by Writing Workshops Staff
2 months ago
In the liminal spaces between genres, where reality blurs into the fantastical, P.C. Verrone finds his literary home. The Dallas-based writer, whose debut novel Rabbit, Fox, Tar is forthcoming from Catapult in 2026, has built a reputation for work that defies easy categorization: fiction that dances between the possible and impossible, stories that transform the mundane into the magical.
Indeed, his work often carries the label magical realist even when that wasn't his conscious intention. It's precisely this organic relationship with the genre that makes him an ideal guide for writers seeking to understand magical realism's nuances and possibilities.
Verrone's upcoming Exploring and Writing Magical Realism 6-Week Workshop is a comprehensive course designed for both genre and literary writers interested in mastering this elusive yet powerful form of storytelling. The workshop promises to take participants through the history and conventions of magical realism while helping them craft their own 5,000-word short stories.
For Verrone, magical realism isn't simply a literary technique; it's a way of seeing the world that acknowledges the mysterious forces that shape our daily lives. His approach to teaching mirrors his philosophy of writing: meet students where they are, encourage their unique voices, and provide the tools to tackle whatever story they've brought to the table.
Writing Workshops: Hi, P.C. Please introduce yourself to our audience.
P.C. Verrone: Hi, I'm P.C. Verrone. I'm originally from Los Angeles and currently living in Dallas. I write fiction, plays, and poetry, which have appeared or are forthcoming from FIYAH Magazine, PodCastle, Nightmare Magazine, Playscripts, and numerous anthologies. My debut novel Rabbit, Fox, Tar is being published by Catapult next year! I'm also co-editing The Cookout, an anthology of speculative fiction by Black writers.
Writing Workshops: What made you want to teach this specific class? Is it something you are focusing on in your own writing practice? Have you noticed a need to focus on this element of craft?
P.C. Verrone: I love to writing in the misty, vague spaces between genres, and I think that is where magical realism exists. I've found that it is a genre that many writers are aware of but aren't entirely certain how to define it. My own writing has often been labeled as "magical realist" even when I haven't written with that intention. I am interested in deeply exploring what this genre is: its history, its conventions, and the diversity of writing within it.
Writing Workshops: Give us a breakdown of how the course is going to go. What can the students expect? What is your favorite part about this class you've dreamed up?
P.C. Verrone: We will be reading and discussing magical realist short fiction, breaking down the key elements of the genre. Then, using these elements, we will be writing and workshopping original stories, investigating what it means to write magical realism. These workshops are my favorite part of the course. I love how innovative and unique each student's approach is!
Writing Workshops: What was your first literary crush?
P.C. Verrone: I remember reading Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson and thinking, I want to write that exactly! There is so much humor and heart and beauty in that book, I became obsessed! It is still one of my all-time favorite reads.
Writing Workshops: What are you currently reading?
P.C. Verrone: I'm currently making my way through Ours by Phillip B. Williams. A long read, but very rewarding!
Writing Workshops: How do you choose what you're working on? When do you know it is the next thing you want to write all the way to THE END?
P.C. Verrone: I have to start writing. I've had ideas that have buzzed around my head for weeks, but then when I actually sit down to write it, I find there isn't much behind that initial spark. I know that an idea really has potential when there is a meaty question at the heart of it, one that I won't be able to answer in just one (or two or three) sittings.
Writing Workshops: Where do you find inspiration?
P.C. Verrone: I'm inspired by books, plays, movies, television, poetry, music, all kinds of art. I also love listening to artists talk about their work and getting a glimpse into their creative processes.
Writing Workshops: What is the best piece of writing wisdom you've received that you can pass along to our readers? How did it impact your work?
P.C. Verrone: When I was submitting my first novel to agents, which can be a months-to-years-long waiting game, my husband suggested that I write my next novel in the meantime. That was a small but eye-opening moment for me. Don't let the publishing process, wherever you may be in it, stop you from writing the next idea. And never hang your identity as a writer on a single story, because you can always write another. That wisdom has gotten me through some deep writing slumps and devastating rejections.
Writing Workshops: What is your favorite book to recommend on the craft of writing? Why this book?
P.C. Verrone: I really enjoy Stephen King's On Writing. It's approachable, funny, and insightful on both a practical and philosophical level. Plus, it's a joy to get a peek under the hood of some of the most iconic horror stories ever.
Writing Workshops: Bonus question: What's your teaching vibe?
P.C. Verrone: I want to meet my students where they are, encouraging their unique voices and styles. My role as a teacher is not to tell you how to write; it's to give you the tools to tackle the story that you've brought to the table.
Learn more about P.C.'s upcoming Exploring and Writing Magical Realism 6-Week Workshop and enroll now to avoid the waitlist!
Instructor P.C. Verrone is a writer of page and stage and his debut novel Rabbit, Fox, Tar is forthcoming from Catapult in 2026. His work has appeared in FIYAH Magazine, PodCastle, Nightmare Magazine, and numerous anthologies. He is the winner of the 2024 Otherwise Award, 2021 Bridport Prize for Flash Fiction, and WNDB’s Black Creatives Revisions Workshop. He has been awarded fellowships and residencies from Tin House, Playwrights’ Center, Generation Now, and New Jersey State Council on the Arts. He holds a B.A. from Harvard University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers University-Newark. He lives in Dallas with his husband, a historian.
