Do you scramble to prepare your writing business revenue and expenses for your tax preparer? Does the thought of it make you cringe? No worries. I got you! Financial record keeping is important for any business, including your business as a writer. Accurate financial information is needed not only for you to assess the sustainability…

Elizabeth Bergmann Loizeaux in her book Twentieth-Century Poetry and the Visual Arts speaks of the communitarian sense of collaboration that ekphrasis can be when a poet puts “the ekphrastic power of the word…to the service of connection that here and there, now and then, self and other not be isolated.” With such in mind, this workshop will…

While the market for nonfiction often gives the impression that memoirists and personal essayists must possess extraordinary life experiences, there’s a robust tradition of essayists who find wisdom and unexpected insights in the mundane (sometimes without even leaving the house). This genre, sometimes called the “familiar essay,” stretches back to the origins of the form…

Explore using non-human point of view as a way to comment on humanity in this generative session. We’ll look at a variety of examples of this technique across formats and genres, then try our hand at some fun, bizarre prompts. Suitable for writers of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or anyone who enjoys playing with words. 

In this workshop, we will explore the relationship between people and houses. How does a house reveal the hopes and disappointments of a human life? How can a house become a source of personal pride, the symbol of a relationship, the focus of a dream, or a memory of the past? What is contained, or…

Whether writing prose or poetry, memory adds detail, authenticity, and drama. Memoirist Denise Low shares storytelling strategies to focus on real events and ways to explore deeper understanding. Be ready to listen, share, and write old memories in exciting new forms. 

Both forms — prose poetry and short short fiction — require close attention to language, imagery, and sound. There are certainly similarities. This workshop will explore the thin line between the two forms with examples and short exercises. Let’s raid the borders of poetry and prose. In flash fiction there are visual immersions, or abstract…

SPACE FOR THE UNEXPECTED The unexpected in our reading as well as in our writing can bring great joy. Join our cast of award-winning and acclaimed writers to explore the unexpected. Participants are invited to take part in all three days or may choose to attend just one or two days. We are proud to…

As formal grammar instruction has fallen out of fashion, many writers feel unsure of their grammar — or simply never learned the rules. In Session One, we will think about grammar as both “rules” and “tools,” explain the four basic sentence patterns, and address common punctuation foibles. In Session Two, we will review some commonly…

In order for memoir to reach a broad audience, the writer’s personal experience must be relatable to the reader. In this class, writers will look at their own experiences and dig deeper to find the kernels of truth that make personal stories memorable. I will share my basic framework for memoir, which I call the…