The ekphrastic practices traditionally feature a writer, usually a poet, using the artistic experience of viewing a piece of visual art as a starting point for their writing, often beginning with description. Teaching artist Linda Michel-Cassidy is interested in working with a more expansive notion, i.e., those conversations moving back and forth between a wider…

Dialogue is so important to the scenes we write, whether in a screenplay or a short story. It can communicate the tone of the story, move the plot forward, express important information, reveal insights into our characters, and make the world come to life. In this session, we’ll learn about the different roles dialogue can…

Discover how to transform lived experience into powerful, resonant nonfiction. This immersive five-day intensive invites you to explore the heart and craft of memoir. Through a blend of instruction, generative writing, and guided revision, you’ll learn to shape compelling true stories. We’ll examine core elements of craft and use them in unique ways to build…

“I see revision as a beautiful word of hope. It’s a new vision of something. It means you don’t have to be perfect the first time. What a relief!”  — Naomi Shihab Nye Join Rachel Gabriel for a three-hour workshop on the often misunderstood tool of revision. Together, we will give new vision to your…

All around us, in all seasons, the natural world exists, persists. Let us reflect on the lands, waters, skies, space, of all the places we have lived, loved, dreamed of, and called home. What are the multiple geographies you know, and want to know, both in Wisconsin and outside of it? What stories can you…

Everyone has a story to tell — but how do you tell your story in a compelling way? In this class, we will explore the fundamentals of personal narrative and memoir writing. We will look at how craft elements, like scene and dialogue, can make a personal story come to life, and we will discuss…

Whether you are an experienced writer or just starting out, this workshop will offer a friendly and supportive environment. Participants will be introduced to a variety of found materials, such as old letters, photographs, and memorabilia, which can serve as rich sources of inspiration. We will explore some published work—stories, nonfiction, poems, and mixed-genre work—to…

Jesse Coffman-Riewe and Jan Cosmos met during a Write On, Door County retreat and have since collaborated on a film together, The Cave. Join Jesse and Jan for a lively journey into your intuitive mind. Together, participants and teaching artists will collaborate to deconstruct a short film about Encounter, Transformation, and the Flaring Forth of…

In this session, Adam Sleper will cover the basics of screenwriting including narrative, character, scene-building, and more. Adam will discuss the anatomy of a scene, structure, and character development. Participants will leave with a list of mostly free resources for beginning screenwriters. Adam Sleper is a professional writer originally from Omaha. Adam earned a B.A.…

Best-selling author Ann Heyse offers advice from her own experience of self-publishing her successful children’s books. She’ll discuss the many steps of the process including writing and editing, working with an illustrator, preparing a book for print, and getting the book onto store shelves. The session is designed for anyone curious about what’s involved in…