunday, September 22, 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, September 16. After Monday, September 16: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 Magical AF is a transformative workshop to help you break free of the unhealthy beliefs impacting your confidence and creativity. You will learn to choose you, trust you, believe in you, and finally achieve the writing career of your dreams. While the rest of the writing world chases after mechanics and tactics, we’ll go on a journey that leads right to the center of your creative soul so you can see the next level of you, embrace the magic that resides there, and feel the freedom that comes from living by your own set of rules. In this workshop, you’ll find everything you need to:
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 Self: Facing the Shadow
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INSTRUCTOR: Elizabeth Mayorca
TIME: Saturday, September 28, 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, September 22. After Sunday, September 22: $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 “The essence of the shadow is pure gold.” ~ Carl Jung In this class we will explore the thoughts and feelings that have been unexpressed and unlived, the parts of ourselves that have been hidden in the shadow. After studying excerpts from memoirs and writings about the shadow self, we will mirror these expressions in generative writing exercises, allowing a whole new vision of ourselves to come out on the page. 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 Spiritual Poetry: The Possibilities of Transcendence
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INSTRUCTOR: Rebecca Spears
TIME: Saturday, September 28,1:00 – 4:00 p.m. CST PRICE: Early bird price: $45 for members, $60 for nonmembers. The deadline for early bird pricing is Sunday, September 22. After Sunday, September 22: $55 for members, $70 for nonmembers. Become a member here. Apply for a scholarship here. LOCATION: Online via Zoom LEVEL: All levels CAP: 15 “Writing poetry has probably been the best teacher for me learning to pray. Poetry asks that I go beyond what I know on the surface into what I did not know I knew within me.” —Jericho Brown The language we encounter in poetry often opens up a wider world, allowing us to discover deeper and essential meanings for our lives, even in everyday moments. Both readers and writers of poetry have experienced these feelings of transcendence. Today a number of poets are finding themselves in the middle of a conversation with the divine, poets like Christian Wiman, Mary Szybist, Katie Ford, and Li-Young Lee. In this three-hour workshop, we will look at spiritual poems from contemporary poets and a few ancient ones. Then using these examples as starting points, we will create poems that address our relationships to the divine, faith and doubt, and the possibilities of transcendence. We will also discuss possible venues and publications for your creative work. Please join us, no matter what your beliefs. Bring your questions, your experiences, and ideas to create poetry from your heart and soul. 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 Greg Rakozy on Unsplash
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A Speculative Fiction Bag of Tricks
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INSTRUCTOR: Tanya Aydelott
TIME: Sunday, September 29, 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, September 23. After Monday, September 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 My job is to make you believe in something that is not true and did not happen to people who do not exist. If I do my job correctly, I send you back into your life feeling different, feeling like you've experienced something that you haven't experienced before, maybe even seeing the world a little bit differently…. [I’m] making these big roomy things with space that are not true and giving them to people in order to allow them to see we hope for greater truths. — Neil Gaiman Speculative fiction is an umbrella term for fictions of the unreal: fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, etc. It resonates with readers because it allows us to see our world and our circumstances through the lens of metaphor, gifting us “big roomy space” to wrangle big ideas and issues. But figuring out where to start writing a speculative fiction story — or, indeed, how to start — can be challenging. This generative workshop will offer you the chance to consider how a speculative world might fit the stories you want to tell, give you space to experiment with world-building and character-construction, and encourage you to incorporate speculative elements into your writing. We will experiment with a range of tools to get you started crafting your own speculative fiction worlds, characters, and plots. Come ready to play! 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 Joshua Newton on Unsplash
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